Perseverance offers path to better life

Her journey home first took her to Chengdu for two days and one night. In the Sichuan provincial capital, she rested for a night at a hotel, before spending another 14 hours on a train to Yuexi county, Sichuan. She reached her home near Daliang Mountain late at night.

Now, it takes only 14 hours to travel from Nanchang to Yuexi.

The shortened journey time was unimaginable for Bamuyubumu 11 years ago when she left Liangshan for the first time in search of a better life. Her family, which was planting crops on a small plot of land, was barely able to make ends meet from the annual harvest.

She told Xinhua Daily Telegraph that 11 years ago, there was no electricity at the family home, and when it rained, the bed and quilt were drenched and she and her husband had to fumble around in a darkened room to place buckets and basins to catch the rainwater.

Arable land was scarce in the area and locals found it difficult to make a living from farming.

The mountainous land in the village used to be barren. Planting seeds did not necessarily produce crops, especially in the event of flooding and drought.

When Bamuyubumu went to work at the factory in Nanchang, she carried her daughter while removing stones and bricks. Her daughter fell asleep on her shoulder, so she put her down and watched the girl as she continued working.

The Beijing News quoted Bamuyubumu as saying, "I made few friends in Nanchang. I did talk to some people, but as I couldn't understand what they were saying, I sometimes felt lonely."