"The bigger the boat, the wider the channel, the richer we are." "The government's services are getting better and better, the people are getting more benefits, and life is getting more and more prosperous." 2020 is a decisive year to build a moderately prosperous society. Over the past few days, the journalist has interviewed local boatmen in Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou and other places. They shared their different feelings about their life and career changes over the years, but among which "happiness" was the common voice.
With complete living facilities, the boat is more like home
"It is so hot, and you still go out for daily routine check. Come in and have a cup of tea." Cheng Dexiang, the boatowner of "Zhejiang Jiaxing Cargo 03285”, cheerfully greeted us when the journalist followed the maritime personnel to the south pier of the Zhajiasu Line Bridge on On August 28. He had made friends with nearby maritime workers because of his frequent voyages along the channel.
Hearing that the journalist wanted to interview him about his life as a boatman, Chen Dexiang became excited. He told the journalist that he had long been working on board around Jiaxing. He went to work in a factory before he finished high school, but after his marriage, he felt that he earned too little in the factory, so he and his wife decided to be boatpeople together. So far it has been more than 30 years. They have changed boats five time from oar-engine concrete one at the very beginning of running to iron-hull one to the current steel-hull type.
"Basically, the boat is our home, and we live on water." Chen Dexiang said, "now my own boat is 45 meters long with a gross tonnage of 419, It holds about seven or eight hundred tons each time. Unlike the previous life on board when we had to live with sauna-like days in summer, and the coldest days in winter and we had to take a bath on shore, now the boat is much more comfortable than before with refrigerators, air conditioners, household appliances, and cell phones and computers to kill time."
The nearly-60-year-old Wu Changhui, the boatowner of "Zhejiang Jiaxing Cargo 02179", had the same feeling as Chen Dexiang. He was also an old master with more than 30 years on board. When the journalist saw him, he was enjoyinge the cool air at the stern together with his wife and two grandchildren.
"Now I think the biggest change is that the waterways have become wider and deeper with more service areas and anchorages. So when the boat gets bigger, the living equipment on our boat will naturally have a place, and family members can go on board and live together, so it's more like home." When it came to the changes of the life on board, Wu Changhui had a lot to say, he told the journalist that, for many years he has been on voyages in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Previously, the waterway was narrow, and the boat was small. When he was young, he could only take his wife on board. If his children went on board, it became more crowded and the living condition on board was so terrible that they would suffer a lot.
"Sometimes when my kids really wanted to come on board the boat and live with me for a few days, they had to wait on the wharf until when goods were loaded and unloaded, Because there was no place to call at all the way along the waterway, either because the water was too shallow neare the shore or because there was no bollard near the revetment, so it was difficult to embark or disembark for the family." Wu Changhui said, "Now it is much more convenient. Every time I go from Jiaxing in Zhejiang to Jiangsu, it is convenient for us to call. There are anchorages and comprehensive service areas, It's also convenient to get off the boat for shopping. The quality of life has improved a lot. The waterway construction is really a good project that is close to the hearts of our crew.""
With business processed on your mobile phone, time is saved on the road
The nearly-58-year-old He Guangke and his wife Wang Guihua were from Weishan, Shandong Province. They were a couple living on the water all year round. As boatpeople, they have worked hand in hand for 30 years. Now, they are running the boat together with their 34-year-old son He Zhaocheng on the boat "Xiao Hang Set 002".
As a family of three, they have made the boat their home and realized their dream of being happy and well-off, and having witnessed the changes in the inland waterway shipping business, they are more impressed.
With the arrival of the information era, He Guangke's most intuitive feeling is to keep up with the pace of the times. Especially in recent years, the rise of smart phones has given new vitality to the old business of “boat-poling”. In the past, a series of services, such as port report,s visa application and lockage registration, were processed in paper records in the MSA office. However, with mobile APPs provided in Hangzhou, such as "Port Pass Card (Yigangtong)", "River Lock Card (Chuanzhatong)" and "self-service reporting system", all such businesses can be completed by touching the mobile screen after installation.
"A veteran suddenly became a newbie." He Guangke was a little embarrassed,"I didn't know how to use a smart phone at the beginning, and I was worried that I couldn't learn these fashionable things because I was old. Later, seeing other boatpeople used these APPs, I learned with the help of my son. After I knew how to use them, I really found it more convenient!"
