CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Thursday, November 12, 2020 | 7 CHINA

By LUO WANGSHU “Family and friends envy her good [email protected] job,” she said. Qian Jiang, deputy head of the When Huang Peihua was young county, said Air China had strict she liked to sit in a field and watch A direct flight out of poverty recruitment standards. For example, airplanes flying overhead, her imag­ flight attendants are required to have ination taking her to places she a bachelor’s degree, with female could only dream about. Airline program offers job opportunities for recruits from impoverished areas applicants taller than 1.63 meters and “Back then I always thought the men 1.73 meters. planes flew so high and moved so They must also be fluent in Manda­ freely, and I wondered how it felt to rin and English and pass psychologi­ sit up there,” the 26­year­old said. cal tests. Now her dream has come true “But in poverty­stricken areas like and the Air China flight attendant Zhaoping, it is hard to meet all the hopes to be a role model for young requirements,” Qian said. “We make girls from difficult backgrounds it easier for applicants from the such as herself. county and offer more training Huang was born and raised in a when they are hired.” poor village in Zhaoping county, Qian worked in the marketing Guangxi Zhuang autonomous and human resources department region. In 2015, a total of 69,900 out of Air China before he joined the of 448,000 people in the county county’s poverty alleviation project lived in poverty. Huang’s family was as its deputy head in 2018. among them. He said an Air China salary can Her father had seasonal work lift an entire family out of poverty, operating an excavator, while her which is officially defined as an mother did odd jobs at a local diner annual income below 4,000 yuan. and a factory. The family’s com­ “It is also a change in social identi­ bined monthly income over the past ty becoming an employee of Air Chi­ decade has averaged 6,000 ($900) na,” Qian said. to 7,000 yuan ($1,060), but they The company is a platform to remained in financial trouble as serve thousands of passengers and a they had three children at school. bigger platform for employees to To help out, Huang did household grow and learn how to serve and chores after school to free her par­ work with people, he said. Qian add­ ents up to work paying jobs. ed that working in such a company broadens an employee’s vision and Taking off helps them shake off the psychologi­ Thanks to Air China’s poverty From left: Huang Peihua (left) works as a trainee under an instructor’s guidance on an Air China flight. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Huang poses cal shackles of poverty. alleviation project, Huang was hired with her parents and grandmother at their home in Zhaoping county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. JIA TIANYONG / CHINA NEWS SERVICE The company takes care of the as a flight attendant in 2018 and her recruits by offering them the best family’s financial situation has instructors and providing individu­ greatly improved since then. informed her about the airline’s spe­ nervous, Huang did well at the knowledge, including plane struc­ with young children as a teacher. al tutoring to remedy any of their She earns 7,000 to 8,000 yuan a cial recruitment program. recruitment interview and was tures and emergency evacuation Now I deal with all kinds of passen­ shortcomings, Qian said. month. At that time, she worked as a pri­ accepted into the training program. procedures. gers, which is much more compli­ “Some flight attendants hired “The company’s employee welfare mary schoolteacher in nearby He­ The first time she traveled by air Her first flight as a trainee was cated,” she said. through the project had a strong package is good and unlike my par­ zhou city and earned 2,000 to 3,000 was when she flew from Guilin in from Beijing to Wenzhou, Zhejiang “I enjoy being a flight attendant, accent when they spoke Mandarin,” ents, I get a stable monthly salary,” yuan a month. Guangxi to Beijing to start her train­ province. “I barely dared to speak to meeting all kinds of people and imag­ he said. she said. After graduating from Guangxi ing. Huang remembers looking at the passengers at first,” she said. ining their different ways of life.” “When they made announce­ Air China launched a series of University of Foreign Languages in the flight attendants distributing “But my instructor is one of the best Her family and friends are curi­ ments in the cabin, there were jokes poverty alleviation programs in 2016 with an education major, water and