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The Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Employment Nearby in the Local Area

Photo taken on November 14, 2021 shows the special press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous on employment nearby in the local area. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Tang Yong

On November 14, 2021, the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on employment nearby in the local area was held. One official and seven ethnic minority representatives were invited to introduce related information and share their stories, which retaliates forcefully against the lies and fallacies made by the anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries to slander Xinjiang.

Photo taken on November 14, 2021 shows Hu Zhichun, the hostess of the special press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region onemployment nearby in the local area. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Tang Yong

Hostess: Hello fellow media reporters! Welcome to the press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on employment nearby in the local area. I’m Hu Zhichun, hostess of the press conference.

For some time, the anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries have made the false claim “The labor and employment policies in Xinjiang violate the human rights of people of all ethnic groups.” Their real vain intention is to bring industries in Xinjiang to extinction, sabotage its participation in the cooperation in the global value chains,weaken the global competitiveness of China’s enterprises so as to realize their plot of containing China through Xinjiang.In fact, Xinjiang insists on facilitating employment as the most fundamental project for ensuring and improving people’s well-being. It insists on the well-combined employment principle of encouraging individual initiative, regulatory role of the market and government policies facilitating employment,entrepreneurship and business start-ups. It keeps on optimizing industrial structure and effectively expanding employment capacity.

Xinjiang always takes respecting the workers’ job preferences as an important reference in designing its employment policies, expanding employment channels, creating jobs, organizing vocational training sessions and providing employment services to ensure that all the people can make their own choices about work and enjoy a happy life. Meanwhile, the laws and regulations including The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, The Labor Law of the People’s Republic of China and The Labor Contract Law of the People’s Republic of China are strictly observed in Xinjiang and a series of regional laws and regulations in light of regional conditions are formulated and implemented to provide solid legal guarantee so that all the citizens enjoy the right of equal employment.

Xinjiang vigorously implements employment-first strategy and proactive employment policy. It creates conditions for people of all ethnic groups to be employed nearby, move to cities in an orderly manner and start their own businesses, thus realizing basically full employment of the population with working ability. The workers’ preferences in choosing their careers, market modulated employment and governmental promotion of employment and encouragement of entrepreneurship are well combined in Xinjiang. All the places in Xinjiang develop industries in accordance with local conditions and have made every effort to create job opportunities. As a result, many people are able to find satisfactory jobs nearby. Hence, they are able to work and make money near home, which enables them to improve family income and the quality of their lives.

Today we invite Zhang Rong, director of the region’s public employment service center to introduce regional conditions of employment nearby in the local area.

We also invite the following representatives to share their experiences and life to us today. They are Jimilam Mahmut, a villager of Shengli Village, Qiman Township, Kuqa City, Aksu Prefecture, Nurguzal Mamatimin, a worker at Hotan Dining Hall, Hotan City, Umarjan Sidik, an employee of Kolen Green Co.,Ltd, Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Mamatyimin Kader, Xinyue Naan City Co.,Ltd., Jiashi County, Kashgar Prefecture, Pazilya Maolaturdi, a live streamer of Wensu County, Aksu Prefecture, Mirealim Mamatyimin, the manager of Kashgar Cultural Media Company, Nurala Usman, the general manager of Wanshanzhizhou Housekeeping Service Company, Atux City, Kizilsu Prefecture.

In recent years, while implementing the national employment decision of stabilizing and increasing employment, Xinjiang has further improved the policy system and held respecting the workers’ preferences as an important reference in designing employment policies,expanding employment channels, increasing job opportunities, giving vocational training and providing employment services. It tries hard to get to know the workers’ wishes and demand in time by various kinds of means and contact the workers extensively to build a bridge between the labor force and the employers so as to make exact match between the workers and their jobs. Jimilam Mahmut is able to find a suitable job near home with the help of the governmental agency, which enables her to both take care of her family and have an income. Now let’s invite Jimilam Mahmut, a villager of Shengli Village, Qiman Township, Kuqa City, Aksu Prefecture to share her account with us.

Photo taken on November 14, 2021 shows Jimilam Mahmut speaks at the special press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on employment nearby in the local area. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Tang Yong

Jimilam Mahmut: I’m Jimilam Mahmut, a villager of Shengli Village, Qiman Township, Kuqa City, Aksu Prefecture.

In the past, as my husband made a living by driving car to support me and our two daughters, we struggled to make ends meet.

In 2018, Abulat Mamat, the cadre of the village committee came to my home and said after knowing our family condition, “ Don’t worry. The village committee will find a way out for you!” I thought it was simply a joke. However, it turned out to be a turning point in my life.

