OLYMPICS/ flash
Model worker never caught off guard
By Cui Xiaohuo (China Daily/Olympian)
Updated: 2007-09-19 09:38
Xie started patrolling the famous shopping district on April 3, 1996. Two years later, his wife arrived and started working as a saleswoman in one of the malls. The couple rented a room in suburban Beijing for 200 yuan ($26.6) a month, until their daughter was born in 2001. Now she's at school nearby.
Xie said the 600-yuan ($79.8) school fess he pays twice a year covers textbooks and lunch and is affordable. His daughter is not entitled to a Beijing residence permit, like her parents, even though she was born here.
"The only difference between us and other parents is that we can't buy accident insurance for her at school," Xie said.
"Some say I should spend more money and transfer my daughter to a bigger school, but I don't agree. If you are tough enough, you will become somebody through hard work wherever you grow up."
Now he is captain of a squad of 200 security guards. As Wangfujing becomes safer and more international, Xie's responsibility is shifting to training his guards to stay cool in the presence of sports stars like soccer players Roberto Baggio and Barcelona's Ronaldinho, who recently made appearances in the capital.
"I enjoy my job, and my biggest dream is to gain a Beijing residence permit for my family and have our own apartment some day," Xie said.
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