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