B: Cheng Hao, you know that bicycles are very popular in China. You see them everywhere in almost every city and town, except for one. Can you guess which one it is?

A: Well, it may be a difficult question for overseas visitors, but not for me. It's the city of Chongqing, isn't it?

B: Very good. How did you know?

A: Well, Chongqing is built on the side of a mountain, so there is little flatland, and motor vehicles are the most common means of transportation. Bicycles are rarely seen, since the steep roads make cycling almost impossible. For short distances, the best way travel is on foot.

B: You're right. Chongqing is an important inland port city on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, China’s longest river. Up until the mid-1990s, water transportation was one of the most commonly used routes into the city, as tens of millions of people traveled through Chongqing's wharf each year. But with the rapid development of land transportation, the annual number of passengers has been reduced to about 3 million. Still, the wharf is a traditional transportation hub where many cargo and passenger ships dock each day.

A: In the early morning mist, Chongqing's wharf is already wide awake with the bustle of daily business. Among the crowd are small groups of men carrying poles, waiting for their first customers.

B: If you’re new to the city, you will often notice such groups of two or three strong men, each carrying a short bamboo pole or sturdy stick with ropes tied to it. They post themselves at the wharf, at roadsides, or at shop gates. They are porters, and they will offer you a very reasonable rate to carry your luggage a short distance. Once the price is settled, the porters will tie the luggage to the poles and carry it on their shoulders to your destination.

A: Nobody knows exactly how many porters work in the city, but there is always one close at hand. Many are local farmers whose work dates vary with the farming season. In slack periods, they come to the city to earn money by using their poles, as well as their own strength, to help people carry their gear up and down the steep hills.

B: Thirty-two-year-old Gao Zhongxiang is a porter at the wharf, where he has been working for several years now. He says he prefers to work in Chongqing city rather then migrating to the coast, which would be a costly commute.

“Coastal cities are too far away from my hometown, and the pay is not that much higher than here anyway. In Chongqing, I can go home anytime. During a busy farming season, I'll stay home to work, but at other times I'll work at the wharf. This way, I can go home for two or three months at a time.”

A: Gao Zhongxiang's home is in the outskirts of Chongqing, where he owns some land to grow crops. The land is not large, so can be easily managed by his wife. He is happy to be able to keep his land, unlike many of his fellow countrymen who have moved into the city permanently with their families.

B: The porters have made life much more convenient to many of the city's urban residents. Mo Li is one of them. She says if you must transport heavy items, no matter where you are in the city, you can always ask a porter for help. You’re sure to get your money’s worth.

"If you want a porter, you can always bargain with him. If he asks for 5 yuan, you can offer him four or even three yuan. But 10 or 20 minutes later, after he's carried your stuff to your destination, you will probably give him 5 yuan after realizing just how hard his work really is. That’s when you know that he's earned his money."

Mo Li says that thanks to the porters, Chongqing's wharf is the most convenient of all other cities along the Yangtze River.

"As soon as you step down from the passenger ship onto the wharf, there is always someone waiting to help you carry your luggage. They charge you 3 or 5 yuan or more, depending on your destination, but the price is never unreasonable. It saves you a lot of time and energy compared with other wharfs, such as Yi Chang or Wuhan, where you have to carry your luggage for quite some distance before coming to a taxi or bus stop."

A: The porters of Chongqing not only help the rest of society, they are also earning a decent living for themselves. In 1997, Chongqing became the fourth municipality directly under the Central Government just after Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. Its population is 30 million, but 24 million live in rural areas where arable land is often very limited due to the mountainous landscape. In addition, the modernization of agricultural production has made many farmers redundant. Many have moved to the city in search of work, adding further pressure to the city's employment. However the city didn't prevent them from becoming porters. He Guoqiang is a municipal official. He says the city of Chongqing has taken several measures to help solve the problem of surplus laborers in rural areas.

"We will do our best to develop the city's tertiary industry, which includes community service. We will encourage private enterprises to absorb surplus laborers from the countryside, and we will accelerate the construction rate for small towns and support the development of township industries. At present, a 20 percent increase in township enterprises has relieved a large portion of rural surplus workers. We have also organized laborers to work in other parts of the country. Every year several million farmers from Chongqing go to work in the country’s east coast regions."

B: According to the municipal government's plan, 50 percent of its administrative area will be urbanized by the year 2005, which means that half of Chongqing's population will live either in the city or in its neighboring towns. By then, the urban porter population may drop, but one thing is certain, it will never disappear. So long as the steep mountainside city and its bustling wharf exist, so will they. If you come to Chongqing with heavy luggage, whether by land or by water, just ask a porter to help you carry it.

(CRI August 22, 2002)