Zhou Xiaoxue is seen standing here, holding her snake mascot, at home in Beijing's Daxing district, on Jan 22. She left her real hometown, Qiqihar in Heilongjiang province, back in 2006, to look for a job in the Chinese capital and found one in an automobile factory. To save money, Zhou rents a room in the city suburbs where she pays 350 yuan ($60) a month. She was born in 1989, another Year of the Snake, and will be giving birth this month. She says she's really happy that her baby will also be a Year-of-the-Snake child. Zou Hong / China Daily

Special: 2013 Spring Festival