Gansu workshop gives workers new lease on life

LANZHOU — As soon as the Spring Festival holiday wrapped up, a textile workshop in a mountain-locked northwestern Chinese town reopened. The machines rumbled as locals accelerated efforts to deliver the first orders in the Year of the Ox.

Ma Tingxiao, 32, carefully inspected several spools of polyester sewing thread that had just rolled out. This 200-metric-ton batch was set to be delivered to the eastern port city of Qingdao, Shandong province, before being shipped to its final destination in Indonesia.

The workshop is a poverty alleviation program in Daban county, Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province. Jointly established by a local government-funded company and several private enterprises outside Gansu, it offers jobs exclusively to local women, most of whom are “left-behind” wives whose husbands work far away from home as migrant workers.

Ma joined the workshop when it opened last June. Thanks to her hard work and meticulous attention, she was promoted from a maintenance worker to a quality control inspector in just three months.

“We have to be really focused in our work as we must judge whether a product has met all the criteria,” Ma said. She can now earn at least 3,000 yuan ($460) every month, along with a bonus if she doesn’t miss any days.

In addition to bringing up her two children, Ma has been taking care of her husband’s parents since he went to work in other cities to provide for the family of six. Before beginning work at the shop, an ordinary bottle of face cream was a luxury for Ma.

With an increased income, she is now able to afford many things on her wishlist, including new clothes, a motorbike and some home appliances.

“I used my first month’s salary to buy a washing machine as a gift to myself. I was finally done with hand-washing,” she said.

Ma’s parents-in-law, who are still in good health, now share in the housework to help support her, she said. The former rural housewife has also become more confident about life and herself.

“I’ve realized that as long as I work hard, I can turn all my dreams into reality,” said Ma, who is now saving money for a “big deal” — renovating her house.

With aspirations to continue moving up in the company, Ma has set a new goal of becoming a craft instructor this year. She also sometimes brings her children into the workshop to show them what she does for a living.

“I want to show them how mommy has changed after getting this job to encourage them to study hard,” she said.

More than 390 women are employed at the workshop. Though most of them start from scratch, they learn very fast and treasure the job, said Guo Qi, manager of the workshop.

“I’m touched by their work ethic and dedication,” said Guo, adding that some of the skilled workers can earn as much as 6,000 yuan a month.

According to the manager, since last June, over 1,000 tons of sewing thread have been exported to Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries.

Ma said: “I have never even been out of the country, but the products I make go abroad, and that makes me feel so proud.”