STORY: Guardian of railway station at Changbai Mountain in NE China
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Feb. 4, 2024
LENGTH: 0:02:34
LOCATION: CHANGCHUN, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Changbai Mountain area
2. various of the Laoyeling Railway Station
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): FAN ZENGZHI, Station master of Laoyeling Railway Station
4. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): FAN ZENGZHI, Station master of Laoyeling Railway Station
5. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): FAN ZENGZHI, Station master of Laoyeling Railway Station
6. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): FAN ZENGZHI, Station master of Laoyeling Railway Station

STORYLINE:

Laoyeling Railway Station is a small station located in the Changbai Mountain area in northeast China's Jilin Province. 
   
50-year-old Fan Zengzhi is the station master here. Since 2014, he has been working at this remote station under harsh natural conditions.
   
SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): FAN ZENGZHI, Station master of Laoyeling Railway Station
"Our station is in a mountainous area. The climate here is different from other places. The winter lasts about half a year. It is extremely cold and snows almost every day (in winter)."

Commuting is very difficult for workers at the station. They usually need to take a bus from the city to reach a nearby bus station and then walk in the snow for another 5 kilometers.
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): FAN ZENGZHI, Station master of Laoyeling Railway Station
"When it snows, it is very difficult to get here on foot, especially in knee-deep snow. Our station is in the mountains and the condition is very difficult, but it is the responsibility of us railway workers to stay on duty."

At Laoyeling Railway Station, the daily work can be simple and complicated at the same time. In the morning, Fan inspects each part of the station. When the snow is heavy, he will carry a wind-powered snow plow and work with his colleagues to quickly remove the snow to ensure the safety of railway transportation.
   
SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): FAN ZENGZHI, Station master of Laoyeling Railway Station
"Our inspection and maintenance work covers only about 100 meters along the railway. But that takes us over half an hour to work outside to remove the snow. Though the snow is usually heavy, we always have an optimistic attitude and have no complaints."

During the Spring Festival travel rush, more than 30 trains pass through Laoyeling Railway Station every day. 

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): FAN ZENGZHI, Station master of Laoyeling Railway Station
"We have received proper training ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush to ensure passengers' safety."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Changchun, China.
(XHTV)