Guizhou postman devoted to countryside for 35 years

Zhang (R) delivers a package to a villager. [Photo/ddcpc website]

Zhang Linchang, a 58-year-old postman, has been delivering mail in Hekou township in Southwest China's Guizhou province for 35 years.

Hekou township is located in Jinping town in the southeastern part of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture. The township is surrounded by mountains, making it hard to travel between villages. No postman had served there for more than three years.

Zhang chose to deliver mail in his hometown of Hekou township after retiring from military service, despite dissuasion from other people.

"No one else will deliver mail on the township's postal route," Zhang said.

At first, Hekou received little mail and had no fixed post office. After sorting the mail, Zhang would carry more than 15 kilograms of parcels with a shoulder pole and deliver the mail from house to house.

Zhang mingles with local villagers while delivering mail. [Photo/ddcpc website]

The postal route is more than 90 kilometers and connects three towns and 23 villages. A single trip usually takes three to four days by foot.

In 2010, Zhang bought a motorbike with his National Model Worker bonus, but still kept his shoulder pole to deliver mail in some mountainous areas.

Zhang said he is honored to deliver packages sent by migrant workers to their families. He enjoys helping them send love and care to their relatives.

In recent years, with the construction of more countryside roads and the emergence of e-commerce, the amount of mail in Hekou has been growing year by year. To handle the mail service, a post office was set in Hekou and became a temporary home for Zhang.

Zhang said that the job connects him with local villages and he will keep doing the job until he can no longer walk.