CHONGQING – At the Chaotianmen ports next to Chongqing’s iconic Raffles City mall, around two dozen porters – known locally as bang bang jun – hang around roadsides and the docks, waiting for jobs.

Bang bang refers to the thick bamboo poles the porters hoist on their shoulders, with the goods they transport – such as cruise passengers’ luggage or boxes of clothings and trinkets to be sold at a nearby wholesale centre – balanced on them.