ORIGINS
“Bang-Bang Army” refers to a local group of impoverished porters in the city of Chongqing, who make their living by carrying goods for anyone willing to pay a small fee.
The origins of their profession was the result of Chongqing's special terrain and port economy.
Chongqing is surrounded by mountains and the terrain is very steep. Streets and houses have to adapt the city’s geography, so stairways are everywhere.
Chongqing is located at the Yangtze River, which passes through all of China, thus water transportation plays a crucial role in the city's trade development.
There is high demand of cargo transportation from the Chongqing port to its downtown districts.
However, from any location in the city it is cumbersome to get around.
At the end of the 20th century, the reform of the China's land system prompted a large number of young and middle-aged rural people to pour into the city to find new opportunities. With liittle or no education, the majority could only attain physical labor such as porters, who are hired to carry cargos on their shoulders.
Chaotianmen Dock is the largest water terminal in Chongqing’s old town district. It is located at the intersection of the Yangtze River and Jialing River and remains a very important transportation hub.
The Chaotianmen’s wholesale market was built on the dock and its business has enabled porters to earn a living for many decades. The porters’ flourishing labor market made Chaotianmen a substantial economic center of Chongqing.
Chongqing citizens gradually got accustomed to a lifestyle that if people themselves didn't want to carry things, no matter how the size of the cargo was, a refrigerator or a bag of potatoes, as long as they called these porters in the street, someone would immediately respond to them.
CULTURAL SYMBOL-SITCOM
The sitcom Chongqing Porters (1997) used to be popular all over the country. Chinese people began to notice the lives of porters and the hard work they do. They are now a local cultural symbol for Chongqing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5snbnhfC8Qo&list=PLxpE_d3Yh0l8EcXDnrPhyliop2dhZw0bs&index=2
PORTERS TODAY
An Interview with Xie
Q1: How many years have you been working as a porter?
Eighteen years already. Since 2002.
Q2: What are the main groups of your clients now? Wholesalers, residents, or construction teams?
I work for anyone who needs my help. Most of clients are residents, who are decorating their houses so they need someone to carry finishing material and heavy furniture. I’m a casual worker, while those porters in wholesale markets are long-term employees of wholesalers. I'm not needed there.
Q3: What are your typical working hours?
About 11 hours a day. I work from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Q4: How many years do you plan to continue working? When are you planning to retire?
I’m not sure. I plan to continue working until I am unable to carry any cargo anymore.
Q5: Have you observed any changes in this industry in recent years?
Although there aren't as many porters as there used to be, for those who are still doing this job like me, as society advances, so does the standard of living. Nowadays, prices are rising and our wages are rising accordingly. However, we may be the last generation of traditional porters, as young people don't want to do manual labor and more advanced transport tools will replace us completely in the future.
