Long Xiaoshan, a woman with mobility disabilities, loves her remote job. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

For Long Xiaoqin, a woman with mobility disability in Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture — located in Central China's Hubei province — life has changed dramatically.

Each day she logs in remotely to a job with a company based in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province — earning over 3,000 yuan ($418) a month with social security benefits — something she once thought impossible.

Her opportunity came through East Creates, West Employs — a model launched in 2019 by disabled entrepreneur Zhan Jinping in Hangzhou. It links eastern China's job markets with employment for disabled people in the western regions, especially those with severe disabilities who can't leave home.

The program began with handicrafts such as jewelry and weaving, but it has since expanded into digital roles like data labeling, content reviews, new media operations and e-commerce livestreaming.

To date, it has organized over 200 training sessions — reaching nearly 10,000 disabled people — and helped more than 20 severely disabled workers secure stable online jobs with monthly incomes of 2,000–4,000 yuan.

Zhan stresses the model's sustainability: Companies gain trained remote workers while fulfilling their social responsibility and receiving tax incentives, while disabled workers earn income and dignity.

Employers' concerns about efficiency are addressed through unified training, monitoring and the principle of equal pay for equal work.

Recognized as one of the Best Global Poverty Reduction Efforts in 2023, the model is now supported by local governments. In Hangzhou's Gongshu district, pilot projects are pushing for a transition from traditional handicrafts to higher-value digital jobs, ensuring that "work is brought to the doorstep" of more disabled people.

As Zhan puts it: "It's not one-sided assistance. The eastern market and western labor resources form a win-win collaboration.

"Our goal is to ensure more disabled people truly feel a sense of gain," he adds.

A display of bracelets made by hand by people with disabilities. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]