STORY: Maintenance workers safeguard power supply in China's Changbai Mountains
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 6, 2024
DATELINE: Feb. 10, 2024
LENGTH: 0:01:30
LOCATION: CHANGCHUN, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY 

SHOTLIST:
1. various of maintenance workers
2. SOUNDBITE 1-3 (Chinese): ZOU WEIHUA, Head of maintenance team with the Shenyang Railway Bureau
3. various of maintenance workers

STORYLINE:

A team of maintenance workers has braved heavy snow and freezing temperatures to safeguard
the power transmission lines in the deep Changbai Mountains, northeast China.

Led by 43-year-old Zou Weihua, the team consists of 10 members.

Their maintenance work is crucial to stable power supply for four stations on the two railway lines in the area.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZOU WEIHUA, Head of maintenance team with the Shenyang Railway Bureau
"There are over 170 kilometers of power lines in our work zone, mainly in the forest areas with complex terrains, where is quite hard for vehicles to reach. So we need to complete the inspection tour on foot. The routine inspection is carried out every quarter. However, the frequency of inspections will be increased due to harsh weather conditions and holidays."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZOU WEIHUA, Head of maintenance team with the Shenyang Railway Bureau
"It has snowed heavily this winter. The heavy snow on the power lines could lead to power outages. Therefore, after every snowfall, we must conduct inspections to deal with various problems timely to ensure the normal operation of the equipment. Once the power supply was interrupted, it would affect the traffic signal equipment of the railway, causing safety issues for the transportation."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZOU WEIHUA, Head of maintenance team with the Shenyang Railway Bureau
"My hope for the Chinese New Year is very simple, just wishing all the best for my family and our equipment."

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