Porters are seen on a street in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, in an undated file photo. Inset: The bed of Jia Changhua, a porter in Wuhan who died on Jan 16. [Photo: China Daily]
 
Like many other farmers-turned-migrant workers, Jia Changhua headed to the city last July to look for work and give his family a better life.

"In July, my mother was hit by a stroke we needed money badly so my father went to the city," said Jia Zijian, his son.

The elder Jia, 59, a farmer of Hubei's Suixian county, managed to find work as a porter in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province.

But on Jan 16, Jia died from work exhaustion.

His fate is not uncommon among many other porters who endure backbreaking work to make money for impoverished families at home and keep up with the country's rapid development.

There are many porters like Jia, mainly middle-aged and senior men. They are typically seen bearing all sorts of cargo on their shoulders for individuals and businesses.

An urban inspector said there are more than 10,000 porters working in the city's Hanzheng Street alone.

"We carry about 75 kg for about 300 m on average to make 5 yuan ($0.73)," a porter surnamed Hu from Bofan village in Anlu, Hubei, told China Daily.

Jia himself died after hauling 1,500 kg of rice. Passers-by found him pale and lying on his trolley.

Jia's fellow porters remember him as a diligent and thrifty porter.

"Every day at 4 am, we head to the market to help carry foodstuff until about 8 am, before going to Hanzheng Street for a simple breakfast that helps fuel us until we knock off at 4 or 5 pm," said another porter surnamed Zhang, who was also Jia's roommate in the city.

"I never saw Jia himself eating any meat and he was always looking for more work," Zhang said.

"Once, when Jia completed one assignment, he told me he felt so tired that he was going to buy a car," said another porter who also came from Jia's village.

"He was already aware of the exhaustion hitting his body."

Jia's daily expenses reportedly never went beyond 10 yuan, on top of the 8 yuan he spent every day on steamed bread and rice gruel or noodles.

During days with brisk business, porters said they would make up to 80 yuan a day.

"I found 206 yuan in my father's trousers," said Jia's son as he sorted out his father's belongings after the death.

Enduring hard times together, Hu said his fellow porters proved to be a pillar of support for him in the city.

"A lot of people came from my home area to work in Wuhan," Hu said.

Hu said after the farming season, he could not find any way to make money.

"I am 43, without any other technical skills," he said.

"A man should not remain idle."

He had later heard of a number of men in his village working as porters in Wuhan and the money was not bad.

Hu decided to leave for Wuhan every August for similar work until the planting season.

His wife has also found work brushing shoes for people in the city. The couple rent a 3-sq-m room.

Many residents said the living conditions of porters like Jia are deplorable. A room less than 10 sq m is typically divided into two partitions, with a bunk bed placed in each. Jia slept on the lower bed, which was soon occupied by another porter after his death.

Hu and Zhang said they were both greatly saddened by Jia's death, which reminded them of their plight and the fear that their children would discontinue their studies and become laborers themselves.

Their situation has also raised sympathy and concerns from many people.

Tens of thousands of netizens mourned Jia online with offerings of virtual flowers, incense and liquor.

"I hope there can be a donation box set up for his family members," a woman surnamed He told local reporters.