 This is Baili Valley in Xuanhan County, Sichuan Province, in Daba Mountains. The river you can see is called Qianhe. This is where Zhang Tingxing lives and works, operating ferryboat on the river with his sons. But now they work for a tourist company when cruise on the river is becoming a popular tourist attraction.
Zhang worked on a ferryboat on this river as early as ten years ago. Ferry was the only means of transport at that time. The boats carried local products out of the mountain and came back with life necessities. The local people call the ferryman house chief. A five to six days’ journey like this would fetch the house chief an average income of 300. The boat trackers got 30 yuan per person.
Zhang Guojun is now working somewhere out of the mountain. His two brothers work on the tourist boat. They are excellent boatmen.
Qianhe River is a small tributary to the Yangzi on its upper reach. Go upstream along Qianhe River, one gets to the 50 kilometre Baili Valley. Here the river flows rapid, being narrowed down by the steep cliffs of the valley, and makes drifting down here an exciting experience. House chief Zhang seldom tries drifting here, his failing health stops him. He doesn’t like his sons to do it either. It involves too much danger to him.
Drifting down the valley fetches 20 yuan each time. Former ferryman is now working as a drifter. House chief Zhang has to accept this, whether he likes or not.
The highway brings change to the valley that used to be tranquil and quiet. New buildings begin to appear along the road. And the little town of Longquan, where there used to be only a few stone cabins by the river, now becomes a busy community.
Zhang’s oldest son Zhang Guozhao built a new house on the market place by the river two years ago and moved his family down from the mountain. He was trapped in a 10000 yuan debt and hasn’t repaid the debt completely.
Zhang Guozhao has two daughters. The older one, Zhang Ying, is in junior middle school and Zhang Li the younger is about to graduate from primary school. Zhang Li was brought up by her aunt when her father was still a ferryman.
A ferryman’s life is full of changes and hardship. Guozhao’s younger daughter grew up at home. She is the apple of her parents’ eye.
Zhang Tingxing’s second son Zhang Guohua thought of building his house by the road ten years ago. Ten years later, he still lives in the old house his father left him.
villager Zhang Qiangtai quit his job as a ferryman. He makes his living by gathering herbs in the mountain.
Today is Dragon Boat Festival. House chief Zhang summons his sons to discuss some household affairs.
Zhang Tingxing has five sons. They each give him 300 yuan per year. But he has to look somewhere else for the money for health care.
Zhang Tingxing grows eucommia in his backyard. Eucommia is a kind of herbal medicine, and, when peeled, fetches some money on the market. When he runs out of money, Zhang cuts off some of this medicine and sells it on the riverside market.
House chief Zhang still lives in the old house where he lived ten years ago. And he has sold one of the rooms, where the family used to keep a shop, to make money for his illness.
Zhang Tingxing was once a well-to-do business owner and all the local people knew him. But now he has his livelihood cut from under his feet. Life becomes difficult.
House chief Zhang’s third son is the best educated of all his sons. He didn’t help his father on the ferryboat but finished his high school education and started a business elsewhere. After he returned home he opened his cement slab plant which earns him over 10000 yuan each year.
This year Zhang Guofu and some other villagers jointly bought eight tourist boats and founded a stock company in river cruise service.
Cruise down Baili balley is 40 yuan per person. The boatman gets 20 for each cruise. Zhang Tingxing’s third son Zhang Guohua has been working for his brother Guofu ever since the company was founded.
Zhang Tingxing’s eldest son Zhang Guozhao doesn’t work in the company any more. He had a quarrel with a partner of the company and decided to change his job.
Everything is gone like the folk song. The ferryboats have totally disappeared, leaving behind only stories to be told to the tourists. Zhang Tingxing certainly misses the good old days when he was the ferryman on the river. But his sons all have their own lives. Like their father, they have their own kids to take care of, and to be busy for. Thanks for watching and see you tomorrow at Boatman in Baili Valley.
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