#长文创作激励计划#
"Who says women can't drive big trucks?"
On the highway, there is such a special figure: she is petite, but she can skillfully control a huge truck, and she is obviously a woman, but she has carved out a world in this male-dominated industry. She is Zhang Lin, a post-95 female truck driver, a legendary figure from a 6,000 yuan child daughter-in-law to the protagonist of an Oscar documentary.
What kind of secret does she have in her?
How is she doing now?
1. Ran away after being sold at the age of 15 for 6,000 yuan
Zhang Lin, an ordinary peasant girl from Baishui Village, Yiliang County, Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, is located in the mountainous area of northeastern Yunnan Province, where the scenery is Lucky Star Chinese Restaurant all year round, but in sharp contrast to the beautiful natural scenery, the local backward economic conditions and deep-rooted traditional concepts.
In this land, the idea of "preference for sons over daughters" is still prevalent, and the fate of many girls is predestined from the moment they are born, and Zhang Lin grew up in such an environment. As the fourth daughter in the family, she has felt the cold from her parents since she was a child.
The only boy in the family, her younger brother, has become the only expectation in the eyes of his parents, and all the love and resources are tilted towards this "only son", while Zhang Lin and her three sisters have to live a precarious life.
Every morning, before the first rays of sunlight fall on the mountains of Baishui Village, Zhang Lin has already gotten up and is ready to embark on the long road to school, which she has to climb over mountains and mountains for three hours to reach the school in order to be able to get an education. However, the hardships did not end there, and after school, she and her sisters had to work late into the night to help the family with the farm.
Despite the hardships of life, she still harbors a thirst for knowledge and a vision for the future, and fate always seems to work against her. When she finally entered junior high school and thought she could continue her studies, the financial pressure of her family became a high wall in front of her.
The parents felt that it was too much to support so many children to go to school, so they did not hesitate to make a cruel decision: let Zhang Lin drop out of school and go home to work to supplement the family. In this way, Zhang Lin was forced to say goodbye to the campus and bid farewell to the hopeful future.
This was just the beginning of a nightmare, when she was 15 years old, the arrival of an uninvited guest completely changed the trajectory of her life, it was a middle-aged woman who claimed to be a matchmaker, she came to the house with 6,000 yuan in cash, claiming to say a family affair for her.
In the face of this amount of money, which was already a lot of money in the countryside at that time, his father agreed without the slightest hesitation, and in this way, Zhang Lin, who was only 15 years old, was sold by his father to a man he had never met at a price of 6,000 yuan without knowing it.
When she was brought to her in-law's house, she learned that her "husband" was a coal miner, ten years older than her, and that the strange family did not give this young girl the care she deserved, but instead regarded her as cheap labor and a tool for childbirth.
In order to make more money, Zhang Lin followed her husband to the construction site to carry cement, and because she was a woman, her strength was not as good as that of male workers, and her daily wage was only 30 yuan, less than half of that of male workers. What's even more chilling is that even this meager income was forcibly confiscated by her mother-in-law, and she said that she wanted to save money for her grandson.
In such an environment, she still tried to play the role of a wife and daughter-in-law, and she endured humiliation and gave birth to a son for the family, but childbirth did not improve her situation. Not long after she was confined, her mother-in-law couldn't wait to drive her to do farm work, without any regard for her physical condition.
What's even more cruel is that she is often subjected to domestic violence by her husband.
After being beaten for the first time, she couldn't bear it anymore and fled back to her parents' home. What made her desperate was that instead of supporting her, her father sent her back to her in-law's house, and in this way she fell into a terrible cycle: she was subjected to domestic violence, fled, was sent back, and continued to be subjected to domestic violence.
There is a limit to human patience, and after experiencing countless blows and injuries, he finally made up his mind to completely change his fate.
She began to save money secretly, saving up penny by penny, in preparation for her escape, and finally one dark night, she mustered up the courage to quietly leave the home that had brought her endless pain with the 500 yuan she had secretly saved. She didn't have a specific destination, she just knew to stay away from this sad place as much as possible.
Zhang Lin came to the local train station and bought a ticket casually, which was a train to Hangzhou, for Zhang Lin, who had never left his hometown, Hangzhou was like an unattainable dream.
And on this train that was supposed to take her to a new life, her backpack was stolen, and when the train finally stopped at Hangzhou Station, she was only left with clothes on her body and a few coins in her pocket, facing this strange big city, she was both excited and scared, excited that she had finally escaped from that nightmarish life, and afraid that she didn't know how to survive next.