Two months later, Abulat Mamat came to my home again and told me there was a suitable job for me which was simple to handle with and not far away from home. Besides, it paid well. He asked me whether I wanted to go. I declined because one of my daughters was in third grade at the primary school and another was in first grade of the middle school. He said, “You may think more about it.You may have a try. If you don’t feel good at work, come home then.” This was how I started to work.

The factory where I work is at Bazaar Micro Business Park, Qiman Township, Kuqa City, not far from home. It is called Siqi Garment Factory with 20 professional technicians and more than 100 employees. It may hold 320 people and produces 1 million clothes of various kinds and sizes on a daily basis. My job is to make overcoats, shirts, pants and skirts. At the beginning I was worried that I was unable to get along well with co-workers, my skill was not adequate and I was unable to handle the job. I was fortunate because soon Ms. Guo, the instructor of the workshop saved me. She watched me handle the simple side of cloth. As I was very nervous, I made a row slant. She taught me hand in hand to modulate the machine and sew when it’s well matched instead of scolding me. In this way Ms. Guo and I have become the instructor and apprentice with profound friendship. With her instructions, my skill improved remarkably and I learned to sew, lock stitch, hide stitch, cuff the edges and grab the bottom at ease and to check the defects and mark the cutouts.

Two years later, I was appointed team leader owing to my outstanding achievement. Recalling the past, I would never have achieved what I am today if I had not made the first move bravely and if Ms Guo had not taught me with great patience.

Now I have become an instructor for the newcomers and Ms. Guo who retired now lives in Aksu City. But we are very close. I call her on festive occasions and she often asks about the conditions of my family and the workshop. I plan to invite her to go to my home and taste this year’ s pear and walnut.

I have an apprentice in the workshop now. She is a girl named Tunsagul Reyim, a villager at No. 1 Arebozi Village, 25 years old. We became instructor and apprentice because I was beside her when she sewed the edges of the pants and cut her finger because of nervousness. That moment reminded me of myself when I just came to work in the factory. I went to the storage room for the band-aid in my bag and wrapped her finger up. In the course of time I took her as my apprentice. Ms. Guo used to tell me that the transmission of skill is not only that of skill but also that of friendship. At first I was unable to understand its implication. Now I get it. Me and Tunsagul are the same as Ms. Guo and me. Doing the work full of humanity enables us to become more motivated to help each other, encourage each other and make progress together.

Now as team leader I have a salary of RMB2,500 and after I’ve signed labor contract with the factory, it pays social security for me every month, which has provided me with one more guarantee in my life. My husband works at the railway station and brings home RMB 3,500 a month. As I have been working for several years, we’ve bought a car, a new TV and a refrigerator and renovated our house. There’s new change every year in my home. What has made me feel very relieved is that I am able to prepare food for my children every day after work and chat with my neighbors. I am fully motivated to work hard. I have the dream to become the manager of the department, have a pay raise and my daughters study diligently to be admitted to good universities.

The anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries claim that there’s so-called “forced labor” in Xinjiang, which is really ridiculous. As we earn money near home and take care of our family, do we need to be “forced”? The anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries, please keep your mouth shut and don’t talk nonsense!

Hostess: Thank Jimilam Mahmut for her account. With the in-depth implementation of beneficial employment program, Xinjiang has made every effort to increase and stabilize employment through various channels. As the scale of employment of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang nearby in the local area has been expanding, more and more surplus rural laborers choose to work in the cities after vocational training, and the goal that “each household has access to job opportunities, each person has work to do, and each month goes with an income” has been achieved. The employment project in Xinjiang has become the biggest livelihood project that wins people’s heart and benefit them. Upon graduation Nurguzal Mamatimin was lucky to meet the opportunity that the local government craved for making local delicacy brand names. She applied to work as a waitress at Hotan Dining Hall, a flagship in Hotan. She is very satisfied with her life now as she works near home. Now let’s invite Nurguzal Mamatimin, the waitress of Hotan Dining Hall, Hotan City to share her story with us.

Photo taken on November 14, 2021 shows Nurguzal Mamatimin speaks at the special press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on employment nearby in the local area. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Tang Yong

Nurguzal Mamatimin: I’m Nurguzal Mamatimin, 22 years old and I’m from Hotan City. I’m a waitress working at Hotan Dining Hall, a flagship in Hotan City.I earn a salary of RMB 3,500. My dad works at the mobile phone company and my mum runs a small supermarket in the village.

After graduating from the vocational high school, the cadre in the village committee asked me one day, “Hotan Dining Hall is recruiting and it pays well. People working there, including ramen noodles and pastry chefs, waitresses and housekeepers all live close by in the neighboring township like you, which is very convenient for work. Are you willing to go?”I told him joyfully, “I’m certainly willing to go and work there because I can make a living by myself and take care of my family too.” In this way I became a waitress at Hotan Dining Hall.

