Women at the Wheel

For more then 10 years, they drive a minimum of 10 hours a day, every single day of the year, through the Chinese metropolis of Xian. Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Duan and Mrs. Yu are cab-drivers, colloquially called „taxi sisters" (Chin.: dijie). The three of them are considered „lucky", as they manage to make their living in times of privatisation of state-run enterprises. While most of their former colleagues are out of work (there are around 120 million people jobless in China) and live from hand to mouth, they managed to save up the amount needed for a taxi license. The little money they make is just enough to feed their family. Driving a cab is no easy task for women. With work being a strain, contracted debts piling on the pressure, and having to corrupt officials, crooks and gangsters, each day poses a real challenge. We join these three women cruising through the city of Xian, visit them at home after work is done and learn about their lives, their sorrows and joys, and their aspirations.