When Shen Mengyu graduated with a master's degree from a top Chinese university in 2015, she could have landed a comfortable job in government or at one of China's internet giants.
Instead, she went to work at a car parts factory in the southern city of Guangzhou, pursuing her interest in labor activism.
In May, she was fired for organizing workers at the plant. Undeterred, she began advocating for workers trying to form an autonomous trade union at Jasic International, a welding machinery exporter in nearby Shenzhen.