Blind masseur yearns for day he can prove himself to detractors

Lu Baoxing, 37, a visually impaired massage therapist based in Guangzhou, has just passed yet another Lunar New Year without returning for a family reunion in Hanzhong, Shaanxi. It was the third New Year he had decided against going home. He has a two-year-old son whom he has never met before. A gifted but untrained vocalist, Lu likes to imitate Inner Mongolian singer Teng Geer and often offers his singing along with skilful acupuncture massage to clients at the Taixing massage clinic on Qianjin Road in Liwan district.

What has kept you from returning home in the past couple of years?

Who doesn't want to be reunited with family? I long for the kind of joy and atmosphere when family members gather for the Lunar New Year. But train tickets are hard to get during the transport crunch. I don't have any connections, so buying tickets every year is a nightmare. I lost my sight about 10 years ago. All my old friends and family back home, except my mother, look down on me. The family I remembered is no longer loving but is filled with rejection. They think I'm useless and see no value in socialising with me any more. I may be blind, but I'm a capable man. I don't want to be looked down upon, so I would rather be alone than return home before I have something to show for. I plan on excelling in my profession and starting a business one day. Only then will I have the face to go home and earn the respect I deserve.

Why did you leave home in the first place?

I come from a poor peasant family. We used to have about five mu of land (about one-third of a hectare) growing rice and wheat, but the heavy agricultural tax in the 1990s left us with an annual income of only 200 yuan. So, I took up my first job in Beijing as a construction worker, but it came to nought. Six months of work but I was never paid. The conditions were also harsh; I worked 12 hours a day under the scorching sun, and ate only steamed buns with pickled vegetables. That life was not sustainable, so I left the job.

What other jobs have you done?

I have been in Beijing, Tianjin, Taiyuan in Shanxi, and down south in Guangdong's Foshan, Jiangmen and Guangzhou. I have been a rickshaw puller, watermelon vendor, factory worker, coal miner and waiter.