During the years from 1985 to 2017, Wang Shouqiu had walked over 300,000 kilometers in the mountainous areas of Wanbailin district in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, carrying letters, newspapers and parcels on his back.

Wang, 54, a postman in Taiyuan, spent six days every week delivering on foot mail to 25 villages and two coal mines, covering an area of 138 square kilometers. In 2017, a delivery car was finally assigned to him.

Whether it was sunny, snowy or rainy, dressed in a green working suit and carrying a bag of over 25 kilograms, he started his work at 8 am and usually returned home at around 8 pm.

It was common to see him covered in mud on rainy days, and in sand on sunny days.

"I had to always watch out for the sudden appearance of wild boars and dogs on my route," he said. "During the rainy and snowy days, I had to cover my bag with plastic cloth to prevent the mail from getting wet."

Over the past 36 years, he has delivered over 600,000 pieces of mail without any mistakes.

In August 2017, China Post Taiyuan Group assigned a post car to solve Wang's difficulties of delivery in the rural areas.

"The car helped me save lots of time," he said. "My work could be finished before 2 pm, which was unimaginable before."

Wang's dedication earned him lots of honors, including the May 1 Labor Medal, the National Model Worker and the Shanxi Provincial Model Worker awards.

However, due to some health problems, Wang was assigned to work in the post office instead of delivering mail around his district since February 2020.

"Someone needs to continue my work," he said. "At that time, my son was in his last year in the university. Then we made a decision that my son would take my position after graduation to serve over 10,000 residents in the areas."

"I had followed my father several times when I was a young boy and I experienced the laboriousness of his work," said Wang Yuntian, Wang Shouqiu's son. "Now the condition has changed a lot."

"Since my childhood, my father has been my role model," he said. "I will follow his way and will work just as hard like him."