A song for the road

Donated vegetables are transported by the Jiaxianglaike company to Enshi in Hubei province and then distributed to residents in need. CHINA DAILY

Li Zheya first arrived in Beijing from a small village in neighboring Hebei province in the spring of 2004 and started working as a waiter in a hotpot restaurant near Beijing Capital Airport. Then age 18, he worked from 8:30 am to 9 pm at a monthly salary of 450 yuan ($65).

During his two-hour lunch break, he watched flights taking off and landing at a distance while he listened to the catchy songs of the Chinese pop band, Shui Mu Nian Hua.

Li's parents were both farmers. As the youngest child in a poor family with four children, he dreamed of pursuing his happiness in the big city that was in contrast to the village where he was raised－narrow roads, farmland and similar-looking houses.

Sixteen years later, Li, now 34, is a father of two children and has fulfilled his dream as the CEO of an e-commerce company named Jiaxianglaike that literally translates as "guests from hometown", which he co-founded in 2015.

As China steps up poverty alleviation, this online platform has helped farmers promote and sell agricultural products. Li's rags-to-riches journey has also got him media attention.

While the country is fighting the COVID-19 outbreak, Li's company has helped to donate and transport vegetables to Central China's Hubei province, the hardest-hit area.

From Jan 31 to Feb 25, nearly 100 metric tons of donated vegetables and medical supplies were delivered to eight cities in the province.