They cared for him; now he looks after them
FUSHUN: Wearing a suit resembling army fatigues, Wang Chunshan perched on the edge of a double bed to watch TV at noon, a typical pastime for local folks in this eastern city of Liaoning Province, Northeast China.
The window of the new sixth-floor apartment commanded a full view of a grassy hill, its slope bright green in the June sunshine.
"I always tell them life now and two years ago is as different as heaven and hell," he said during his mid-day break from patrolling. "I have to say it again to you."
Switching between the screen and the scene, the 51-year-old community warden's eyes danced.
With sturdy arms and a ruddy face, Wang hardly seemed to have been a notorious, skinny drunk and a loser - one who even "lost" his wife for a long while.
That was during the days when Wang's life spiraled down to the abyss following the downsizing of the Fushun First Colliery Plant, a State-run firm that laid him off in April 1995.
His wife, Gao Lanying, lost her job in 1993. Like many of those living crammed together in the Modigou community, then a shantytown, the couple had to struggle to support themselves and their kid.
"If you could not support your spouse and children, you were labeled a total loser. I was drenched in despair, and the only solace was alcohol."
Living in the misery of his 24-sq-metre shack, Wang abandoned himself in drinks, turning a deaf ear to his wife's plea for a revival. Gao then chose to move out for good with their son.
Wang sold whatever he could find in his house for a bottle or two.
He might never have had a chance to get sober again if not for the city's drive of urban renewal.
With compensation for his dismantled shack and a 9,000 yuan ($1,185) loan from the community committee, Wang moved to an affordable apartment almost double the size of his old one. He was awarded a gift: A job as a warden for the new community.
Wang was a beneficiary of a re-employment aid package the local government offered specially to former shantytown residents aged over 50. It targets those who lack skills and have little means to survive in the market system. Without a job, they could not live decently even if given daily allowances.
Thrilled at the sudden blessings, Wang vowed to stop drinking and turn over a new leaf.
The community committee waited, until they were convinced Wang had meant what he said.
Wang has changed a whole lot and is now a diligent man dedicated to community service. Several elderly women at the committee then whispered repeatedly to Wang's wife, who was living not far from his new home, about the change.
The bittersweet family drama ended with a reunion after a dozen years of separation.
Wang now takes home 330 yuan ($43) in cash each month; another 404 yuan ($53) comes as government subsidies to his pension, medicare and other insurance accounts. His wife and son, now 25, earn more than he does.
"I feel content, heart content," he said. "Do I miss drinking? Sometimes I feel a little intoxicated without having a sip."
(China Daily 06/28/2007 page27)
