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Yang Desheng is a ferryman at the ancient Mulong ferry on the Lijiang River in Guilin, one of the most famous tourist destinations in south China.
Carrying the oars handed down to him from his great grandfather, the 29-year-old man has spent 15 years of his life ferrying on the river all year round.
"I carry some 70 people a day during the week-long Spring Festival holidays," he said while swinging the oars to move the wooden boat forward on the crystalline water.
The ferryman said that usually he gets up to work at 6 am and closes at dusk every day.
His wooden boat, usually capable of carrying a dozen passengers at one time, transports over 200 people a day at the busiest time.
The furthermost ferry journey Yang has conducted carried him for three days from the ancient ferry to Yangshuo County in Guilin, famous for its limestone landscape in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Yang said his passengers used to be local farmers, but now he finds that most of them are peddlers, tourists and farmers who come and go regularly for daily necessities and selling vegetables.
"My annual income can go well above 10,000 yuan, and that is more than enough to support my family," said the man, whose biggest dream now is to get a new ferryboat, and build a new house.
(People’s Daily 02/05/2001)
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