Female Porter on Mount Emei Becomes Online Celebrity

Deng Shufang, a porter who works on Mount Emei in Sichuan Province, has become an online celebrityafter photos of her were uploaded to the internet. In a short period of time, the photos were reposted over 12,000 times and received over 13,000 comments.

On June 17, a reporter for Chengdu Business News visited Deng at a construction site on top of Mount Emei. Building materials including cement, steel and sand are first transported onto the mountain by cable car, and are then carried by porters directly to the construction site 1 kilometer away. Deng quickly distinguished herself from other porters because she often carried more building materials.

With two bags of cement, each weighing 50 kilograms, in the basket on her back, Deng walked up the stairs silently. Every two or three minutes, she took a rest with the help of a T-shaped stick.

"I usually carry 1 ton of materials every day, and I earn more than 200 RMB ($30)," she said. "I came here last year. When I did farm work in my hometown, carrying a weight of 50 or 100 kilograms was quite common."

Compared with the income from the farm work she used to do, Deng says she is satisfied with her income here. She plans to have her husband join her after some time has passed.

"My son just entered junior middle school, and we need more money to support his future studies," she explained.

Although Deng previously lived in a town close to Mount Emei, she never visited the mountain before she came to work on it. In two weeks, when her son's summer vacation begins, she will bring him to see the beautiful site.

According to an official with the administration of Mount Emei, there are more than 200 porters working on the mountain's Golden Roof. They each contribute their share to the beauty of the natural spectacle.