Wang Yuanyuan

    ZHU YONGDONG came to Shenzhen in 1992 for the most prosaic reason — job opportunities were abundant.

    “I did not know anything about the national policy or reform and did not expect Shenzhen to change so rapidly. I just wanted to find a job in a factory like many of my classmates at my village high school,” said Zhu, a native of Anhui Province.

    However, after 20 years of hard work, Zhu has formed a deep connection with the city. “It was love at first sight,” said Zhu.

    Zhu is most impressed by Shenzhen’s energy and passion. “This is a city in which everybody has the incentive to learn more and improve themselves. As long as you keep learning and working hard, you will eventually find your place here,” said Zhu.     

    Developing skills

    Zhu’s first night in Shenzhen was a difficult one. “Because I missed the last train, I had to spend a whole night at Guangzhou Railway Station and when I finally arrived in Shenzhen, I had nowhere to go,” he said.

    Zhu only had 200 yuan (US$32) and 10 boiled eggs and could not afford a hotel room. He had to walk from Shenzhen Railway Station to Bagualing, Futian District, to look for his relatives.

    “I did not know the way and my Mandarin pronunciation was very poor so I had trouble asking for directions. When I finally got to my relative’s house, I found he was not there,” Zhu said.

    Zhu spent his first night on the roof of the building where his relative lived. “I was tired and there was nowhere comfortable to lie down. I was too tired to fall asleep anyway. I was surprised to see so many tall buildings and cars. I decided there and then that I would do whatever it took to become a real Shenzhener,” he said.

    Zhu soon found a job at an electronic company in Shekou, Nanshan District. The salary was 270 yuan a month. “I was happy in my work and determined to succeed,” he said.

    However, the company let him go after three months because he had no professional skills. “After I overcame the shock of being fired, I realized that to make it in Shenzhen, I had to be able to offer a technical skill to employers,” he said.

    From then on, Zhu studied to become qualified as an electrician.

    “Studying while working was very tiring. There were more than 40 students in our class, but only three completed the course successfully,” he said.

    In the last year of his continuing education, Zhu had to give up his job after failing exams in two subjects. “After paying the 650 yuan tuition fee, I had no money left,” he said.

    A teacher helped Zhu find a dorm at the university where he studied and a part-time job.

    “During that period, I ate only rice and pickles with boiled water every day. On Spring Festival Eve in 1996, a classmate and I celebrated the festival with only rice and a bucket of tofu,” he said.     

    Getting started

    After graduation, Zhu was determined to keep learning.

    “It is a very competitive and pressurizing city to live in, but that is all the more reason to keep working hard. Shenzhen has always been a leading city in China’s electronic industry. I must study hard to stay ahead of the competition,” he said.

    To keep learning, Zhu would change jobs frequently.

    Zhu also recognized the importance of English, so he started to study the language along with advanced foreign technology.

    “When I first used imported equipment, I could not read the instructions because they were in English. So I spent days and nights with a dictionary on my lap. Eventually, I was able to communicate with our foreign experts with the help of some body language,” he said.

    Zhu was hired by an equipment company to serve at the Universiade last year.

    In his spare time, he also works hard on improving his writing skills. “I am an electrician, but I like writing and reading. No matter how busy I am, I’ve never stopped writing my diary,” he said.

    In the beginning, he just wanted to write about his friends and life. “When you write a lot of diaries about your past, you get into the habit of writing and it becomes addictive,” he said.

    Zhu’s first short-story was published in the Shenzhen University Newspaper in 1993 and later several of his poems were published in national magazines.

    In 1996, one of Zhu’s short-stories won a citywide award and was read on the radio. It was about a migrant worker’s unrequited love.    

    A new life

    Zhu finally got a Shenzhen hukou last year. “The land in my hometown became part of a development zone. It may be worth a lot of money in the future, so my parents did not want me to transfer my hukou to Shenzhen. But I decided to give the land up because I think I am a Shenzhener and my home is Shenzhen,” he said.

    When Zhu took the hukou back home, his son was excited. “I have seen my father work hard and study hard until late into the night for years and he has finally made the step from a village boy into an accepted Shenzhener. He has inspired me to work hard and study hard to make something of myself,” his son said.

    “A piece of equipment can be operated after charging, a man can make progress after continuous studying and a country can improve after development. I will never stop learning,” he said.