TAIYUAN, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- For about two decades, a thin and tanned postman was often seen carrying packages, walking along a narrow mountain trail in the Taihang Mountains.
The 10-km-long mountain route, with a width of 20 cm to 1 meter, was called the "cat road" by locals, meaning it was so narrow that only cats could walk on it. However, Zhao Yuefang, a postman in Ewu Township, Huguan County, north China's Shanxi Province, had to walk along this route on a daily basis to deliver mail.
In 1996, 23-year-old Zhao got the job as a postman, responsible for delivering letters, packages, and newspapers to people in the 18 villages of the mountainous Ewu Township.
Every day at the crack of dawn, he would start his journey on the "cat road" which took him down the mountain to the post office in Qiaoshang Township to pick up the latest newspapers and letters. He then went back along the same route to the Ewu post office to sort the mails before delivering them to local villagers.
It would take Zhao four days to reach all the villages. In rainy and snowy seasons, he always got home late at night when the mountain road, part of which hugs a cliff on one side, became slippery and dangerous.
One day in the winter of 2003, the "cat road" was covered with thick snow and Zhao found himself sliding dangerously on a narrow section of the road. Fortunately, he was able to stop his slide by grabbing a branch on a big tree and then slowly managed to climb to safety.
Born and raised in the deep mountains, Zhao understands the significance of the mail delivery for villagers. "They depend on the mail to keep in touch with the outside world," he said.
"They were excited receiving letters, parcels and newspapers and some of the villagers would offer me noodles and water to express their gratitude. I was so happy at those moments," he added.
In the past 26 years, Zhao has walked more than 300,000 km and delivered over 800,000 pieces of mail.
In the summer of 2012, a section of a 67-km-long tourist highway was built and put into operation, connecting Qiaoshang Township and Ewu Township.
This development meant Zhao no longer needed to go down the hill along the narrow "cat road" since the mail car from the county seat could now arrive at the Ewu post office via the highway. The local postal department also equipped Zhao with a new delivery vehicle -- a motorcycle.
In 2021, Ewu and Qiaoshang were officially merged into one township. The spectacular mountain scenery in the area attracted a lot of tourists, and many local villagers took the opportunity to earn their fortunes from tourism. The "cat road" has become a tourist attraction for some hikers.
Zhao is even busier than before.
"The number of packages I handle daily now exceeds the number I dealt with in a whole month in the past," said Zhao, adding that the villagers are turning to online shopping and the mailed products are becoming more and more diversified.
In 2015, Zhao was honored a National Model Worker for his persistence in delivering mail under difficult conditions.
Loading up his motorcycle with piles of packages, Zhao is about to hit the road again. "The villagers are counting on me. I will deliver the mail promptly," he said. ■
