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BEIJING: Buildings and skyscrapers have sprouted all over Beijing city following decades of rapid development.
But years of non-stop construction and growing traffic created so much grime that it threatened to overshadow the city's image.
To help polish up the city, a group of cleaners suspends itself 100 meters above ground to clean the facades of buildings.
Coupled with smog and extreme weather, keeping Beijing squeaky clean can be a daunting task, especially if one's scared of heights.
"There's no special requirement for the job as long as one is healthy and has no fear of heights," supervisor Bu Qingchuan said.
But safety always comes first before boldness.
Workers have to go through a month's course and sit for an exam before they are allowed to hang out here.
"We have to first find the right spots at the top of the building and secure the harnesses before we begin our work.
"We use glass wipers and carry water in a reinforced pail, because normal pails can't take the load at such high levels," Mr Bu said.
It would take six men two hours to clean one column of a 35-level building, and around three days to complete the entire building -- if the weather permits.
"The most difficult part of our job is encountering strong winds. It could blow us away from the building. We stop work if the winds get too strong," Mr Bu said.
The cleaners bore the brunt of the heat when Beijing encountered some of its highest temperatures this summer.
To get around it they started work earlier at 7.30 am and resumed work much later, at 3 pm.
When temperatures plunge to freezing point in winter, they turn to indoor maintenance projects.
Each worker makes US$30 for a day's work, or about US$300 a month on average.
"My expenses aren't high. Moreover, my accommodation and meals are provided for by the company," facade cleaner Zhang Wenshu said.
Urbanisation has raised the standard of living for many. And in the process, some of its migrant workers are also proud to scale new heights, to keep their national capital clean.
-CNA/wk
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