For more than two years, single mother Li Shaoyun has been taking her three-year-old daughter Yiyi to work with her in the back of her taxi each evening.

Yiyi has spent more than 900 night shifts on the road with her mother in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Childcare can be expensive in China, and many must strike a balance between childcare and working life – even if it involves an extra passenger for a long night’s driving.

To comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Capital, please head over to our Facebookpage or message us on Twitter.

If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter called "If You Only Read 6 Things This Week". A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Capital and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.