Reporter's notes: Riding with the 'green avenger'

To see firsthand how the Xinxiang Environmental Protection Volunteers operate, Tian Guirong asked me to go with her to carry out "secret tests" at a small chemical plant in the suburbs of Xinxiang, her native city in Henan province.

Funds are too tight for the group to buy a car, and the volunteers often have to hitchhike around the city to be able to carry out their routine surveys on polluting factories. On this occasion, Tian and I were given a ride in her friend's car.

After being dropped off in a small village, we walked through winding alleys and along farmland paths until we reached the backyard of the plant.