meals and envying their flight attendants at the company ous about her job. “They always ask and some misunderstandings. But Zhaoping in 2013. Three years later, Huang worked at a tutoring center beauty and elegance. and she gave me a lot of help.” me where I fly and what I do up in that was OK. We offered them long­ it started a recruitment project in for a year and then the primary However, when she became a After shadowing her instructor the air, as well as what my income term training and now they fit the the county, which has resulted in 43 school for another year. flight attendant, Huang realized for 10 flights and passing her exami­ is,” she said. position and do their jobs well.” people, mostly from poor families, “I didn’t even want to try (to that the job wasn’t only about glam­ nation, Huang became a qualified Huang has bought goods for her Qian said they tried not to stigma­ being hired. Eleven of the employ­ become a flight attendant) because I our. It also involved responsibilities flight attendant. family such as a motorcycle, a televi­ tize the employees as coming from a ees work as flight attendants, the thought the job was too fancy for such as handling emergencies and She now flies about 50 to 60 hours sion and cupboards. poverty program. “When they can company said. me. I was not qualified,” she said. keeping anxious passengers calm. a month, mainly from Guangzhou, forget they are from a ‘special’ In 2018, Huang received a phone However, her sister convinced her She conceded that the three Guangdong province, to Sichuan Local hero group, they have been completely call from the poverty liaison officer there was no harm in applying for months of training were hard. province and sometimes Beijing Her mother, Ding Xiuling, is very lifted out of poverty in their minds,” appointed to her family who the position. Even though she was Huang had to learn civil aviation and Tianjin. “I used to communicate proud of her daughter. he said.

From left: Hubertus Troska (right), a Daimler board member responsible for China operations, said, “We strive for continuous enhancement to even better understand our customers in China and delight them with the most desirable cars, fascinating and innovative technologies and excellent customer services.” Mercedes­Benz Vision EQS concept displays what a fully­electric vehicle in the luxury segment might look like. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY German automaker Daimler aims to grow in and with China

By YUAN SHENGGAO company strives to create mutual ing to the company, which it said and forged new partnerships in Chi­ percent of its car sales will be plug­in benefits for the good of China’s will set the course for a successful na to make it a leader in terms of hybrids or all­electric vehicles by Daimler, the parent company of long­term economic development, 50 future in China. electrification and digitalization. 2030. Mercedes­Benz, underlined China’s Troska said. percent Its existing R&D center in Beijing According to its Ambition2039 In 2019, the Mercedes­Benz EQC role and importance for the global of sales of Mercedes­Benz is the most comprehensive one out­ scheme, Daimler plans to make its SUV was the first locally­made pre­ economy as well as the automotive Sustainable growth vehicles will be all­electric or side Germany covering advanced fleet of new cars carbon­neutral by mium battery electric vehicle in Chi­ industry at this year’s China Devel­ “China is the largest and most plug­in hybrid by 2030 design, localization, whole vehicle 2039 and to have no relevant impact na, equipped with batteries produced opment Forum, which is held in important market for Mercedes­ testing, intelligent connectivity, on inner­city air quality, as a strong in Beijing. Beijing from Nov 11­13 under the Benz passenger cars and is also sig­ Localization strategy automated driving and electric commitment to climate protection Earlier this year, Mercedes­Benz theme of “Economic Recovery and nificant for Daimler’s truck This year marks Daimler’s 15th mobility, the company said. and reducing air pollution. further enhanced its battery expert­ International Cooperation in a business,” Troska also mentioned. anniversary of localization in the As a luxury carmaker, Daimler According to the company, it will ise by strategically strengthening its Post­Pandemic Era”. “China is by far the most dynam­ Chinese market. The company start­ not only focuses on innovation, but cover all stages of the automotive business relationship with leading Ola Källenius, chairman of the ic market in the world, and now in ed local production at the