The scenes of Huang Wenjing working hard moved many netizens, but she thought it was just a normal job. She is not very poor, nor very rich; she just wanted to be less dependent on her family while she could earn money. Netizens/camera. It's not as tragic as imagined. The hard work of the female college student has drawn sympathy from countless netizens, but in her own view, it was just an ordinary job.
Beijing Morning Post: Your video became so popular online, is it self-hype?
Huang Wenjing: No, I've never thought about hype, and anyway it wouldn't do me any good. I knew someone was filming at that time, but I didn't think much about it - aren't we all just working? I didn't expect such a big reaction.
Beijing Morning Post: Maybe seeing you carrying such a big package makes netizens feel sympathetic.
Huang Wenjing: That's a misunderstanding. There were two boys supposed to carry the package, but they were late. I thought I could handle it, so I did it myself. It was just an ordinary thing, not as tragic as everyone imagines.
Beijing Morning Post: How much can you earn from such hard work?
Huang Wenjing: This? It's just a temporary job, making one or two hundred yuan per day.
Beijing Morning Post: Such little money, yet working so hard, the boss must be very happy.
Huang Wenjing: Maybe. I really haven't thought too much about it. Since the boss asked me to do it, I just take responsibility for it.
Beijing Morning Post: Is your family in great difficulty?
Huang Wenjing: No, not at all. My parents love me very much and give me pocket money, but I have grown up, so if I can earn money by myself, I will.
Named "Wenjing" because she wasn't quiet
Without the pampering of the post-90s generation, moving from the south to the north, except for eating spicy food, there was no problem, including doing some physical labor.
Beijing Morning Post: You are from Guangzhou, how did you end up studying in Beijing?
Huang Wenjing: At that time, I just wanted to go out and explore. My science scores were not good, so I took international trade, thinking it would be easier since it was a liberal arts subject, and besides, I could learn English.
Beijing Morning Post: Are you adapting well to life in Beijing?
Huang Wenjing: Pretty well, except that I can't eat spicy food, everything else is fine.
Beijing Morning Post: The post-90s generation is often seen as spoiled, but your adaptability is quite strong. Are you different?
Huang Wenjing: Spoiled? Some people might be like that, but many people around me come here to work. If I am special, it might be because I grew up in a single-parent family, which made me more independent.
Beijing Morning Post: Why did your parents name you "Wenjing"?
Huang Wenjing: Because I was not quiet when I was a child, so they gave me this name, hoping that if they called me enough times, I would become quiet.
Dreaming of opening a small clothing store
Being an office clerk or opening a small store? University graduation is approaching, but Huang Wenjing still hasn't decided on her future.
Beijing Morning Post: You're already in your senior year, have you started looking for work?
Huang Wenjing: No. I'm still hesitating between going back to Guangzhou or staying in Beijing. Beijing offers more opportunities, but the cost of living is too high. If I graduate, I'll first need to find a place to live, after all, I need to settle down before I can think about other things.
Beijing Morning Post: What do you want to do?
Huang Wenjing: I went from a junior college to a bachelor's degree, so taking the postgraduate entrance exam might be difficult. My biggest dream is to open a small clothing store, because my personality doesn't like being controlled by others. If it fails, I'll find another job. As you know, it's hard for undergraduates to find an ideal job these days, indeed, I'm quite confused.
Beijing Morning Post: What was your childhood dream? Can it still be realized?
Huang Wenjing: I've never seriously thought about what my dream was. When I was a child, I thought about becoming a teacher, even a kindergarten teacher.
Living can only accept reality
Dreams and such are too far away, majors don't necessarily have to align with jobs, if the future is unclear, then just live day by day.
Beijing Morning Post: If you go to open a clothing store, you'd completely abandon your major. After studying for so many years, don't you think it's unfair?
Huang Wenjing: Sometimes I think that way, but what can I do? It's the same situation for our generation, reality is there, unchangeable.
Beijing Morning Post: If everyone shares the same difficulties, why can't we change it together?
Huang Wenjing: This... I've never thought about it that way.
