It is late evening, deep in "snakehead" territory in south-east China. Wen Shang is no different from the hundreds of other villages dotted along the Fujian coastline: poor, run-down and crying out for investment. It's a rich hunting ground for the ruthless human smugglers who have been plying their trade in these parts for more than 100 years.
Wang Ming, a shipping company employee, has lived in the village, on the outskirts of Changle City, all his life. The 35-year-old is poorly educated and badly paid. Fooled by stories of streets paved with gold, he dreamt of a new start in the US.
Like thousands before him, Wang's attempted exit from the province of Fujian was arranged through a "snakehead", one of those who make their living by trafficking illegal emigrants abroad. In a classic "snakehead" ploy, a friend contacted Wang from the US suggesting he emigrate and offering to pay the fee of $5,000, which could be repaid later.
Wang is nervous as he recounts his story and his elderly mother is not happy a foreign journalist, accompanied by eight government officials, has invaded their home.
He recalls travelling to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in western China, to make contact with the man who was going to bring him to "freedom". He and three other would-be emigrants were to make their great escape together. Even now, he is reluctant to go into detail about who their "facilitator" was.
The group walked 10 hours over mountains to Chiang Mai on the border between Burma and Thailand. Exhausted, they were then driven to Bangkok Airport. It was here that the American dream turned into a nightmare. The false papers Wang had been given did not fool immigration officials and he was thrown in jail.
During his three months in prison, he had to pay for food and was only released after paying $1,000 to the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok and $1,000 to immigration officials. His family had to raise the money, equivalent of four years' salary.
Wang says he now realises he had a lucky escape. "America is not everything. I was doing okay here. I should have been happy with what I had."
Wang got away lightly in financial terms. Most of the gangs who smuggle Chinese people abroad now charge far more than the $5,000 to $10,000 going rate of three years ago. The price today for an overland journey can be up to $30,000 and as much as $50,000 for a flight. The immigrants spend years toiling away in their new country to pay it back. In Changle County, the average wage is $500 a year.
Eight months ago, snakeheads were almost respected in this part of China. In Fujian and in the neighbouring province of Zhejiang, they lived openly and lavishly in plush new houses with hot tubs and tennis courts. For many less well-off Chinese, they were the only passport to a better future, albeit an expensive one.
But snakehead has become a dirty word in Fujian since the horrific discovery of the bodies of 58 people from the province in the back of a lorry in Dover, England last June. The human cargo didn't stand a chance in sweltering temperatures. The deaths in Dover brought into sharp focus the human cost in what has become a highly organised, multi-billion dollar global trade. Trafficking of migrants now generates huge profits for organised crime syndicates.
Since Dover, the authorities in Fujian claim to have made huge strides in clamping down on the snakeheads. They are unwilling to take all the blame for the problem of illegal immigration, claiming that more relaxed borders across the EU are not helping. They also say the majority of the snakehead gang leaders are not based in China, but operate from abroad.
It is difficult to know what the true story is. The Irish Times is the first western newspaper allowed into Fujian to do a story on illegal immigration following the Dover tragedy. Permission was granted after several requests. A total of eight officials from the Foreign Affairs Office in Fujian and the Changle City office accompanied us (myself and a translator) at all times during our visit. Access was limited and we were not allowed to travel around the Changle area on our own.
Lin Jing Guo is the secretary of the Communist Party in Zhangang town on the outskirts of Changle City. Many tough measures have been taken to stamp out snakeheads, he says. "We are educating people and are trying to impress on them that snakeheads are illegal and bad."
As we drive though Zhangang towards the tiny fishing village of Baihu, one can see slogans on walls and buildings urging people to "attack the snakeheads". This is part of the government information campaign against the traffickers. Along the route, big houses stand out among the more humble, run-down buildings. When asked if these are the homes of snakeheads, we are told firmly "no". These houses were built on the fruits of hard work, we are assured.
Baihu is home to about 50 fishing families. It overlooks the Taiwan Strait, facing North America, the land of hope for millions of Chinese. There was a time when some fishing boats were used to bring illegal emigrants to bigger ships, which then transported them abroad.
But not any more, say the authorities.
There are tight restrictions on the fishermen coming to and from Baihu. Lin Jing Guo explains they must register before they leave and say how many people they have on board. And they must also register on their return to port.
The village consists of one row of dilapidated houses, a small harbour and the fisheries office. Three men sitting on a wall overlooking the sea are among a group of locals paid 30 yuan (about $3.60) a day to patrol the beaches to ensure no illegal migrant activity is going on. The patrols are among the new measures introduced to curb snakeheads.
It is hard to find anyone in Fujian who will defend snakeheads. Fisherman Ke Feiyun says that while life on the boats is tough, he does not think illegal emigration is the answer. He says he is against snakeheads. "They are taking money from people and promising them great things. We are doing all right here."
The deputy mayor of Changle, Zhang Xing Kui, says the city has established an anti-snakehead working group. Rewards of between 2,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan ($240 and $1,204) are offered to anyone with information leading to the arrest of snakeheads.
He says the Dover case made people very angry. "They feel exploited and cheated. They want strong punishment for those responsible." The city is concentrating on improving the quality of life for people and attracting more investment, so they won't feel the need to emigrate, he adds.
The gangs who organise illegal emigration from China have now set their sights on Western Europe, following a clampdown in the last 18 months in Canada and the US. An EU immigration delegation said during a fact-finding mission to China last month that Britain and France were now the main targets for Chinese immigrants.
An EU source says while there is no evidence of illegal Chinese moving from Britain to the Republic, it could not be ruled out as the provision of labour remained at a premium in the Celtic Tiger economy.
Experts in illegal emigration in China say it is much harder to control the land and air routes to Europe than to North America. Hong Kong airport - with 30 million people passing through it every year - is a favoured hub.
Forged British National Overseas passports are often used, offering visafree access to 80 countries from the former colony.
Police say the main overland smuggling routes are through Russia and into Western Europe via Hungary or the Czech Republic. Between seven and 10 gangs are estimated to control the trade from China to Britain.
Ying Chang, a professor in journalism at Hong Kong University and an expert on illegal immigration, tells The Irish Times that while the Dover tragedy did help focus world attention on human trafficking, nothing short of a concerted international effort will bring about an improvement.
The reality is that in developed countries, including the Republic, there is a huge demand for cheap labour and often this is filled through illegal immigrants.
"In the long term, you have to promote economic development to give people jobs and a better standard of living so they won't be tempted to emigrate." Over decades, a "people's pipeline" has developed between Fujian and New York, she adds. "Brothers and sisters go over and then send for other members of the family and friends and this has gone on over generations. It will take several years to break that link."