Sino­Ger­ also preserves its traditional value chain — from technical devel­ Chinese battery makers. board of management of Daimler the pandemic it’s even more obvi­ man joint­venture Beijing Benz strength and solid expertise in high opment to the extraction of raw The company said more premium AG and Mercedes­Benz AG, joined ous. I’m positive about the business Automotive Co with the Mercedes­ quality, safety and comfort to create materials, to production, service life Mercedes­Benz NEV models will be the forum digitally as a keynote in China,” he further added. Benz E­Class back in 2005. the most desirable cars for its cus­ and recycling, to fulfill the goals. introduced to China in the future. For speaker in the panel session titled He said the Chinese govern­ In September, the three millionth tomers in China resonating with Daimler’s ambitious targets reso­ example, the Mercedes­Benz EQS “Technological Innovation and ment’s 14th Five­Year Plan (2021­ Mercedes­Benz passenger car rolled their pursuit for a better life. nate well with China’s net zero ambi­ luxury sedan has the development Cooperation in a Changing World”. 25) presents a clearer development off the assembly line in Beijing, mark­ In terms of new models, an all­ tion for 2060. “I am convinced that goal of a long­distance range of more “Over the past months we’ve wit­ direction for the country in next ing a new milestone in production. new Mercedes­Benz S­Class, a flag­ sustainability and economic growth than 700 km and doubling the charg­ nessed China lead the world’s eco­ five years, which “also gives us “Localization is a crucial success ship model that best showcases the don’t contradict. China’s long­term ing speed compared to current mod­ nomic recovery. Going forward we great confidence that China will factor for us. We are already work­ luxury DNA of Mercedes­Benz, will determination to strive for growth els. are determined to further contrib­ continue to grow”. ing with strong and trusted partners hit the Chinese market next year. and sustainability is impressive. We Troska believes that local partner­ ute to China’s economic growth,” According to the company’s fig­ across fields in China to enhance “Needless to say, we strive for con­ at Daimler in China are committed ship, talent development and cus­ Källenius said. ures, deliveries of Mercedes­Benz our local footprint and global com­ tinuous enhancement to even better to contributing to both,” Troska said. tomer dedication should be the Hubertus Troska, a Daimler passenger cars in the Chinese mar­ petitiveness. Looking ahead, I am understand our customers in China On the way to carbon neutrality, focus of every multinational compa­ board member responsible for Chi­ ket rebounded strongly in the convinced that China plays a deci­ and delight them with the most Daimler’s Mercedes­Benz brand is ny that is seeking long­term develop­ na operations, said, “We all believe third quarter of this year, gaining a sive role in shaping the future of desirable cars, fascinating and inno­ further strengthening its “Electric ment in the China market. the strongest growth in the auto­ year­on­year increase of 23.4 per­ mobility. That’s why we aim to con­ vative technologies and excellent First” strategy, according to the com­ “We are encouraged by China’s motive world will be experienced cent. tinue further strengthening our customer services,” Troska stated. pany. It’s expected to launch an elec­ long­term strategy of further open­ over the next five to 10 years in Chi­ Through January to September, activities in research and develop­ tric vehicle architecture from next ing­up and have all reasons to con­ na.” though affected by the COVID­19 ment, production and procurement Carbon-neutral future year, which will be the base for more tinue with our plans of further By increasing Daimler’s local pandemic, almost 570,000 Mer­ in China,” Troska added. While the auto industry is trans­ all­new electric vehicles. investment in the market,” he said. footprint and sharing future busi­ cedes­Benz passenger cars were A new Daimler R&D facility in forming into producing more new As a result, up to 25 percent of “By doing so, I am confident that the ness opportunities with its estab­ sold in China, a year­on­year Beijing, the “Tech Center China”, is energy vehicles, Daimler has worked sales of Mercedes­Benz vehicles will Chinese auto industry has a pros­ lished and new partners, the growth of 8.3 percent. to be inaugurated next year, accord­ out plans for a carbon neutral fleet be all­electric by 2025. More than 50 perous future ahead.”

This section is sponsored by Daimler AG.