Shanghai Daily News

Shao Longmei, a Nanhui District native who runs the ColorBean Painting Workshop, is more like a warm-hearted aunt than a demanding boss.

Speaking with a gentle voice and always wearing a sincere smile, this exquisite 43-year-old is considered a savior to many local migrant workers who were previously unemployed.

"I started the workshop last year and all the employees I hired were women from disadvantaged minorities - the poor and jobless," she said.

At her workshop in Xinchang Town hangs rows of bean paintings. They have been created in various shapes, themes and content, ranging from landscapes to birds and flowers to animals and people.

"These were all painted by them (the migrants). They are all diligent women and cherish their jobs very much," Shao said. "What I'm doing is something useful and meaningful for society. It helps them especially when they are in trouble."

Shao explained bean painting was a new form of folk art, where beans, seeds and wheat stalks are used as the raw materials. "It shows a person's respect for nature and their hard-working attitude towards life."

Such is Shao's life motto.

Born into a poor family with four children, she learned about life's difficulties at an early age. "One can hardly imagine that my lunch at the time was only a small dish of tofu," she said. To help her youngest brother raise money for university, Shao quit her studies while in middle school.

"I began working very early but I never gave up my studies. I know knowledge is very important in this competitive society."

While working in a textile factory, she studied in her in spare time. "I finished high school by self-education and also passed the professional test."

In 1992, Shao quit her factory job and entered the business world. "I was desperate to change my family's situation," she said.

"I became a salesperson for an industrial food catering company after leaving the factory and I was doing quite well. We provided lunches for school children and it was an excellent learning experience for me."

Thanks to her sanguine demeanor, Shao made a lot of friends and became something of a local celebrity.

In 2002 with her wealth of experience, she established Nanhui Food Logistics Services. "I really wanted to do something for those laid-off workers and migrants," she said. "What they needed was an opportunity."

Taking a pro-active stance, she invested 80,000 yuan (US$10,000) to rent land, plant vegetables and raise poultry. She also hired eight local unemployed people.

Within three years, Shao expanded her business from nine school clients to 39. She also had a staff of 32 employees, all of whom were previously unemployed.

However, Shao had a broader vision and greater aspirations.

"Yes, I'm ambitious and always keep going and going," she said with a smile. Last year when nobody had ever heard of bean painting, Shao set up her ColorBean Workshop.

"At first, it was really difficult for us. Many people asked if there was a market for such art. They wanted to know how I could guarantee employment for seven people. They also questioned how I could develop painting skills and how to preserve those grains and beans for a long time."

But true to her motto, Shao never gave up.

"I went to the Nanhui Science and Technology Commission three times to persuade them to approve scientific development funds for me," she said. "I wanted to promote bean painting to be a feature of Nanhui, much like the paintings by Jinshan farmers. I promised them that I could make it big and they said yes in the end."

True to her word, Shao carried out her promise.

Within a year, Nanhui bean painting gained fame both locally and abroad. In July, the art form received a silver prize at the Shanghai Folklore Arts Exhibition. "This was very encouraging for me as I sacrificed a lot to develop the workshop."

Shao said her workers each received around 700 yuan a month. "I know it is not much, but I'm sure I'm doing the right thing because at least their lives are guaranteed," she said, pointing to the workers painting.

Fang Meiqin, a 36-year-old woman employed at the workshop, said she was grateful to the woman she call "Auntie Shao" as she was previously unemployed. "She gave me a job, taught me how to draw and even found work for my husband."

Shao said that she still wanted to expand her painting business.

"In the next three years, I plan to move to a bigger place that will combine a gallery and a workshop. Just wait and see, bean painting will be the main tourist attraction in Nanhui soon.''