Even though there were many days to go before Spring Festival in 2006, many migrant workers had lined up at the Beijing West Railway Station to buy train tickets.
Li Jun, 30, a migrant worker from Sichuan Province, chatted with the man beside him, who was also waiting in line, ”I work as a carpenter at a construction company in Beijing's Chaoyang District. As there was not much work, I asked for a leave to re
turn home. Now, I can buy a ticket easily, but a few days later it will be impossible to get one. I have been working in Beijing
for 10 years. In the past, I always waited until the end of the lunar year to buy a ticket, in the hopes of earning more money. Each time, it was like fighting a battle at the railway station, and I mostly suffered defeat. I managed to get a ticket only four times over the past 10 years. I have not returned home for three years, and I miss my wife and son. How I wish to have a family reunion dinner with them!"
At the mention of his family, Li Jun grinned. "Before I left, my company gave me my wages. Now, I have enough money to buy meat, firecrackers and new clothes for my wife and son. We will spend a happy festival together. Next year, I will work harder, and build a new house for my family."
Office workers are not as lucky as laborers. Yang Honglan, an editor at a Beijing一based publishing house, complained," It is always late when our unit lets us return home. By then, it is as difficult as climbing to heaven to buy a train ticket. Almost every year I have to take a plane to return to my hometown, in Hunan Province, which costs me more money."
