Cui Tuo became an immigration officer in 2008. The native of the northern port city of Tianjin mainly checks the travel documents of inbound passengers.

At one time, the 35-year-old wanted to assist with the battle against illegal drugs as she admires those who fight crime firsthand, and at first, she found her work in the immigration service was totally different from what she had expected.

"In the first two years, I could not get used to the work of checking documents and stamping them, until one day I found a stowaway. I discovered that the battleground in the fight against illegal activity can be found anywhere, so I became determined to improve my skills and achieve something in my work," she said.

Before the COVID-19 outbreak last year, she dealt with the entry procedures of about 60,000 passengers and made very few errors.

She practiced hard to ensure that the speed and accuracy of her handling of such procedures were the best among members of her team.

In March last year, when the epidemic was at its most severe, Cui worked in a special zone at the Beijing Capital International Airport, where inbound passengers are processed. She left her 6-year-old daughter in the care of her parents in Tianjin.

"My husband is also an immigration officer in Beijing, so we didn't see our daughter for two months due to the pressure of work. During our work, we had to ask the passengers to remove their masks to ensure that the documents belonged to them, and that was a dangerous procedure because the virus can spread through the air. Every day before I left work, I washed myself from head to foot twice to avoid bringing anything unsafe home," she said.

"The reason I have stuck with this job for such a long time is that I love my work. Over the past 13 years, I have become accustomed to getting up at 3 am and preparing for work, and saying 'Hello. Welcome home' to passengers. Sometimes, scenes of document verification procedures appeared in my dreams," she said.

"The job is a combination of pain and joy, but I want to appreciate the work because it makes me realize my shortcomings and gives me the chance to improve."