Local hero

Her mother, Ding Xiuling, is very proud of her daughter.

"Family and friends envy her good job," she said.

Qian Jiang, deputy head of the county, said Air China had strict recruitment standards. For example, flight attendants are required to have a bachelor's degree, with female applicants taller than 1.63 meters and men 1.73 meters.

They must also be fluent in Mandarin and English and pass psychological tests.

"But in poverty-stricken areas like Zhaoping, it is hard to meet all the requirements," Qian said. "We make it easier for applicants from the county and offer more training when they are hired."

Qian worked in the marketing and human resources department of Air China before he joined the county's poverty alleviation project as its deputy head in 2018.

He said an Air China salary can lift an entire family out of poverty, which is officially defined as an annual income below 4,000 yuan.

"It is also a change in social identity becoming an employee of Air China," Qian said.

The company is a platform to serve thousands of passengers and a bigger platform for employees to grow and learn how to serve and work with people, he said. Qian added that working in such a company broadens an employee's vision and helps them shake off the psychological shackles of poverty.

The company takes care of the recruits by offering them the best instructors and providing individual tutoring to remedy any of their shortcomings, Qian said.

"Some flight attendants hired through the project had a strong accent when they spoke Mandarin," he said.

"When they made announcements in the cabin, there were jokes and some misunderstandings. But that was OK. We offered them long-term training and now they fit the position and do their jobs well."

Qian said they tried not to stigmatize the employees as coming from a poverty program. "When they can forget they are from a 'special' group, they have been completely lifted out of poverty in their minds," he said.