Hotan Dining Hall where I work is the flagship of Hotan City, with an area of 1,000 square kilometers and can accommodate more than 400 people at the same time. When business is good, more than 1,000 plates of ramen noodles can be sold and make more than RMB 20,000 a day. There’s a special experience zone in the hall where diners can make ramen noodles by themselves. Every noon in particular many diners come all the way to taste our ramen noodles, saying that it is chewy and tastes great. An exhibition zone is designed to let diners appreciate how various kinds of ramen noodles are made from six to eight pm. When it’s time for ramen noodles dance, it’s the busiest time in a day as even passers-by come around to watch.

Hotan Dining Hall mainly provides diners with traditional delicacy of Hotan ramen noodles with various kinds of vegetables to go with it, such as eggplant, leek, tomato and egg, big plate chicken and meshed meat, etc.. The vegetables we use are purchased every day from the neighboring farmers’ households. Our ramen noodles chef has an experience of nearby ten years.The ramen noodles he pulls is uniform in thickness, smooth and chewy.The food in our dining hall is of good quality and inexpensive, and many diners come every day to enjoy ramen noodles.

Ever since I came to work at Hotan Dining Hall, the lobby manager has been much concerned about my work and life. I feel free to tell him what I don’t know or what happens in my family. I recall once my mum suffered from hypoglycemia and asked me to accompany her to the hospital. I was so worried after receiving her call that I missed the chef’s call. Seeing that there’s something wrong with me, the lobby manager asked me why. I told him about my mum’s illness. He told me not to worry. He suggested that I should bring her to the hospital for a thorough examination after I went home safe and sound. He asked me to feel free to ask him for help. I was deeply touched by what he said.

Now as my family has stable source of income, our living conditions are much better than before and we live a very happy life. Some time ago, I read online that the anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries smeared that we ethnic minorities in Xinjiang are “forced labor”, which is very ridiculous! As I am employed, have stable income, have time for rest and I am free to ask for leave, is this forced labor?

Hostess: Thank Nurguzal Mamatimin for her account. Xinjiang pays close attention to formulating and implementing a social economic development strategy beneficial to the expansion of employment, expanding employment capacity by means of optimizing industrial structure so as to enable the workers to achieve stable, sustained and long-term employment. When promoting employment vigorously, Xinjiang strictly protects the legitimate rights and interests of the workers in accordance with the law for equal employment, access to pay, social insurance, rest and leave and occupational safety. Umarjan Sidik works at a modernized agricultural processing enterprise in Hotan. The advantageous working environment, good enterprise culture and perfect security system have made him feel contented to work in the company. Now let’s invite Umarjan Sidik, an employee of Kolen Green Co.,Ltd, Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture to share his account.

Photo taken on November 14, 2021 shows Umarjan Sidik speaks at the special press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on employment nearby in the local area. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Tang Yong

Umarjan Sidik: Hello everyone. I’m Umarjan Sidik of Kirgiz ethnic background, 24 years old and from Hotan. I now work at an agricultural science and technology company in Hotan.

In 2016, I was admitted to Xinjiang Industry Technological College. During my college years, I studied academic knowledge of computer science hard and had excellent performance in learning. After a year’s apprenticeship, I thought it’s good to develop myself in Hotan because of its great job opportunity. I chose to come back to my hometown for work after consulting with my family.

Not long after I came back, I read online the recruitment information of Kolen Green Co.,Ltd, Hotan County. It is a modernized agricultural processing enterprise which mainly produces fruity drinks, special dried rabbits (pigeons and chickens), smoked waxy pigeons (chickens) etc. with an annual production capacity of 20,000 tons and an annual production value of RMB 400 million. As the working environment and welfare benefits are good, so I send a resume to the company.

In February 2021, I passed the job interview smoothly and became an employee of Kolen Green Co.,Ltd. The company signed labor contract with me and assigned me to be responsible of security, fire safety and epidemic prevention. My salary is RMB 4,000 and the company pays for my pension and medical, unemployment, work injury, maternity and other insurances.The company provides me with free food and accommodation and buffet and meat and vegetables are well matched. The dormitory is well equipped, spacious, bright and very beautiful. On holidays and festive occasions the company gives us gifts.

Not long after I worked in the company, it asked our department to organize a fire safety drill. As I was new at this and lacked experiences, I had no idea as to what to do. The director of our department took me to all the places of the company and told me where the fire hydrants were, how to operate them, where the fire escapes were and how to evacuate people. He instructed me hand in hand till I mastered all. Later I heard co-workers say that he had the disease of vertebral herniation and he taught me patiently in spite of the pain, which touched me deeply.

