When people talk about “starting from scratch”, most of us probably think of building a career or saving slowly over time. But for one man in China, it was quite literal, as he was carrying bricks every single day.
And now? He’s a millionaire with RM1.2 million in savings, a new house and a new car to show for it.
Worked from dawn to dusk for nine straight years
This man with the surname He, born in 1990 and hailing from Sichuan, China, recently went viral for his incredible rags-to-riches story.
According to his interview with Haibao News, he worked on construction sites in places like Fujian and Zhuhai for nearly a decade, hauling bricks up to six floors using only a cloth strap on his back.
Just as all the other construction workers, his job was manually carrying bricks, building walls, and laying cement, often from 5am until 10pm, with just a simple lunch break sitting on the ground.
But it wasn’t just the hours that were intense — it was also the consistency. Rain or shine, day after day, year after year.
Mr. He openly shared in the interview that although construction work is tough, the income matches the effort. He recalled that when he first started, his monthly salary was only 3,000 yuan (approx. RM1800).
However, by constantly improving his skills and efficiency, his income steadily increased year after year. In 2024, he even hit a personal record of earning 60,000 yuan in a single month.
Eventually, his daily pay rose to over 1,000 yuan (approx. RM600), and his brick-carrying skills became so honed that he could lift over 2,000 bricks a day.
Mr. He still keeps a “construction ledger” on his phone, meticulously recording his daily working hours, number of bricks carried, and earnings.
Over the past nine years, he has hauled over 3 million bricks, averaging nearly 1,000 bricks per day, and laid more than 20,000 square meters of wall, which is roughly equivalent to three standard football fields.
Hustle after heartbreak
In 2017, He went through a divorce. His daughter stayed with his ex-wife, while his young son remained with him. Instead of falling into despair, he threw himself even deeper into work.
Colleagues often saw him at the site before sunrise, only stopping when the sky went dark. His hard work quickly earned him a solid reputation, especially in a labour market dominated by older men in their 50s.
By his second year, he also picked up bricklaying, which boosted his income even more. At one point, he was earning up to RM544 a day, all from physical labour alone.
“Others have it, I want it too”
He admitted it wasn’t easy, but said what kept him going was his desire to give his family a better life.
Young people like me have this feeling of not wanting to be left behind. If others have it, I want it too. So I worked like mad to earn money.”
With his hard work and effort not to smoke and drink alcohol, he managed to save 2 million yuan (approx. RM1.2 million). He used it to build a new home in his hometown (approx. RM544K) and even bought himself a brand-new car (approx. RM362K).
Wouldn’t recommend others to do the same
But all this came at a price. Years of back-breaking labour left him with chronic lumbar muscle strain, and he admitted that while his story is inspirational, it’s not a path he’d recommend to others.
I really went all out compared to my peers. But I don’t think this kind of extreme effort is something others should copy. Everyone’s situation is different.”
He also shared that he envies the more exciting lives of other millennials and Gen Z, but says for now, all he can do is keep grinding, one step at a time.
His story has since gone viral on Chinese social media, with many netizens calling it a true story of resilience and determination.
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