A Breeze on a Plateau

He had the ubiquitous look that all those who worked in the sun had: a tanned visage, gray fabric for clothing, and a mask that perhaps did little for preventing germs. The worker was curled up on a wall on the street, oblivious to the Shanghainese rushing to work. The tiniest grin spread out on his face revealing a slip of pristine teeth that shone through his weathered appearance.

The Worker, 2023

He seemed more than delighted to know that he was being interviewed for a story.

“I’m your go-to worker in any construction. I tear, I build, then I tear again. Just last year, me and my brothers, we took down a century-old building right here in the city center - just to think of the history behind that grandeur of a sight.”

Instead of speaking with fatigue and hints of depression as you would expect from a construction worker, he spoke with an innate optimism and continued to reveal more about his wandering lifestyle.

“Had to come to the big city to work because my family was too poor, even when I was a child; they are still back in GuiZhou. Now, to them, I’m living the life of a nomad, chasing construction projects that guide me across the country. They ask me why I never settle, and I question myself. I guess it’s all about what I want my life to be like, and to be frank, I’m living better than I ever thought I would if I were to work in GuiZhou. I can still feel the breeze on the Tibetan Plateau taking me away to another place. A place that I’ve never been before.”

“I know construction workers don’tdoesn’t reek of dream-chasing, and yes, there are harsher realities that I confront. I watch my coworkers steal, rob, and smoke whereverwhereever they go; I abstain myself from diving into that particular rabbit hole. I guess you can call that optimism, or a can-do attitude.”

His language was simple, like he was putting his guard in front of us strangers. When we asked him where he was from, he frowned as he started on the story of his soon-to-be adult son back in GuiZhou.

“Sometimes I loathe electronics; all they do is game, and game, and game. They tried to end their lives but we didn’t let them. Watching them deteriorate, especially that son of mine, was sorrowful.”

His wrinkles cranked together to form a frown in replacement of his grin; he didn’t seem to have as much faith in life as he did minutes ago. His callused hand grasped my waist as he got more emotional.

“We need to do more, I know that for sure. I want to but I don’t have what it takes. More importantly, people need to raise awareness for the next generations, not only in Shanghai, but in the rural areas, too. I know the future is here, but it doesn’t make me happy that my son, and those alike, are bound to rot in their downtown farms.”

The worker stood up and patted me on the shoulder, hard.

“I want people to see this, and I want this to be the breeze that blows soft and far onto the Tibetan Plateau. Shanghai is the future, but I see many more futures trapped in other cities as well, we need help.”

I patted him back, and walked back to reach for my coffee that had been long waiting at the register, cooling as crisp breezes blew over its surface, rippling with a tranquil elegance and flamboyant frequency.