Born in the 1980s - Shao Xuejiang
Print Edition
Postman Shao Xuejiang, 26, carefully repositions the bag filled with Shanghai Evening News editions on his bicycle and wipes away beads of sweat to prevent papers and letters from getting stained. The afternoon temperature is hovering just below 40 degrees Celsius.
“The heat wave this summer is an ordeal for postmen,” he says. “It’s like being in an oven, but I have to make a living, so I have no choice.”
More than 10 years ago, Shao came to Shanghai alone from a rural town in Sichuan Province. He found a job delivering goods for a foreign-funded company. Then, six years ago, he joined the postal force in the Chengzhong Road office of the Jiading District Post Co.
It’s taxing work but better than life back in his hometown, a farm community with fewer prospects.
“I came to Shanghai to try my luck, and I found I could earn much more here,” he says, with as much smile as he can muster in the heat.
In the beginning, he was lonely. “I missed my parents, and they were too far away to visit,” the young man says.
His parents, now in their 60s, have since moved to Shanghai and work as domestic helpers.
“I feel sad that they have to work at their age, but there’s no other way to make ends meet,” he says.
Shao’s income also has to support a wife and a four-year-old son.
“My dream is to survive in Shanghai by working hard until I can retire here,” he says. “But that’s probably unrealistic because it’s such a costly city.”
Shao says he hopes his salary will be raised and the government will make good on promises to improve the plight of migrant workers living in the city.
Buying a home is out of the question, given real estate prices, and even the rents are hard to afford. Shao now leases an apartment far from work because of the cheaper rent.
“I couldn’t afford the rent near my workplace, so I live out in the suburbs,” he says.
It takes him about 45 minutes by riding a bike to get to work. His shift starts at 6:30am. “I can only hope that life will get better,” he says.
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