The leaders of the company are very concerned about our work and life. In June this year, because my mum was hit by heart disease and I was very worried about her, I was not in a good state at work. The manager talked with me after seeing I was not in the mood. After knowing my condition, he allowed me to ask for leave and go home to take care of my mum and come back to work after she was out of the hospital.He let me ask him for help if there’s any difficulty. Later, the manager visited my mum in the hospital with presents, which touched my mum and me deeply. At that time, I made up my mind to work hard in the company.

Now I live a happy life and I cherish it. Working here not only enables me to develop my merits and improve the living condition of my family, but also enables me to take care of my family. I believe my life will be better with my hard work.

Not long ago, I read online that the anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries smear that there’s large scale “forced labor”in Xinjiang, which is ridiculous and makes me feel very indignant. We make a living by working, how come it’s “forced labor”? Can you stop fabricating the self-deceiving rumors and spread some positive energy please?

Hostess: Thank Umarjan Sidik for his account. By implementing proactive employment policies, Xinjiang has worked hard in highlighting the employment of surplus urban and rural laborers and groups in need to find jobs. Benefiting from the employment expansion project, Mamatyimin Kader gives full play to his merits and becomes a professional naan maker in the naan industrial park. As a result, his income becomes stable and his living standard improves. Now let’s inviteMamatyimin Kader, an employee of Xinyue Naan City Co.,Ltd., Jiashi County, Kashgar Prefecture to share his story with us.

Photo taken on November 14, 2021 shows Mamatyimin Kader speaks at the special press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on employment nearby in the local area. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Tang Yong

Mamatyimin Kader: Hello everyone. I’m Mamatyimin Kader, 38 years old. I’m from Baren Township, Jiashi County. There are four people in my family, my wife, two children and me.

Now I’m an employee of Xinyue Naan City Co.,Ltd., Jiashi County and earn RMB 4,800. My wife runs a children’s clothing store in Jiashi County. My son is eight years old and is a grade one primary school student. My daughter is five years old and at the kindergarten of the village now.

Prior to 2019, doing farm work and odd jobs was the major source of income of my family. As I didn’t have a stable job, and the income was not stable, I was considering how to increase income and improve my family condition. I was interested in making naan very much, yet I didn’t have a good opportunity or platform to learn how to make it. In November 2019, I read the recruitment information of Xinyue Naan City Co.,Ltd., at the bulletin board of the village committee. I applied for the job with the thought of having a try. Unexpectedly I passed the interview smoothly. I signed the labor contract with the company and it pays insurance for all the workers.

In order to improve the skills and level of making naan, the company has carried out 15 days of pre-job training for us, and specially arranged a master to take us familiar with the company environment and teach us how to use modern electric naan pit. My master is Aysanjan. I am very thankful to him because he has taught me many naan making skills that I didn’t know before. With the increase of my naan making skills, I have more understanding about naan culture. Being one of the favorite staple diets of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, naan has many companions.

In the company, in less than four months, I learned to make ten kinds of naan, such as sesame naan, wowo naan, hillman naan,multi-layered naan and onion naan etc.. And I became a master hand in making naan. As my skills are getting better and better, I am able to instruct the apprentices. Now as the person in charge of the production zone, I am in charge of checking the quality of naan and supervising the environment and sanitation of the workshop. My salary has increased from RMB 2,000 to RMB 4,800.

Our fathers’ generation made naan in the clay naan pit. Whenever naan was made, I felt unable to open my eyes because of the smoke. As it’s hard to keep control of the duration of heating, naan might be black and burnt. In the company, as we use the electric naan pit, the workshop is clean and tidy with air-conditioners, it is not hot to make naan.The company is close to my home, so I am able to help with planting in the field and help my wife with the business of the store after 6 hours of work in the company. We have days off each week. My work is relaxing and joyful and my salary is high and stable. As I can make money and take care of my family at the same time, job as such is what I was unable to imagine in the past.

After two years of diligent work, I was able to renovate the 85 square meter government-subsidized house, bought modernized household appliances such as TV, refrigerator and washing machine. At that time, I was granted government subsidy of RMB 27,000 to build the house. Various kinds of vegetables and fruits are planted in the courtyard that’s clean and neat. We’ve bought an electromobile. My wife is learning to drive. We’ve decided to buy a car, run a supermarket in the county to make more money and make our life better after she gets the driver’s licence.

Owing to the development in recent years, my hometown has seen dramatic changes. The asphalt roads lead to each of the households and low and simple adobe houses have been replaced by spacious and bright government-subsidized houses. Electromobiles and cars are seen in front of our courtyards. Children are granted 15 years compulsory education for free. Health checkup covers all of us. Various kinds of beneficial policies such as medical care, social security and work and employment security protect and escort our wonderful life to make us live a happier life.

