Laborer lifts heavy loads to build better life

Deng shares snacks given to her by tourists with her fellow workers.Photo By Li Xinfeng / For China Daily

There are about 200 laborers ages 20 to 60 who carry building materials to the summit and live in dormitories at the site.

"What is unusual about Deng is that she is female, but can carry more than most of the men," Wu said.

Life is tedious for Deng and fellow workers, but she is satisfied because of the money she can make. "I need money to support my son, who will soon enter second grade at middle school," Deng said.

Because of the relatively high income, her husband has also joined her in carrying building materials to the summit.

Their village is not far away from Emei Mountain.

But the couple had never visited the sacred Buddhist site, which was included in the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage List in 1996, before they started working on it.

Emei is a poetic term for "beautiful women" in Chinese. Spread over 154 square kilometers, the mountain offers a panoramic view of the landscape throughout the year.

The couple are happy to be able to work on the picturesque mountain, which many people are unable to have the joy of visiting.

After their son's summer vacation started in early July, they took him to the mountain so he could experience the stunning scenery.

With a cane to support her body, burdened with a bamboo basketful of building materials, Deng has to take a rest every two or three minutes on the mountain path.

Moved by her hardship and determination to support her family, some tourists offer her water, snacks and napkins to wipe away her sweat.

"It feels good to earn the respect of strangers through my hard work," she said.