Word: longzhao
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...sight startled visitors. There, in the center of Longzhao, a prospering village on the outskirts of the city of Chengdu, were the crumbling remains of a mud-brick house, its thatched roof scattered around it like straw dandruff. The hut, obviously abandoned, was surrounded by freshly constructed brick-and-concrete apartments. The eyesore was cleared away a few weeks ago, but why had it remained so long? "We kept it there so that people would remember what it was like five years ago," explains Ru Furong, director of Longzhao's garment factory. "We used it to educate the young...
Industrial development in Sichuan came next, spurred partly by the fact that most towns did not have enough farmland to go around. The 133 villagers in Longzhao, for example, realized they could not profitably divide the town's meager l½ acres. Looking for alternatives, several women banded together to mend clothing. Today that circle has grown into a 110-woman collective housed in a new, two-story concrete building. The clatter of 60 gleaming sewing machines plays syncopated rhythm to the strains of Chinese music from the stereo and the gossipy talk of the workers. Liao Zhureng, 30, who manages...
Life has grown sweeter in Longzhao. Women who once made $10 a month can now take home $30 to $40, while their husbands earn similar paychecks building houses and factories, thanks to the construction boom, or working at jobs once limited to large collectives, like raising pigs and ducks. Liao's husband builds houses. With their combined income of $670 a year, they were able to buy a three-room duplex for $1,700. The collective chipped in about $300, and the couple will pay the balance over several years. Liao does not begrudge the debt, since it symbolizes better...
| 1 |