Myanmar worker stands out in Yunnan factory

Zhang Guixiang, a 23-year-old Myanmar national with Chinese ancestry, now works in the Yinxiang motorcycle factory of Ruili, a border town in west Yunnan’s Dehong prefecture.

As a Kachin native, Guixiang started working in Ruili four years ago, and he first worked on a production line, assembling parts of the motorcycle.

Two years later, Zhang Guixiang was promoted to be chief of the assembling line, managing the quality, motorcycle parts and staff members of the line.

In August 2019, the Dehong area of China (Yunnan) pilot free trade zone (FTZ) was incepted in Ruili, injecting new vigor into the Ruili border town. As a result, business of Guixiang's factory is thriving, and his monthly salary has grown form around 1,300 yuan to 4,000 plus yuan.

“I’m used to living in China now, and I usually send half of my income to my family in Myanmar,” said Guixiang, who uses WeChat to talk with his family after work.

Guixiang added that when having enough money, he would like to go back to Myanmar to open a drink shop, selling coffee or doing whatever he likes.

Reporting by Chen Xinbo (Xinhua); trans-editing by Wang Shixue