Hating to see us live a good life, the anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries slander that we are “forced labor”, which is really baffling. We make money with our hands and buy cars and houses.No one has ever forced us to do so. They should stop confounding black and white and talking nonsense!

Hostess: Thank Mamatyimin Kader for his account. To promote the employment and entrepreneurship of key groups of people, Xinjiang firmly and strictly puts the employment of college graduates at the prominent position of employment work and expands the employment channels in a multi-faceted and multi-form manner. College graduates are guided and encouraged to work and grow at primary-level organizations. They are provided with innovative ways and means of employment information service, as WeChat, Weibo and App clients are applied and various kinds of supply and demand activities are held to promote exact match of both parties to improve the efficiency of employment service. After graduating from college, Pazilya Maolaturdi makes use of the lessons of live streaming she learned at college and becomes a live streamer to sell goods. In so doing, she not only has stable income, but also broadens means of selling agricultural products for more people. Now let’s invite Pazilya Maolaturdi, a live streamer of Wensu County, Aksu Prefecture to share her story with us.

Photo taken on November 14, 2021 shows Pazilya Maolaturdi speaks at the special press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on employment nearby in the local area. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Tang Yong

Pazilya Maolaturdi: Hello, everyone. I’m Pazilya Maolaturdi, 20 years old and I’m from Wensu County, Aksu Prefecture. In June this year, I graduated from Aksu Vocational and Technical College as an accountant major and I am now a live streamer. There are five people in my family. Besides my parents, I have two brothers who are at school.

During my college years, I learned the course of “live streaming” and this new online interactive mode drew me deeply. With the nationwide spread of live stream shopping, all are available, from what we eat, wear, to what we use. I start to be interested in live stream sale very much. After graduation, by chance I read online the recruitment information of a company and started to do live stream sale. At the beginning as I was inexperienced, I watched how others did live stream sale, took training courses and accumulated experiences by practising it. I live stream sale for six hours every day, facing the camera and keep smiling every minute. Sometimes, although I am exhausted, I have to explain in detail the features and craftwork of various products, interact with friends online and answer their questions actively. Although I had thought to give up, but I still tried to stick to it.

The company where I work is Xinjiang Sister Honey Black Bee Co.,Ltd, founded in 2018 which is a modernized private enterprise whose business covers bee breeding, production and sales of raw bee products and integrates large-scale bee breeding, production and bee products marketing. It now has a series of original bee products such as wild flower honey, Tianshan snow honey, apple honey, pear flower honey and lavender honey etc.. Online sales are mainly through Tmall and Taobao, while offline sales are through specialty stores. The online sales volume in 2019 was RMB 12 million and that of offline sales was more than RMB 5 million.

At the beginning, owing to my lack of experience, there’s no one watching my live streaming. Even though there’s no one there, me and my friend had to keep on talking. Then the viewers increased from 30 to more than 800. It is very competitive to be live streamers for Taobao, however, we’ve tried very hard to introduce the series of honey products and occasionally we present folk dance of Xinjiang features for a change of atmosphere. At present my income is made up of basic salary and commission and I am very confident with the future.

In our company, employees of all ethnic groups are as close as a family and we help each other, united and loving. All the co-workers in the factory are nice to me and treat me as their relative. They chat with me and help me when I have difficulty. Co-workers encourage me and I am very grateful to them. I’ve made up my mind to work hard because it’s worth it no matter how hard it is and how exhausted I am.

I will keep working because live streaming is a new form of Internet + agricultural products, there is a lot of space to display and it can help more people to expand the sales of agricultural products. Live stream sale is a process of constant accumulation. I believe the efforts I’ve made will definitely be recognized by all and more and more people will like us. I say go for it to myself and hope to make more farmers benefit from my hard work and live a better life.

The anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries claim that we are “forced labor” in Xinjiang, which is really very absurd. As I try hard to make money with the new knowledge and skill I learned to create a happy life, who’s “forced”? I’m very happy now. You, the anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries please stop slandering our Xinjiang!

Hostess: Thank Pazilya Maolaturdi for her account. Widespread entrepreneurship and innovation is promoted steadily in Xinjiang to encourage it to boost employment.Xinjiang insists on the direction of market-oriented and socialized employment, implements guaranteed policy measures to promote entrepreneurship and flexible employment, strengthens policy related services to meet the workers’ needs, creates more flexible employment opportunities, and encourages more workers to be self-employed and start their own businesses. Seizing the opportunity of the rapid development of the Internet information technology and We Media, Mirealim Mamatyimin founded his workshop to make new media products, which has stable income and enables him to achieve himself. Now let’s invite Mirealim Mamatyimin, the manager of Kashgar Cultural Media Company to tell his story.

