Mailman braves mountain roads year-round to serve residents

In return, some treat him like one of the family, he says. Luo Wangshu reports from Beijing with Feng Zhiwei in Changsha.

Yang Zhengui's daily job involves riding a motorcycle along winding roads on Hengshan Mountain, one of China's five famous mountains.

Unlike most motorcyclists, who wear a leather jacket and helmet, Yang sets out on the road every day clad just in his green uniform and carrying a bag of mail, newspapers and packages.

The 59-year-old is a mailman on Hengshan Mountain, in Hengyang of Hunan province, whose main peak, Zhurong Peak, rises over 1,300 meters above sea level.

Because of the unique climate and terrain, the mountain is shrouded year-round in clouds and mist. Riding a motorcycle along the winding mountain roads is like driving between the clouds, so the local people call Yang the "messenger through the clouds".

His face is tanned, because the job requires him to ride the motorcycle at least 5 hours a day, and he speaks in a loud voice, so the area residents will know when he has arrived.

Yang really enjoys his work.

"Some customers treat me like one of their family members. They wait for me outside their houses and always ask me to come in to take a break. They chat with me and offer me some refreshments," he said.

Yang started the job in 2007, and over 16 years, he has traveled more than 400,000 km, wearing out four motorcycles along the way. He is now on his fifth motorcycle.

Yang is responsible for bringing mail, parcels and newspapers to nearly 10,000 residents in six villages scattered across the mountain.

His route is about 100 km a day, and his mailbag weighs 30 to 60 kilos.

In recent years, since the development of the Internet and technology, the number of letters has drastically declined.

"People are more likely to phone or text," he said.

"Some older people still subscribe to print editions of newspapers, but the number is down," he said, adding that when he started, he delivered newspapers to about 60 families, but the number has now fallen to about 30.

"When the older generation passes away, the younger people usually stop subscribing to the print editions. They are more inclined to browse the news online," he said.

He also delivers newspapers to government departments and schools in the region.

Yang has three main routes to cover, all in the mountainous region.

In the morning, he collects mail, newspapers and parcels at the post office in town and sets out on his motorcycle for the deliveries.

"I usually leave the post office at about 8:40 in the morning and return to the station at 11:40, if the weather is good," he said, adding that he resumes making deliveries from about 2:30 to 5 pm.

But a lot of the time, especially in the first half of the year, the weather is not good. Snow and rain slow him down. And when the weather is bad, the morning trip sometimes takes him up to five hours.

"When it rains too hard, I have to stop. When the road is wet, it's slippery, and I have to be very careful," he said.

Despite his caution, Yang has had some accidents. In one of them, he broke an arm.

Sometimes, when the weather is too bad, he makes his deliveries on foot, like when he started.

When Yang began as a mailman in 2007, there was no hard road on the mountain. So he had to walk to make the deliveries.

His brother and father were mailmen in the region, and Yang used to be a carpenter. When his father passed away, he took over the route so the service continued.

"Now there are hard roads everywhere," he said.

China's road network has extended to 5.35 million km as of last year, according to the Ministry of Transport, and Yang witnessed some of the development.

"I like being a mailman. It's a stable job," he said, adding that as a carpenter, he had to look for business, but as a mailman, he has several kilos of mail, newspapers and parcels waiting for him each morning.

Yang also enjoys talking with the people on his route, and he always chats with them when he makes a delivery.

As online shopping has caught on, some residents have bought products online. But parcel stations have not yet been set up in the villages Yang serves, so he sometimes helps pick up parcels in the town for villagers and brings them to their doorstep.

Eighty-year-old Cao Yunxiang, a now-retired Chinese literature teacher at a local vocational school, subscribes to several newspapers and is one of Yang's regular customers.

He looks forward to the mailman's arrival every day.

"Yang is very responsible. If I have any after-sales problem, he takes care of it," Cao said.

Cao's wife also spoke highly of Yang.

"The slope in front of our house is steep and long. Whenever it rains or snows, motorcycles can't get down to us at all. Yang always walks to deliver the mail," she said.

Yang will turn 60 in August, when he is about to retire.

"I am too old for this. Sometimes it's pretty dangerous when the weather is bad," he said.

He plans to take care of his grandson after retirement.

China's postal service development has improved. As of last year, post offices have been established in all towns, and postal service is offered in every village, according to the State Post Bureau of China.

Yang is a witness to and participant in that accomplishment.

Zhu Youfang contributed to this story.