Beijing Morning Post: If you spend your whole life doing such manual labor, can you make a living in Beijing?
Huang Wenjing: Yes, so I'm also hesitating. If I go home, life will be more stable. In Beijing, buying my own house is too far away, the future is unclear, so I can only take it step by step.
Not wanting to be Su Zizi
Although famous online, Huang Wenjing is still somewhat reserved. She said, "I'm just someone who does manual labor."
Beijing Morning Post: Now many university students have become 'internet celebrities', like Su Zizi. Don't you envy her?
Huang Wenjing: She is very brave, open-minded. In this open era, some people choose to do such things, and the money earned is definitely more than mine. I do odd jobs for others, at most earning a little over a thousand yuan a month, mostly typing and copying things for others, sometimes it's also hard work, and I worry about not getting paid, but luckily I haven't encountered such situations. I'm relatively conservative, so I can only envy Su Zizi, but I can't do it. Actually, everyone thinks similarly, wanting to earn some money to buy what they like. I think, since I can earn money through physical labor, there's no need to do other things. I'm just someone who does manual labor, hoping to remain unknown all my life, earning as much as I can each day, this suits me better.
Beijing Morning Post: Perhaps because you're still in school and haven't fully entered society, perhaps one day you'll have to accept the arrangements of this world.
Huang Wenjing: What you say might be right. There are such people around me, maybe I haven't reached that point yet, so far I haven't been affected too much. Maybe one day I'll change, but I think everyone has their own principles, no matter what, not breaking those principles is important.
Longing for love and family
The same video, in the eyes of netizens, shows admiration, but in the eyes of family, it shows hardship.
Beijing Morning Post: On the video website, your video has been played 150,000 times, with over 400 comments, many expressing admiration. What do you think?
Huang Wenjing: Every girl dreams of love, but now the situation is that I haven't met anyone. Marriage is important for women, but it's hard to feel that way in university. At least not now. I grew up in a single-parent family, but I hope my family will be complete, I've never thought about divorcing in the future.
Beijing Morning Post: Have your family seen your video? What did they say?
Huang Wenjing: My father saw it, he called to ask why I had to do this. Any parent seeing their child in this state would feel unhappy. He never expected me to do these things, but he didn't scold me. Chen Hui/writer.
At 21, Huang Wenjing doesn't know why she has become so popular. Facing her own video, she isn't touched.
On March 29, the 19th International Garment Fair was held in Beijing. Huang Wenjing, a senior at Beihang University, was working part-time here.
She knew that netizens had filmed videos of her working, but she didn't think it was a big deal.
Those images were indeed very touching: a slim girl carrying several huge packages, weaving through the crowd, occasionally climbing ladders, or busy at the exhibition stand...
Everyone could read the underlying sorrow in those scenes: she is still a child, she still has classes, she should be sitting there dreaming about the future, flying higher in the sky.
Generation after generation of Chinese people have seen education as the only way to change fate. They save clothes, endure humiliation, even pay the price of dignity, as long as their children can fight for a beautiful future in the classroom. However, today, all of this has become a distant dream.
Huang Wenjing is pretty and obedient, with a unique charm of Guangdong girls. In an era where being moved has become a rare commodity, her image makes people unable not to associate with the heavy burdens life imposes on ordinary people. We once believed so firmly that there would always be a ray of sunshine guiding our path forward, but when that sunshine dims, where should we go?
■ Netizen Comments
fly4526: If my sister was half as sensible as her, it would be great.
Shao Hun: Old monk generally doesn't comment, but this girl moved me.
min134500: Labor is the most glorious.
Mo Er Zhuangzhu: Self-reliant workers are the most beautiful.
zhangsanshou2058: Not simple at all, now university students sell themselves, become mistresses, but she is so strong, I admire her.
lc76315385: Whoever she is, whatever her background, she's just a symbol. We are just moved by the sweat of someone doing such labor under possibly virtual backgrounds, aren't we? So we are still moved.
Chajian'er Guo Chen Sheng: What in this world is scarier than indifference? There were so many people around, but they just stood by and watched. (Editor: SN047)