Informatization brings not only convenient service, but also real cost savings. He Guangke calculated a bill to the journalist: in the past when entering and leaving a port, every boat had to berth twice, but now the business can be done directly on the phone, and hence, we can save 200-300 yuan for fuel costs per voyage. “We used to be charged by the tonnage of boats passing through the lock, but now we have been exempted from the fee, which can save us more than 600 yuan at a time. Except for other fees, a round voyage to the Qiantang River can save us more than 1,300 yuan. And I've heard that the Yaqueyang anchorage in Hangzhou is being upgraded. It will provide a lot of nearby living services for us crew. It will be more convenient." At this point, He Guangke's face was full of joy.
On the "Anhui Tongling Cargo 5968", Mou Xiude was video chatting with his family on his mobile phone. For this young man in his early 30s, video chatting with his family members on WeChat was the happiest thing he did every day.
He told the journalist that as soon as he graduated from junior high school he went out to work. Later, he followed his relatives to be a boatman. Now it has been nearly 10 years. “The technology is developing so fast now. In the past, when I came back home from the work on the boat for a while, I found it difficult to communicate with others on shore as if I wereasily e an illiterate person." Mou Xiude said with a smile, "now I have a mobile phone, so I can receive the publications of administrative information and the pushed government policies, along with a variety of news. If I have problems with shipping business, I can call the maritime department for consultation to get the answer. Such information like the closure of waterways is basically clear after I follow the official account. The embarrassing feeling of ‘being like an illiterate’ seldom comes to me"
With more preferential policies, there will be a brighter career prospect
Yang Huahai, a 40-year-old owner of eight boats, recalled how he learned to sail as an apprentice 20 years ago. By comparing it with the modest lifestyle he enjoyed today,, he said "The party's policies and the government's services are great, and we have really caught up with the good times. "
Yang Huahai told the journalist that after he graduated from middle school in 2000, he chose to be a boatman. At that time, there were many sand-dredgers in Fuyang, Hangzhou. After obtaining the crew certificate through study, Yang Huahai began to work as a boatman for others on the Fuchun River. "After three years of working for others, I saw that the national situation was getting better and better, and the water transport economy was also becoming more and more prosperous. Through the loan, I booked a cargo boat of 300 tons, and became a boatman for myself." Because of having a boat of his own, Yang Huahai became more energetic. "Although living on water is hard, I can earn 200,000 yuan a year! No matter how hard you work for yourself, you will never be tired!"
Yang Huahai introduced that, in recent years, with the development of water transport, the country's various preferential policies have been steadily improved., Many charges on water have been reduced, and fairway dues, port dues on cargo, port dues on vessels, north Zhejiang main waterway fees and other expenses began to be gradually canceled, so a boat can save about 50000 yuan in one year's fee reduction.”
Taking advantage of the good national policy and the good environment for water transportation, Yang Huahai bought one boat after another in one go. Nowadays Yang Huahai has eight boats and no longer works on board the boat, Now he is a "boatowner" who mainly manages boats.
When it came to the changes in the past 20 years, Yang Huahai had nothing but gratitude in his heart. From working as a boatman to owning his first boat to becoming a "boatowner" now, Yang Huahai's wealth comes from steady hard work, just in tune with the national development.
In Huzhou, on the "Anchichuanda 21" inland river container boat, Liu Diankui, the boatowner also said bluntly: "Our life becomes better and better.” Liu Diankui has long worked on boats shipping cargoes from Anji to Shanghai on the Changxin-Huzhou-Huangpu-River waterway, transporting local bamboo products, green household products and foreign trade products. It's a 270km journey and it takes four or five days to make a round trip. In his eyes, the waterway of the South Yangtze River Canal is now getting wider and wider, and cargo carriers are also getting bigger and bigger.
"Waterways have been widened, coastal areas have been cleaned up and waterside villages have become more beautiful." said Liu Adi, Liu Diankui's wife. In recent years, Huzhou hase been carrying out reform in shipping, by carrying containers now rather than trasnporting sands and stones as in the past. With good policy coming in waves, people's lives are more and more prosperous.