The ties that bind

Xie Yanxin and his mother-in-law He Yansheng

Xie Yanxin, a retired worker in Jiaozuo of Henan Province, has shouldered the responsibility to take care of his parents-in-law as well as their mentally retarded son since his wife passed away in 1974. He had promised his late wife he would do so.

The coal mine he worked for had been losing money for a long time and almost went bankrupt at the beginning of the new century. With his meager income, Xie managed to support a family of five - including his parents-in-law, brother-in-law and his daughter - even as the cost of living kept rising.

"If I leave the family, it will fall into pieces," said the 55-year-old retiree. "I have to follow my conscience."

Xie was married for only one year when his wife died after giving birth to a girl. Five years later his father-in-law had a stroke and became paralyzed. Xie, who was then a farmer, spent a chunk of his savings on medicines for the old man. He cut down his own expenses as much as possible, often making do with only pickled vegetables.

To complement his income, Xie took up temporary jobs at local brick kilns and construction sites when he was not farming, and used his earnings to buy meat for the rest of the family.

To save money, he even sent away his daughter to live with his parents. Xie's biggest regret in life is that the little girl, while away at her grandparents' home, lost an eye fighting with other children.

In 1983, Xie managed to find a job at the State-owned Zhucun Mine, one of the largest in the area. Slightly better off, he remarried, and his wife joined him in taking care of the parents of the first wife.

Partly because of the hard work he was putting in both at home and at the factory, Xie fell ill and was diagnosed with high blood pressure in 1990. To save money, he didn't even take medicines and instead resorted to the traditional prescription of vinegared peanuts. In 2003, he had a stroke and although he finally recovered, he could no longer work as much as before.

His colleagues at the mine were of great help. Zhang Changming, president of the mine, found Xie a less demanding job at the company and even a free apartment, while co-workers and their families often visited Xie's family and helped them with housework.

"We live together in a poor community, but we care about each other, and this keeps us happy," said Li Lanying, one of Xie's neighbors.

(China Daily 10/19/2007 page25)