Mailman becomes a national hero
By Shixi (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-02-14 15:25

Last December, Shi Jin, a journalist with Liangshan Daily, accompanied Wang on a delivery trip. "Fifteen years of news reporting have left me many memories and the trip with Wang is the most unforgettable," Shi Jin later said.

On December 1, when Wang and Shi set their feet on the mail road, they first had to climb a mountain.

"I was completely out of breath and my head and legs ached after only a short distance into the climb. It's not too much having to combat the mountain sickness. But it was very difficult to climb physically, as there was no path, meaning we had to bank on the footprint of the mule to thread our way on the cliff. It's hard to imagine how he has carried on for 20 years," Shi said.

In the winter of 1995, an accident nearly killed Wang and left him an indelible scar. The cackle of a pheasant scared Wang's mule and the mule kicked him in the stomach. Wang fell on to ground and a blast of pain swept over him. The pain crippled his body but his mind was still clear. Moments later he struggled to stand up and hobbled his way to the next stop.

Nine days later, he stumbled back to town, and was sent to see the doctor. Stomach hemorrhage was found and the doctor operated on him immediately.

"On the operating table, I thought about my dear compatriots waiting for their mailman to bring them good news; my children, one 7 and the other 5, waiting for their daddy to play with them; and my wife waiting for her husband to help shoulder the heavy burden. So, I just couldn’t die," Wang said.

"Finally I made it!" There was a bittersweet look on Wang's face when he recalled this narrow escape.

A villager serves Wang a cup of tea.

Wang's deed and story has sent many people into tears and he was named one of 10 people who have moved China. But this honorific title hasn’t made Wang into a different mailman. He still sings on his way to deliver mail on the same mail routes, and his melodious songs vanish into the mist of the valley as he moves on.