But she was not intimidated by the predicament in front of her, she firmly believed that as long as she was willing to work hard, she would be able to break out of the world, in order to be able to gain a foothold in this strange city, she first went to reapply for an ID card, with an ID card, she quickly found a job in an electronics factory.
In the factory, she met many sisters who had similar experiences to her, and they encouraged and supported each other, which made Zhang Lin feel the warmth she had never felt before, and gradually, she began to regain her confidence in life and began to believe that she could also have a better future.
But she was not satisfied with the status quo, she knew that in order to truly change her fate, it was not enough to rely on factory work, she needed to learn new skills and find better opportunities, so she began her path of self-improvement.
Outside of work, she strives to learn Mandarin and learn how to use smartphones and computers, believing that only by keeping learning can she keep up with this fast-moving society. In the process, she discovered the emerging social platform of short videos, and she began to try to record her daily life and share her own stories.
Second, drive a truck to counterattack
Zhang Lin's life seems to have found a new direction in Hangzhou Electronics Factory, but the gears of fate have not stopped turning, and through the short video platform, she met a truck driver named Chen Xun.
Chen Xun is sunny and cheerful, enthusiastic, and loves her at first sight. The two communicated more and more frequently on the Internet, and soon had feelings, in a chance for Chen Xun to come to Hangzhou to deliver goods, the two finally met, the man in reality is more charming than in the video, his strong physique and confident smile make Zhang Lin's heart move.
And Zhang Lin's strong, independent and gentle personality also deeply attracted Chen Xun, two young people who are also from the countryside and have similar experiences, as if they have found each other's soulmates, and two months of getting along make them firmly believe that the other party is the person they are looking for.
On a sunny weekend, Chen Xun proposed to Zhang Lin, and although others thought they were in too much of a hurry, the two firmly believed that they had found true love. In this way, they resolutely entered the palace of marriage.
On the day of the wedding, Chen Xun's card friends formed a mighty convoy to send off relatives, dozens of large trucks lined up in a long line, the scene was spectacular, this unique wedding made Zhang Lin feel unprecedented happiness and a sense of belonging, she secretly swore that she must cherish this hard-won happiness.
The newlywed Yan'er thought that she could finally live a stable life, but seeing her husband driving a big truck back and forth every day, she had an inexplicable impulse in her heart, she wanted to fight side by side with her husband and work together.
So, she approached her husband with the idea of learning to drive a truck. At first, the husband disagreed, believing that driving a truck was a hard job and not suitable for women, and he hoped that his wife would be safe at home or find an easy job.
But Zhang Lin didn't think so, she insisted on her own ideas, thinking that only by working with her husband could she truly understand her husband's hard work and make more contributions to the family.
The road to learning to drive a truck is not smooth, first of all, the problem of driving schools, many instructors are prejudiced against female students, believing that women are not suitable for driving large cars.
In the face of these discrimination and doubts, Zhang Lin did not back down, she studied harder, trained hard, got up before dawn every day, and stayed in the driving school all day. Even though her hands were calloused, and her back hurt, she never complained of being tired.
What bothers her the most is her height, she is only 1.58 meters tall, standing next to the tall truck looks very petite, the door handle of the truck is even higher than her head, every time she gets on the car, she needs to use all her strength to eat, and use all her strength to climb up.
But she wasn't discouraged, she started doing strength training to improve her fitness, and she also came up with a lot of tricks to overcome her height disadvantage. For example, she will add a soft padding to the driver's seat to allow herself to sit higher; She also deliberately bought a pair of platform shoes to make herself look taller.
The hard work paid off, and after two months of hard training, she finally got her B2 driver's license.
When she stood in front of the coach with her driver's license, the coach who had said that she could not pass the exam was speechless in surprise, with the driver's license, Zhang Lin began to run long distances with her husband, and the couple cooperated tacitly, took turns driving, and took care of each other, so that not only safety could be guaranteed, but also efficiency could be greatly improved.
Soon, their monthly income reached about 14,000, which is already a good income level in the local area.
The long-term life outside the home also made Zhang Lin feel tired, and the truck became their second home, but she always longed for a real "home" of her own, so she came up with the idea of buying a house.
But with only the income of the two of them running a car, it is still a little difficult to buy a house in the city. After careful consideration, Zhang Lin made a bold decision: go out and go it alone.
She believes that only two people can make more money and realize the dream of buying a house as soon as possible, but the reality is always crueler than imagined, and when Zhang Lin went to find a job alone, she encountered unprecedented difficulties. As soon as many logistics companies heard that it was a female driver, they directly refused, and some HR even suspected that her driver's license was fake, thinking that it was impossible for a small woman like her to drive a big truck.
