BEIJING, Mar. 13 -- Now we'll bring you the story of a village in South-western Guizhou Province, called Gantian Village, which literally means Sweet Village. But its story isn't all sweet. This remote place is brought closer to us by an ongoing photo exhibition in Beijing. CRI reporter Zhou Jing has more on that.

    The specialty of Gantian village in Guizhou Province is not candies or fruits but black coal. Since the first coal mine opened in the village a century ago, coal-mining has been an important part of life.

    Now the village has four mines with a yearly output of nearly one hundred tons of coal. There are over 1,100 families in the village and each family has one or two members working down the mines.

    Wang Kechun is one of the hundreds of coal miners in Gantian Village. His life gives us an outline of all the miners' lives.

    "I began working at coal mine when I was only 10 years old. At that time the entrance of the mine was so small that I had to creep in and out, a bag of coal on my back and a lamp in my mouth. My father was a miner and so is my son. He started working in a coal mine at 11 years old. When he knew we couldn't afford his education, he cried. But we had no choice then."

    Wang Kechun was discharged by his boss several years ago due to his advancing age. He is now only 52 years old but looks older. The deep lines and creases on his face record the hardships of his work. And coal mining has left him with more than wrinkles.

    Last year, the Guizhou Institute of Highland Development offered 375 villagers free health checkups, and 16 of them were diagnosed with pneumoconiosis, a respiratory disease caused by inhaling coal dust for prolonged periods. Wang Kechun, unfortunately, was one of them. The disease cannot be cured, but can only be controlled.

    "I'm now in the second stage of the disease. I feel tired while walking. And my boss doesn't pay for my treatment."

    Wang Kechun appears to be resigned rather than complaining when talking about his disease. And he says things are getting much better in coal mines now compared to decades ago. Now miners work 8 hours a day and are receiving safety education and precautions are being taken in mines. Besides, a miner can earn as much as 1,600 yuan a month, higher than the average income in Guizhou. That's why male villagers there still choose to work in the mines and send their sons and grandsons as well despite it being hard and very dangerous work.

    To let more people know about mine workers' lives, last October the Institute gave villagers 4 digital cameras and asked them to record their life in pictures. Part of pictures have gone into the show that we can now see in Beijing, a photo exhibition with the theme"Light Underground".

    Zhou Yu is from the Beijing Brooks Education Center that has brought the exhibition to the capital.

    "Mine workers often appear in the news but always in relation to these tragic accidents and their desperate struggle for life. These photos taken by the villagers themselves provide another perspective on the miner's life. They are so true to life, unaffected and touching."

    People will read something from these photos. If it's aspiration, it's earnest aspiration and if it's dignity, it's from the bottom of their heart.

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)