I have become addicted to work

Sun Jianji, 37, has worked as a crime scene investigator for a public security body in Anxi county in Quanzhou city in Southwest China's Fujian province, for 13 years.

Toilet water - eau de cologne - is my "work essential" because my son always says I smell bad after an autopsy, even though I take a shower as soon as I return home.

Examining bodies is my job, hugging my child is my joy. Both are indispensable tome. The support of my family is a great motivation during my busywork schedule, so I have become accustomed to carrying toilet water as my perfume.

Grassroots public security departments such as mine have a heavy workload. We have three crime scene investigators, and each has to handle more than 300 autopsies every year.

We have to go to crime scenes as quickly as possible after a report is filed, irrespective of the time of day or night. It's hard to find time for a two day weekend, let alone a full vacation.

Forensic medicine was not my dream major. Instead, I was assigned to that faculty during college recruitment. However, I find I have become addicted to it as I have realized its importance in investigations.

In 2010, residents of Jiandou, a township in Anxi, reported they had found a female body on the street. Initially, the crime scene investigator on duty thought the woman had died of natural causes.

When I arrived, I realized several ribs had been seriously damaged, so I quickly informed the woman's family and brought the body to my workplace for an autopsy.

We later proved that woman had died as a result of a hit-and-run accident. Three days later, we found some witnesses and the case was solved.

Great care is required in this job because it relates to why and how another human being died. A well-conducted autopsy shows respect for the dead person, and is often a source of comfort for the family.

In 2010, I started a real-name micro-blogging account, and now I have more than 40,000 followers.

There aren't enough crime scene investigators in rural areas, so I hope my micro blog will reduce people's confusion about identifying injuries and help the public to understand more about my work.

It's not a mysterious job; what I do is use my knowledge and skills to discover the truths behind people's deaths.

Sun Jianji spoke with Cao Yin

(China Daily 08/11/2016 page12)