Photo taken on November 14, 2021 shows Mirealim Mamatyimin speaks at the special press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on employment nearby in the local area. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Tang Yong

Mirealim Mamatyimin: Hello everyone. I’m Mirealim Mamatyimin from Kashgar City. I am now a member of Kashgar Cultural Media Company and I have a wonderful and happy family, a beautiful wife and an adorable son.

Our cultural media company is run by a team of ten people. I am responsible for shooting and post-editing work. As I have been engaged in the creation of the Internet content for about 15 years, I am very experienced in this field in Kashgar. I love this profession and love this job. Now my salary is around RMB 15,000 to 20,000. I have an apartment and a car.

With the rapid social and economic development and driven by the new generation of information technology, more and more people are engaged in We Media in Kashgar. Meanwhile, short video and online live stream users are growing fast.

Recently, I took part in an unforgettable study tour. Major participants of the tour were Xinjiang dance fans from across the country. There were altogether 18 people with the oldest being 81 years old and the youngest being 38 years old. The 81-year-old grandma in particular was very spirited, as lovely as a girl and very adorable. She felt free to make fun of me, her “grandson”.

I accompanied them the whole time during the 13-day tour, recording Xinjiang dance, delicacies and folk customs as well as their happy and wonderful moments for them. We visited a lot of places and touching short stories came out every day. During the tour, they were very concerned with me, helping me with the bag for the equipment and giving me water and tissue when they saw me sweat. They let me taste with them when they ate Xinjiang delicacies.

When the shooting ended, I showed them the movie and they all thumbed up to praise me. Seeing their satisfying smiles, I was deeply aware that what I did was not simply shooting, it’s a mission to give people a record of the good times in life.

As the rapidly developing science and technology upgrades We Media, the filming equipment becomes more and more high-tech based, and the distribution channels are even more diversified. It can be said that it has broken the previous format. During the 15 years creating the Internet content, I have witnessed the progress and development of each phase of the field. I feel very contented to be at this phase.

During working, my main task is to shoot promotional videos, documentaries and music videos. Videos with good content and quality are often published and disseminated on major media and various social media platforms.The works released on our own platform also have good reputation and forwarding amounts. Last year, using computer technology I made a static painting of the oil painting “Mukam”by Hazi Amat, the famous Uygur painter into a dynamic painting, just like injecting life into a lifeless object and making it come alive.This piece of work was well received and affirmed by experts in the field after its release, loved and appreciated by the majority of Internet users.

I am fully convinced that We Media industry of Kashgar will keep on sparkling, considering the trend of development now. I will live a better life by making use of its development.The anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries should keep their mouth shut and stop slandering that we are “forced labor”. We pursue a wonderful life with our brain and efforts, do we need to be forced by others? Your sinister plots will never work!

Hostess: Thank Mirealim Mamatyimin for his account. Xinjiang fully implements the policy of supporting entrepreneurship, increases the implementation of the guaranteed business loan policy, expands the coverage of loan recipients, improves amount of loan, simplifies loan applying process, creates a good environment conducive to entrepreneurship, thus forming a triad working mechanism of policy support, entrepreneurship training and entrepreneurial services. We actively build an entrepreneurial platform to promote entrepreneurship-led employment as an important measure and way to stimulate the market vitality, broaden employment channels and expand its space. With the help of the government, Nurala Usman registered and founded Wanshanzhizhou Housekeeping Service Company, Atux City, which marks her success in starting her business and providing many villagers with jobs. Now let’s invite Nurala Usman, general manager of Wanshanzhizhou Housekeeping Service Company, Atux City to share her story.

Photo taken on November 14, 2021 shows Nurala Usman speaks at the special press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on employment nearby in the local area. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Tang Yong

Nurala Usman: Hello everyone! I’m Nurala Usman from Atux City. I’m the general manager of Wanshanzhizhou Housekeeping Service Company, Atux City.

As a Uygur saying goes, “As those who are lazy will have to drink cold water, those who care hard-work are rewarded with gigot.” With the encouragement of my family, I made up my mind to be an entrepreneur and create my happy life with my own hands.

In recent years, the market of modern housekeeping service industry has seen great potential, which spurs flexible employment and meets family needs. In April 2020, I seized the opportunity, registered and founded Wanshanzhizhou Housekeeping Service Company, Atux City, thus embarking on the route of entrepreneurship to provide job opportunities to many jobless people and surplus rural laborers.

To open the market for the company, I led all the coworkers to begin with the most basic work of sanitary and cleaning, gradually improved the standardized operation process and equipped the company’s housekeeping staff with toolkit. With sincere and standardized services, customers’ satisfaction keeps increasing and the workers improve their families’ standard of living by working in the company.

