BEIJING: At 24, locomotive electrician Tang Zixiang and his girlfriend Sun Jiachen tied the knot this March, embarking on a new chapter in their lives. The young man, originally from Wuwei city in Gansu province, finally found a place to call home in Houma, Shanxi province.
Their connection began at the Yuanlai (destiny) Workshop established in June 2023 at the Houma North Locomotive Depot of China State Railway Group’s Taiyuan Railway Bureau. The name holds a double meaning: not only does it signify “Fate has brought us together”, but also “This is where we can settle down”.
“The Qixi Festival is approaching, and I want to surprise her. I’ve been practicing cooking in the kitchen after work recently, and I’ve prepared red wine and candles,” Tang said.
The Qixi Festival, known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day, is a traditional festival centered around the theme of love and will be observed on Aug 29 this year. “Front-line railway positions are busy, and most young workers just want to rest after work. Their social circle is narrower than the railway tracks,” said Qiao Linhu, an employee of the workshop, highlighting the dilemma faced by many young railway workers today.
He said that over half of the workers were unmarried youths, and the issue of love and marriage was hindering their willingness to “settle down”.
“To ensure that young people can work with peace of mind at the Houma North Locomotive Depot, it’s not only about retaining them through salaries but also helping them start families and careers, and to settle down in the area,” said Yu Yang, director of the depot. “That’s why we have established the dating workshop.”
As a critical channel for national energy supply, the Houma depot shoulders the heavy responsibility of freight transportation on the Houyue Railway and the Wari Railway. The proportion of young workers at this depot is as high as 77.08 percent, with over half of the nearly 2,000 workers coming from other regions, such as Hebei, Henan and Heilongjiang provinces. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