In the face of all kinds of doubts and discrimination, she did not give up, she kept submitting resumes, attending interviews, and trying to prove her ability. Finally, her persistence touched the boss of a courier company, who was moved by Zhang Lin's courage and determination and decided to give her a chance.
In this way, Zhang Lin began her independent career as a truck driver, and in order to prove herself, she worked harder than other drivers. Whether it was loading, unloading or driving a night train, she was unequivocal, and soon she won the recognition of her colleagues and customers with her strength.
And the success of the career did not bring happiness to the family, as the work became busier and busier, the couple got together less and left more, and the relationship between the two gradually cracked, and what made Chen Xun even more unacceptable was that Zhang Lin began to think about his biological son.
During a rare vacation, Zhang Lin decided to go back to her hometown to have a look, she not only wanted to meet her parents, but also wanted to see her children. However, this decision sparked a heated argument with Chen Xun, who believed that Zhang Lin should completely forget the past and concentrate on running the current family.
But for a mother, that child has always been an intangible wound in her heart, and in the end, Zhang Lin went back to her hometown alone.
When she saw her child again, she had mixed feelings in her heart, the child had grown up a lot, but still called her "Mommy". This call made Zhang Lin cry like rain. She bought her child a bicycle in the hope of making up for her debts over the years.
This move back to his hometown completely angered Chen Xun, he felt that his wife couldn't let go of the past and couldn't devote himself to his current marriage, and the contradiction between the two became deeper and deeper, which eventually led to divorce.
The failure of her marriage caused Zhang Lin to fall into a trough for a while, but she quickly cheered up, she understood that she still had a long way to go and many dreams to come true, and she decided to put all her energy into her career.
Today, she has become a leader in the company. Not only is she highly skilled, but she also has a conscientious and responsible work attitude, which is well received by customers, and her story has also begun to circulate in the truck driver circle, becoming a role model for many to follow.
3. Taken by the Oscar director
The famous Oscar-winning director Ke Wensi heard about Zhang Lin's story by chance, and the director, who is known for making documentaries about social themes, was immediately attracted to Zhang Lin's experience.
Ke Wensi believes that Zhang Lin's story is not only a personal history of struggle, but also a microcosm of the changes in Chinese society as a whole, from a rural girl bound by her family to an independent truck driver, her experience reflects the changes in the status of Chinese women and the progress of social concepts.
He contacted Zhang Lin and expressed the idea of making a documentary, and at first Zhang Lin was a little hesitant, she was worried that her past would cause trouble to her family, and she was also afraid that being exposed to the public eye would affect her life. But with the patient persuasion of Ke Wensi, Zhang Lin finally agreed, hoping that through her story, she could inspire more women in difficult situations.
In this way, the filming of the documentary "Lin Bao" officially began, and Ke Wensi and his team followed Zhang Lin's life and work, recording her every daily moment. From getting up at 4 a.m. to get ready to get out of the car, to driving alone on the highway late at night, to taking care of her son and parents after returning home, Zhang Lin's life is fully presented in front of the camera.
"Linbao" not only focuses on Zhang Lin personally, but also on the entire Chinese female truck driver community, and through interviews with other female drivers, the documentary shows the challenges and biases they face in this male-dominated industry.
In the film, we see how female drivers overcome physical disadvantages, how they cope with various emergencies on the road, and how they balance work and family, which vividly shows the fighting spirit of Chinese women in the workplace, and also reflects the progress and shortcomings of Chinese society in terms of gender equality.
After nearly a year of filming and post-production, "Limbo" is finally completed. The film's premiere in Beijing was well received by audiences and critics alike, with many viewers saying that through the documentary, they had a real understanding of the lives of female truck drivers for the first time and a new understanding of the group.
The film has won awards at several international film festivals, drawing global attention to women's rights in China, and more importantly, it has stimulated discussions on gender discrimination in the workplace in Chinese society and promoted the improvement of relevant laws and regulations.
At the same time as the film was on the air, Zhang Lin's life has not changed much, she still drives her own truck every day, shuttling between cities. It's just that now, there is a small mirror in her carriage, which is a gift from the crew of "Lin Bao", and the mirror is engraved with the words "Long road ahead, forge ahead".
With work and family at the heart of her life, she works hard to not only support herself, but also to take care of her son and parents back home, and although life is still difficult, she is full of hope for the future. She believes that as long as she continues to work hard, she will be able to create a better life for her family.
In the future, we look forward to seeing more women like Zhang Lin able to display their talents in various industries, no longer limited by gender. We also hope that society can be more tolerant and understanding, and give everyone equal opportunities and respect.
Let's work together to create a more equal and inclusive society where everyone is free to pursue their dreams, regardless of gender, or profession.