Rushangul Imam, one of my staff, is 41 years old. She used to work in the field and lived a very hard life because she depended solely on income of planting for household expenses. She came to my company and became a childcare worker after vocational training. Now she earns RMB 2,500 and customers are very satisfied with her service and her rating is getting higher and higher. As she has a stable income, the living standard of her family improves remarkably. There are a lot of workers like her in my company.

Established for more than a year, the company provides more than 20 services in 8 categories, including sanitation, maternity matron,babysat, hourly workers, housekeeping, cleaning, babysitting and escort etc. and its service network covers over a thousand residential households in the city. It has more than 80 workers now. With the expansion of business, the company’s revenue also continues to rise.In 2020 its profit reached RMB140,000.

In order to lead more people to achieve local employment, the government has given the company a lot of policy support and provided RMB 150,000 of supportive funds. I have been to provinces and municipalities including Shandong, Shenzhen, which has not only broadened my vision, but also improved the company’s ability to standardize operations. Our company’s signed school-enterprise cooperation agreement with Atux Technical School and founded Atux Housekeeping Training Base. Atux Technical School sends students for apprenticeship in the company and we train more vocational talents to boost employment nearby.

With the expansion of the company’s service projects, it has had higher demand on the vocational quality of its workers. The company holds vocational skill training among workers annually and their service ability and level have been improved. The expansion of the managerial scope of the company has enabled more surplus rural laborers to be employed near home, increased their income and improved their families’ living standards.

Recently I read online that the anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries slandered that there’s so-called “forced labor” in Xinjiang, which is outrageous. We create a better life with our own hands, how is it “forced labor”? The anti-China forces in the United States and several western countries confound black and white and distort facts for the sinister intention of disrupting Xinjiang!Your vicious intention will certainly get nowhere! The life of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang will get better and better!

Hostess: Thank Nurala Usman for her account. Just now, seven speakers have shared with us their sense of gain, happiness and security by telling us their personal accounts. Now, Zhang Rong, director of the region’s public employment service center is to communicate with media reporters.

Now questions from the reporters please. Let us know the news agency you belong to before you ask questions. The fourth reporter in the second row please.

Xinhua News Agency: Thank you hostess. I’m from Xinhua News Agency. To encourage entrepreneurship to spur employment is of great realistic significance to employment. My question is: What are the supportive policies of the region in boosting entrepreneurship in recent years?

Hostess: Thank you for your question. Let’s invite Zhang Rong, director of the region’s public employment service center to answer this question.

Photo taken on November 14, 2021 shows Zhang Rong, director of the region’s public employment service center answers questions at the special press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on employment nearby in the local area. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Tang Yong

Zhang Rong: Thank you reporter from Xinhua News Agency, thank you hostess. For a long time, Xinjiang regards business start-ups as an important channel to boost employment, introducing a series of supportive policies including training subsidies, business loans and interest subsidies, tax reductions and social security subsidies etc..By holding activities such as entrepreneurship competition, entrepreneurship service local tour and creator training camp to build a platform for entrepreneurs to bring into play the multiple effect of entrepreneurship-led employment. The eligible personnel to start a business, such as college graduates, migrant workers and those with employment difficulties are provided with up to RMB 200,000 of guaranteed loans and interest subsidies with the maximum loan period of 3 years. To start a business in partnerships, you are provided with the per capita up to RMB 200,000, a total of up to RMB 3 million of guaranteed loans and interest subsidies. Xinjiang issued a total of RMB 5.47 billion in start-up loans from 2016 to 2020, helping 387,200 people start their own businesses and create 806,500 new jobs.

For example, Nurala Usman who is here is a typical example of successful entrepreneurship. She was sponsored RMB150,000 of support funds for entrepreneurship and employment projects and RMB 18,000 of social security subsidies during her start-up period, which has enabled her to start up and make 80 people get job opportunities. Another example. At the beginning of his start-up, Zubaier Anwar of Kuqa City, Aksu Prefecture lacked funds and then applied for RMB 200,000 of start-up loans to open Golden Sun Child Care Center in Kuqa with success and created jobs for 20 people.

Hostess: Thank director Zhang Rong for her answer. More questions, please. The second reporter in the third row please.

China News Service: Thank you, hostess. I am the reporter of China News Service. Facilitation of employment is the most fundamental project for ensuring and improving people’s well-being. My question is: What are the measures to promote employment nearby in the local area in Xinjiang? During the fourteenth-five year plan period, what are planned in terms of promoting employment in Xinjiang?

Hostess: Thank you for the question. Let’s invite director Zhang Rong to answer this question.

