Shen Yunsheng poses in front of an express train from Nanning to Beijing at Nanning Railway Station (MIAO XIAOYANG)

Shen Yunsheng, 66, a retired railway worker, can still vividly recall the day the People's Liberation Army (PLA) entered Nanning, now capital city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in 1949. When he was a child, he was constantly surrounded by raging fires. That was why he thought the PLA might start another battle when he saw the army marching into the city on December 4, 1949. But the next day, he came to realize that peace had finally arrived in his hometown.

In 1960, Shen went to study transportation for two years at the Liuzhou Railway Institute, and became a worker at Nanning Railway Station in 1968.

When asked why he worked for the railway station, Shen looked surprised and said, "Because the position was assigned by the government." Shen said at that time people could not do whatever they wanted since the government decided what they studied and where they worked based on "its assessment of society's needs."

Unfortunately, the cargo transportation was completely paralyzed due to the "Cultural Revolution" since 1966 and not resumed until 1973. Shen took up the job of dispatching trains since 1973 and was responsible for overseeing three railway lines to Beijing, Pingxiang in south Guangxi and Zhanjiang in Guangdong Province. After that, he worked in various departments until he retired in 2003. In total, Shen spent 35 years working with the Nanning railways.

Shen illustrated the importance of the railways by giving an example. "In 1989, we started to construct the Nanning-Kunming Railway. In the railroad route, the way from Guizhou Province to Kunming, capital city of Yunnan Province, went through a poor mountainous area, where people lived a primitive life. If they wanted to get rich, they had to build roads for transportation. Thanks to the completion of the Nanning-Kunming Railway, minerals, coal and wood could finally be transported outside the poor mountains. Since then, people have become richer and started dressing nicer." The Nanning-Kunming Railway was put into use in 1997.

Moreover, Shen said the work environment has changed a lot. In regions where the temperature exceeds 35 degrees Celsius, workplaces are all air-conditioned, with air-conditioners also installed in waiting rooms.

As for personal life changes, Shen told the following story:

"In the 1970s, we could only buy daily necessities if we had a certificate. I bought a bike in 1974 and a Mitsubishi black-and-white TV set in 1975, which took me two years to pay off. But around 1980, a sea change took place in my life, as both life and my work environment improved. From 1986 in particular, my salary increased significantly. We started to receive bonuses and allowances, and I could earn 200 to 300 yuan (about $117 to $176) a month. By the 1990s, everyone in my family was employed, which made our lives much easier. In 1991, we moved into a 60-square-meter two-bedroom apartment, whereas before, we four adults were crowded into a one-bedroom apartment less than 40 square meters. By 2000, I could travel anywhere. I retired in 2003 and moved into a 100-square-meter house with a monthly pension of more than 3,000 yuan (about $430). At present, my life is very regular. I go out for a walk with my wife at 6:30 a.m. and play volleyball with other senior citizens. After that, we go to the supermarket to buy vegetables and make lunch. We take a nap and then take a walk after dinner. It has become our routine now."

"I hope my wife and I are healthy and can live in the way we like," he told Beijing Review with a big smile.

The author is a Japanese living in Beijing