Living in a 10-square-meter room in the north of the city, Hai describes his home as "only better than a pig sty".

There is only space in the room for a second-hand bed they bought, but no electric appliances. The kitchen and toilet share the same space, and the stove sits right next to the cistern.

Hai rented the place for 600 yuan a month from a local farmer, who was using it as a storeroom.

He used to pay 120 yuan a month for the room, but rental has doubled again and again as more and more cab drivers flooded the area looking for cheap rental space.

"No one knows how many people are living here, but my neighbors are all taxi drivers from Henan," says Hai.

"It's convenient. If one of us falls sick, we can easily find a replacement driver for the shift."

Cai Guanyao, secretary-general of Hangzhou Urban Taxi Association, says taxi drivers in Hangzhou work the hardest and the longest compared to others in China.

"Their income may be ok, but they toil far harder. It's very unfair," says Cai.

As a result, thousands of taxi drivers went on a strike on August 1, calling for raise in taxi fare.

The strike started a month-long debate among government, public and taxi companies and ended when by the end of October, it was decided that the waiting fee for cabs would be raised from 2 yuan every five minutes to 2.5 yuan for every four minutes.

But the new charges leave the cab drivers unmoved.

To them, the miniscule increase is a mere drop of water that cannot douse the consuming fire that is burning them up.

It is a continuing crisis that may inspire cab drivers like Hai to move again.

"Some of my countrymen left for Sanya in Hainan province, and they keep calling me to join them.

"They say the tourism industry is booming there and taxis use cheap natural gas," says Hai, who is seriously considering his options before he makes the decision to stay because he likes Hangzhou or move to a better life.

"But if I go, there is one thing I will do before leaving: Bring my wife to West Lake for a tour and take lots of pictures."