In a reform last year, about 100,000 soldiers of the People's Armed Police Border Defense Corps transferred from military to civil service, and this included Li and his coworkers.

It was the first Spring Festival after demilitarization, with Li and his colleagues performing the same responsibilities as they did before－administrating border public security and performing border inspections and surveillance.

Li's colleague Guo Rui, also a native of Qujing, had chosen to stay at work during this Spring Festival.

"The daily holiday peak of entries and exits will reach 20,000," the 25-year-old said.

"I have to lead patrols on railway and freeway bridges in the border vicinity. It is normal to have patrol duties during Spring Festival."

Guo joined the military at the age of 18 in 2011. She used to be a platoon commander leading male soldiers.

Three years ago, she started work at the Hekou border immigration inspection station.

As a policewoman guarding the border, Guo is tough and strong, but as a 25-year-old, she sometimes cries herself to sleep after calling her parents at night.

"I cried for three hours once. ... But I had to hold my tears and told my parents not to worry about me and I was good ... and I woke up the next morning, wiped my tears, and patrolled again," she said.

"I am very grateful that my parents have been very supportive of my work."

Talking about romantic relationships, Guo joked that she has a 24-hour "boyfriend" on standby－h(huán)er walkie-talkie.

"When the walkie-talkie is on, I have to rush to the site like an obedient 'girlfriend'," she said.

Hekou's weather is hot and dry all year, mostly above 30 C or even 40 C, giving Li, Guo, and their coworkers a harder time.

In recent years, the number of people entering and exiting from the Hekou inspection center has risen dramatically.

Hekou is a traffic hub connecting to Vietnam, and it has witnessed booming border trade with the country.

According to an earlier estimate from the Yunnan General Station of Immigration Inspection, 16,000 trips are expected to be made across the border through Hekou every day this year.