Postie treads perilous path while delivering mail

TAIYUAN－For nearly two decades, a thin, tanned postal worker could often be seen carrying packages along a narrow mountain trail in the Taihang Mountains.

The 10-kilometer-long route, which is between 20 centimeters and 1 meter wide, is known as the "cat road" by locals, meaning that it is so narrow, that only cats could walk on it. However, Zhao Yuefang, a postal worker in Ewu township in Huguan county, Shanxi province, had to walk the route on a daily basis to deliver mail.

In 1996, the then 23-year-old Zhao got the job to be a postal worker, responsible for deliveries to people in the 18 villages of mountainous Ewu township.

Every day at the crack of dawn, he would start his journey along the "cat road", which first took him down the mountain to the post office in Qiaoshang township to pick up the day's post, before returning along the same route to Ewu post office to sort the mail before delivering it to villagers.

It took Zhao four days to reach all the villages. During rainy and snowy seasons, he always returned home late at night as the mountain road, part of which hugs the cliffs, would become slippery and dangerous.

One day in the winter of 2003, the "cat road" was covered in thick snow and Zhao slipped off a narrow section of the road.

Fortunately, he was able to stop his dangerous descent by grabbing a nearby tree branch and was slowly able to climb to safety.

Born and raised in the deep mountains, Zhao understands the importance of mail deliveries to villagers. "They depend on the mail to keep in touch with the outside world," he said.

"They would get excited to receive letters, parcels and newspapers and some of the villagers offered me noodles or water to express their gratitude. Those moments made me really happy," he added.

Over the past 26 years, Zhao has walked more than 300,000 km and delivered over 800,000 pieces of mail.

In the summer of 2012, a section of a 67-km-long tourist highway was built connecting Qiaoshang township and Ewu township.

The development meant that Zhao no longer needed to walk down the hill along "cat road" since the county mail car could now reach Ewu post office via the new highway. The postal department also gave Zhao a new delivery vehicle－a motorcycle.

Last year, Ewu and Qiaoshang were officially merged into one township. The area's spectacular mountain scenery has attracted many tourists, and local villagers have taken the opportunity to earn their fortunes from them. The old "cat road" has now become an attraction for hikers.

But Zhao is even busier than before.

"The number of packages I handle daily now exceeds the number I used to deal with in a whole month in the past," said Zhao, adding that villagers are turning to online shopping and ordering more and more goods by post.

In 2015, Zhao was honored as a National Model Worker for his persistence in delivering mail under difficult conditions.

Loading up his motorcycle with packages, Zhao gets ready to hit the road again. "The villagers are counting on me. I will deliver their mail promptly," he said.

Xinhua