Young migrant worker fighting for his music dream

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Migrant workers are a group of people that emerged following the introduction of reform and opening up policy in December 1978 in China. Many left their hometowns in rural areas and migrated to cities for higher payment and a better life.

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According to the National Bureau of Statistics, there were more than 280 million migrant workers in China by 2016, which was about one fifth of the nation's whole population.

These workers settled in urban "villages", in suburban low-rent houses, and in the basements of old apartments, etc.

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We could learn their numbers and average wages from the statistics, as well as how they move from one province to another. But what do they think about their own lives? Do they have dreams?

Yuan Chen. /By CGTN

Yuan Chen is one of the most ordinary migrant workers in the city. He got his lifestyle from his father.

After dropping out of middle school, he became a reinforcement worker like his father. He could bind over 40,000 rebars in one day.

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Yuan and his colleagues' daily work is to derust, straighten, connect, cut, shape and place the rebars. Despite the monotony that comes with the job, Yuan has nurtured a dream, and once came very close to achieving it as well.

He wants to be a singer.

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Yuan inherited the passion for music from his father. He spent most of his spare time listening, practicing and writing. His father was very supportive, and encouraged him to audition for the TV show "Talent in 6+1 Days" in Beijing. Unfortunately, he was eliminated for being amateurish at the time.

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In 2012, Yuan published his original song "Wrong Person Again" on the Internet. The composition cost him over a thousand yuan. To his surprise, it was promoted by some major music websites and became quite a hit online. Yuan soon had the status of an Internet celebrity. In photos, he looked very much like a professional singer.

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At a time Yuan nearly thought his dream has come true, life threw another hindrance on his road to success.

Yuan's father and his source of inspiration, was diagnosed with uremia. The family couldn't afford a transplantation and dialysis was the only option. But an additional 4,000-yuan-per-month medical bill was still a huge figure. Yuan had to take the responsibility. He stopped writing and looked for additional part-time jobs.

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He always worked hard by the day. When there weren't too much work, he would sell skewers in the suburb. In the evening, he would keep working as a singer at a local bar. Deep in his heart though, he never gave up his dream.

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Also a music lover, Yuan's father knew what his son was doing. With his experience across the country, the father wrote a song called "Honest Us". This song dedicated to the migrant workers became quite popular and sent Yuan Chen promptly to perform on the shows of the state-run China Central Television (CCTV).

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The lyrics are simple and frank. It portrays the life of Yuan Chen and his father, while reflecting the lifestyle of most migrant workers.

"I waved goodbye to my family / but always keep them in my dream.”

"I feel needed by the city / honest and loyal/ are us migrant workers."

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Through the song, Yuan Chen found his own voice.

"To some extent, my musical dream has come true, he says.

The story is one in "The 1.3 Billion" series exploring the diverse lives that make up China.