The Number

10,000 yuan

The monthly income of 20-year-old Jiang Ling, who earns a living cleaning people's ears. Ear cleaning is a traditional form of Chinese massage that is popular in Sichuan province. Delicate skill is needed to handle the tools, which are inserted in the ear to scrape and massage. Jiang began learning the skill from her family at age 12. She now has many loyal customers at a massage center in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.