Zhang Rong: Thank you for your question.Now I will answer your question from six aspects. Firstly, vigorously develop industries, especially labor-intensive industries to spur employment.Increase employment opportunities and promote the transformation of farmers and herdsmen to industrial workers by focusing on the industrial development of the “top ten industries” including textiles and garments, naan and other distinctive and advantageous local industries. For example, naan industry has been taken as “small business,huge employment” in many places and the construction of naan industrial park is actively promoted, developing from production,making and sale to the whole production chain of the naan industry,which provides job opportunity for 113,000 people. Secondly, vigorously prioritize employment in the development of farmland water conservancy, rural roads, construction and other engineering projects.Over 90% of labor is from the local area, which both improves the standard of infrastructure and increases the local people’s income.Thirdly,develop park enterprises and village-run factories to spur employment. Thanks to the channel of pair assistance of provinces and municipalities and investment by means of market mechanisms, a large number of enterprises have invested and built factories in south Xinjiang. Hence, the industrial pattern of county having a park factory, township having a district factory and village running a factory has been formed. More and more farmers and herdsmen have stable jobs nearby. Fourthly, develop rural tourism to spur employment. Vigorously develop agritainment, catering, B&B, special fruits (dried fruits) and ethnic handicrafts sales, etc. to boost employment, to increase people’s income and promote the interaction, exchange and mingling of urban and rural residents. Fifthly, support flexible employment. Develop rural bazaar market, night market economy according to local conditions, support the creation of individual economic entities such as small stores, restaurants, stalls, workshops to help people increase their income through multiple channels. Sixth, take rural public service jobs as underwriting placement. For the key groups that are elder, limited in skills and difficult to get employed through market channels, we actively develop public service jobs in villages such as cleaning and landscaping, protecting forestry and roads to help them with employment.

By strengthening the employment priority policy, deeply implementing the employment project, broadening employment positions through multiple channels and classifying policies, every worker with employment needs can enjoy basic public employment services.In so doing, the employment of at least one person in every family is secured and security of employment, stabilization of employment and income increase via employment is achieved.

During the fourteenth five year plan period, we will adhere to the employment orientation of economic development, continuously expand employment capacity, make the transfer of employment of rural labor force as the top priority, adhere to the organic combination of local employment and orderly transfer of employment, increase policy support, strengthen the precise match between supply and demand, continuously expand the scale of transfer of employment of rural labor force, and promote increase of income through employment.

First, the scale of rural labor force employment in other parts of the country is stabilized sustainably. We will carry out inter-regional labor collaboration extensively, strengthen cross-regional precise match of labor force, and stabilize and expand the scale of rural labor force employment working elsewhere. Cultivate a number of labor brands with local characteristics, industrial features, skill characteristics and good effect of boosting the employment of rural labor, expand the scale of labor output with the brand effect and improve the quality of labor output.Focusing on the development of the ten industries and the local special advantageous industries, we should strengthen regional labor collaboration and promote the employment of the labor force in south Xinjiang spurred by the industries in north Xinjiang. Take advantage of pair assistance, strengthen labor collaboration so as to facilitate the orderly transfer to other provinces for employment, expand income increase of employment, and promote exchanges and intermingling of ethnic groups.

Second, we will continue to promote the employment of rural labor nearby in the local area. Improve the mechanism of promoting stable employment of rural labor force and strengthen departmental collaboration. Develop and expand rural characteristic industries and build a whole agricultural industry chain by making full use of the county economy and rural resources with distinctive strengths.Promote the integrated development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas, encourage the development of family farms and farmers’ professional cooperatives, and create more local employment posts nearby in the local area for rural labor force.

Third, we will continue to consolidate and expand the fruits of poverty alleviation via employment to contribute to rural revitalization.Promote the stable employment work in 93 counties and cities, strengthen the construction of demonstration counties for the transfer of employment of rural laborers, support the development of local industries with advantages and characteristics in areas out of poverty.Continue to make employment support workshops, community factories, village-run factories and other employment carriers play their roles to create more employment opportunities nearby in the local area for people out of poverty.

Hostess: Thank director Zhang Rong for her answer. Employment is the basis of livelihood. With the in-depth implementation of the beneficial employment policies, the employment structure in Xinjiang keeps optimized and the quality of employment improves steadily. On both side of the Tianshan Mountains, the happy scene that “each household has access to job opportunities, each person has work to do, and each month goes with an income”(every family has access to job opportunities, everyone has something to do and every month has an income) is seen. The life of people of all ethnic groups is getting more and more prosperous.Xinjiang will focus on stabilizing and expanding employment to increase income, implement the employment priority policy, continue to do a good job in stabilizing employment, make more efforts in vocational training, adhere to the organic combination of local employment and orderly transfer of employment elsewhere so that stabilization of employment and income increase via employment is achieved.

That’s the end of today’s press conference.Please allow me to say thank you to all the speakers and media reporters.