Migrant worker's viral essay unveils social problems

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An essay written by a migrant worker about her family went viral on Chinese social media with her plain, vivid and humorous words resonating with many readers.

Fan Yusu, 44, from a village in Xiangyang, Central China's Hubei province, currently does housekeeping work in Beijing. In an article named I'm Fan Yusu published Monday on WeChat, one of China's most popular social media platforms, Fan tells the story of her and her family.

"My mother was elected village official of women affairs in 1950 and stayed in power for 40 years, even exceeding the reigning time of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi," Fan wrote.

The story instantly attracted over 100,000 viewers in one day, with over 20,000 comments.

"I see an extremely strong mind behind the small body of a mother," a reader said.

"Generally, the most touching words in life are not rhetorical ones, but the plain ones refined by life," one reader commented.

"The article exposed many social problems in China, but stopped where it should," another commenter said.

A real, unromantic story

The life of Fan did not sound as easy as how she wrote it. A high fever left Fan's elder sister with a mental impairment and her other sister contracted polio.

Her two brothers lived an unrealistic life in the impoverished village. The elder brother's dream of being a litterateur put a larger burden on the poor family. And the other brother buried his political future under a mountain of gambling debt.

Fan moved to Beijing to work at 20 and married five years later, but got divorced soon after due to his alcohol abuse and domestic violence. Fan now takes care of her two daughters on her own. She makes a living by babysitting for a mega-rich listed in the Hulun Wealth Report.

Fan's two daughters live in Picun village on the outskirts of Beijing, a settlement of migrant workers.

A natural born writer

Fan is endowed with literary talent. At the age of six or seven, she taught herself to read novels. She has kept up her habit of reading and writing ever since her years at school, which likely laid a solid foundation for her writing skills.

In an interview with Beijing Youth Daily, Fan said she used to read masterpieces by world renowned writers from China and other countries.

At 12, Fan was inspired by the novels describing the lives of educated youth and decided to take her first solo trip. She took a train to Hainan island without buying a ticket and stayed there for three months living on papaya and coconuts.

After moving in Beijing, Fan studied writing in a literature group organized by an NGO that provides services for migrant workers. 

Social problems behind the essay

Fan said she did not expect the article to gain that much popularity as she only wanted to earn some extra money to support her family.

"What happened to me after the story was published is beyond my imagination. Anyway, I make a living through manual labor, not with writing," she said. " I could barely use a computer to write."

Fan said she felt sorry for her two daughters as she failed to offer good study conditions but she hoped her daughters will be able to get a good education at universities in the future.

Fan's essay gives us a glance into the bottom of the society. The problems it reveals are worthy of more attention.

Photos from Beijing Youth Daily and Zhengwu Gushi wechat account

Editor: Shorlin

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