Salaried life offers fresh start for women

LANZHOU - Bound by lower education levels, traditions and household responsibilities, most women from ethnic groups in China's impoverished regions have never dared to think of ways other than farming to help their families build a better life.

However, with the government campaign to eradicate poverty gathering steam, small manufacturing workshops are bringing jobs to their doorsteps and empowering women to take on new roles in their professional lives.

Ma Xiuping, who lives in a village in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Gansu province, cannot hide her excitement when she recalls receiving her first pay packet after starting her new job.