A Chongqing migrant is satisfied with his new job in Shenzhen -- as a walking advertisement.

Li Guochun, 41, used to make a meagre living by carrying stones on his back. Now he can earn a monthly 1,000 yuan (US$250) by carrying a seven-kilogram advertising board strolling the streets around Coco Park in Futian District.

"Compared with my last job of transporting between 20 and 30 tons of stones each day, this one is more leisurely and pleasing," Li, who took his new job last week, said yesterday.

The rectangular board, with a poster of a bearded foreigner on each side, is advertising a newly opened wine shop in the Coco Park area.

Zhang Tianlan, in charge of the wine shop, said the walking advertisement was an idea from her French boss, the shop owner.

"People began to hire board-carrying advertisers to walk the streets in my home country some 40 years ago," Francois Baland explained.

"Business is not so good as only about half the shops in Coco Park are open and I wanted to draw people's attention."

Baland was also happy about offering the job to a migrant. "It's gonna be a long-term job. I will possibly hire two more people to do it next year if the advertising proves successful."

Two women came to apply for the job when the wine shop first spread the word of the vacancy.

Baland thought it would not be good for a woman to come under such exposure in the streets. Then one of the women surnamed Xu, Li's sister-in-law, recommended him for the job.

"He was carrying stones in Jiangsu Province at the time," Xu said. "He is a professional packhorse."

Editor: Donald