A motorcycle hum breaks poverty

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January 31, 2019

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A motorcycle hum breaks poverty

Source: Xinhua | 00:05 UTC+8 January 31, 2019 |

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On hearing an approaching motorcycle, Lan Manxiu halts her sewing, hops off her seat and hobbles out of the house. Her wages are arriving.

Among all the noise, Lan, 37, likes the sound of the motorcycle engine humming the most. Every day, the loaded vehicle delivers clothing material ready for sewing in the morning, and picks up the clothes for sale in the evening.

The sewing machine, which Lan has to climb onto a cushioned chair to reach, has become her cash cow.

Lan was born humpbacked in a remote village in the poverty-stricken city of Ruijin in east China’s Jiangxi Province. She married a disabled man, whose leg was amputated after being bitten by a snake during his childhood.

Last year, the family was lifted out of poverty, after her husband found a job in a clothing plant in northeast China, and she started sewing clothes at home.

When the motorcycle stops at Lan’s home, she is given 800 yuan (US$120), her salary for December.

The motorcycle driver who delivered her the money is Liu Chunhua, a clothing-workshop runner and owner of the sewing machine.

Liu distributed some of his machines at his workshop to those who had trouble working away home in 2017. His motorcycle has become the only transport for clothing delivery and pickup between the plant and the homes.

Although the village has newly built concrete roads, the tires on the motorcycle have been torn. Its meter shows the vehicle bought in 2017 has run 33,000 kilometers.

Villager Wen Dongmei has earned 20,000 yuan by sewing clothes.

Wen and her husband fell into extreme poverty three years ago when they quit their jobs in a large city to take care of their son who was diagnosed with kidney disease.

Sewing at home not only brings income, but also enables Wen to take care of her son. Her husband found a job in a vegetable cooperative in the village, making 100 yuan every day. Their income is enough for the family to shake off poverty.

“Although my son still has to take pills, the medical bills can almost be covered by public health care,” Wen said.

Profiting from the workshop, Liu plans to buy more sewing machines in 2019.

“Every evening when I hear the motorcycle engine, I know it is a sign of a better life,” Wen said.

Nation

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A motorcycle hum breaks poverty

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