A wooden stick and ‘sheer will’ — the life of bangbang workers in Chongqing

By Li Weike, Wei Danli, Tong Zhexin, Huo Zhixing and Fu Xinyu, Chongqing Nankai International Study Center

SHAPINGBA, CHONGQING — In the crowded streets of District Shapingba, a scrawny old man in a sweat-soaked white vest slowly squatted down, winding up a package with hemp rope. He tightened the cord and placed the wooden stick across his shoulders to bear the weight. He stood up steadily and began to walk forward.

Lao Jiang, 49, and hundreds of other so-called bangbangs, do this kind of work countless times every day.

The word “bangbang” refers to the occupation of carrying heavy objects for employers, simply using a wooden stick and sheer will in manpower. It has been the city symbol of Chongqing for a long time, with implications transcending the work itself. Bangbangs are not merely a kind of porter, but a character synonymous with the life of this city.

Yet this occupation is on the edge of elimination. According to incomplete statistics, the number of bangbangs declined from nearly 40,000 to no more than 10,000 in 2019, half of whom only have an elementary school diploma. Their low earnings — about 1000 RMB per month, or $142 USD — is the main reason that push bangbang workers to abandon this type of work.

Bangbang workers now and then

On a recent visit, we observed Lao Jiang, a bangbang worker, who carried a package through the crowded streets of Shapingba. He walked very fast, yet he also looked back from time to time to see whether his employer had kept up with him. Only when he confirmed that was the case did he resume walking.

Bangbang worker Lao Jiang prepares to stand up, carrying the weight of his employer’s goods across his shoulders. Photo by Wei Danli/used with permission.

“Old man, don’t wait for me. Just go ahead straight!”

“No! I worry that you can’t find me and then you’ll believe that I’m stealing your package!”

Bangbangs are legendary for their devotion to the task. Locals tell the story of a fiery summer day when a bangbang worker was separated from his employer in the crowded area of Jiefangbei, the city’s central business district. For a whole day, he searched for his boss everywhere, with the heavy packages weighing on his shoulders, afraid to set down the packages for fear he might lose them. It wasn’t until late after midnight that he found his anxious employer and delivered the packages to their destination.

“No matter how far away the destination is, as long as we carry the packages on our backs, we will stick to the end,” said Lao as he wiped away the sweat from his forehead with a towel. “Last time one guest had to change (his) destination halfway (through a trip). I took him all the way from Ciqikou to Nankai Secondary School. The long distance and detour did exhaust me, but it is the job, and therefore I must do it!”

Lao turned his attention to his employer.

“Young man, you just asked me to wait for you at the door. Meanwhile I have to refuse several guests. I think you should give me more money!” he said with a grin.

Before anyone could respond, he added, “I’m just joking, we are good. You hired me to carry the load, and therefore, we are one team. It’s up to you to choose what to carry and how far to go. I promise I will finish the job, nice and clear.”

The future of work

Some believe that bangbang work should be eliminated, both due to the increasing number of large moving companies and the increased convenience and accessibility of personal transportation. Bangbang workers’ clothes reflect that, despite all of their hard work, they earn little and lead a difficult life.

Yet they manage to survive amid change.

“In the off season, I usually give help to some moving companies, which may earn me just 100 yuan a day,” said Lao. “During the peak season, however, I don’t need to consider my income. It is good enough to sustain my two kids going to school.”

“Anyway, this is all I have,” Lao added. Addressing our group of reporters directly, he said, “unlike you schoolboys who are going to become big bosses in the future, I just want to do my job well. When the guests are satisfied, I think I am satisfied.”

Lao Jiang put away the hemp rope and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a rag from his pocket. A nearby noodle shop beckoned. “The usual!” Lao cried.

Choosing the best noodles for every customer

Ma pulls freshly cooked noodles out of the pot. Photo by Huo Zhixing/used with permission.

Ma Hongtao, 45, owner of the Laierliang Noodles shop, looked up. “Okay, three liang (a traditional unit of measurement in China for food) of beef noodles! Extra hot pepper!”

“There are many patrons here,” she said. “I want to remember the respective taste of each one so that by just recognizing them I will know whether they want braised beef broth or clear beef broth, (and) coriander or pepper.”

Remembering each customer’s needs while serving others might seem like a tiresome job. But Ma believes that all the work is worthwhile.

She mixed seasonings in a bowl. When the noodles floated to the top of the water, she transferred them into the bowl on top of the spices. She topped the noodles with juicy chunks of beef and the dish was finished.

Ma makes more than 100 bowls of noodles like this one every day. She stands for hours in a hot kitchen, constantly greeting guests and tidying up the dishes.

“You see, I must frequently use the towel to absorb the sweat on my head. If sweat falls into the pan, the noodles are completely ruined,” said Ma with a smile as she replaced her wet towel with a dry one, and wiped her forehead.

Noodles are an irreplaceable part of life for people in Chongqing. Data from the Ministry of Commerce in Chongqing indicates that 84,000 street noodle shops exist in Chongqing today, and on average, each of them sells 150 bowls of noodles per day. In total, an estimated 12.6 million bowls are consumed by guests in Chongqing every 24 hours.

In the early morning, countless noodle shops are as full as Laierliang Noodles. People even sit on small tables and stools placed outside the shop, and sometimes customers just stand and eat the noodles. It is the thousands of ordinary noodle–cooking masters like Ma that rear and foster an indispensable part of Chongqing culture. Diners, whether elegant ladies and gentlemen in suits or workers in rags, gather here, eating a bowl of noodles regardless of their origin or status.

Watching those guests, ordinary individuals who are savoring the taste of the delicious noodles in front of them, Ma smiled. In humble occupations that are sometimes disdained by others, workers like Lao and Ma are the best hope for a steady and harmonious society.