Journalists in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province visited a specialized workshop for disabled people at Zhoushan Hongmei Machinery Manufacturing Co in Daishan county on Dec 10.

The workshop, which first opened its doors on Aug 21, is a combination of a workshop and sanatorium, and consists of several different areas –a working area, a recreational area, a medical room, and living quarters for lunch breaks. It currently has 36 disabled employees.

"The workshop is closely managed. Every morning we perform physical examinations on the disabled employees and remind them to take their pills on time," said Jin Qinghua, director of the workshop's management group.

"I have made several friends here. I come to work at 8:30 am every day, talk with coworkers whenever I get the chance, and then get paid. The work is excellent," said Zhao Jimin, a 55-year-old disabled employee at the workshop.

According to Zhao, before being employed by the workshop on Aug 26, he usually stayed at home alone and always felt unhappy.

"I graduated from Zhejiang Vocational College of Special Education this year. But it was difficult for me to find a good job until I was employed by the workshop. The workload and environment here are suitable for me," said Lin Danlei, a young disabled girl employed by the workshop.

According to Zhong Wangyan, vice chairman of the Zhoushan Disabled Persons' Federation, Zhejiang province issued a policy focusing on the construction and operation of such workshops this year. Zhoushan has been working to implement the policy.

To date, the city has built 25 workshops like this one, with over 460 disabled people soon to be employed.