By Ji Jing

Tang Zhenya has worked as a postman of the China Post Laozishan Township Branch for over 20 years. What sets him apart from many of his peers is that he does not only deliver parcels on land， but also on water.

In 1999， Tang became the only postman of the branch located in Huaian， Jiangsu Province. Before him， 11 postmen had left the position at the branch because they could not cope with the hardship or keep up with the scope of the job.

In the past two decades， Tang has traveled over 300，000 km on water to deliver parcels to villagers.

Laozishan is located where the Huaihe River and the Hongze Lake converge， with nearly half of its 18，000-strong population living on fishing and aquaculture. Local residents either inhabit their own boats or live along the shoreline. The longest distance Tang has to travel to reach a village is roughly 20 km.

“As the fishermen live on boats which often change location， its hard to find them. The time and energy consumed to deliver parcels on water is several times those on land. Although its hard， and at times dangerous， I have always followed through，” Tang said during a press conference honoring five exemplary Communist Party of China （CPC） members in the post and express delivery industry， held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee on June 10.

Tang is one of the millions of couriers in China， who has contributed significantly to the countrys development. At the press conference， the couriers were recognized for their contributions， including their efforts in alleviating poverty and fighting against COVID-19.

Messenger on water

Tang is a diligent postal employee. He begins sorting his parcels at 7 a.m. every day. He will deliver parcels to those living on land first and then set out to visit the fishermen on Hongze Lake in the afternoon.

As the boat has no cover of any kind， Tang has to brave the blazing sun in summer and biting winds of winter. Years ago， he even put his own life at risk just to deliver one particular letter.

That happened in July 2003， when he was delivering a university admission notice to a student. Tang rowed the boat all across the lake， but the village teen was nowhere to be found.

It was flood season and when Tang came to the center of the lake， a gust of wind stirred up the water and a huge wave overturned the boat. Tang managed to hold the parcel containing the admission notice up in the air with one hand， all the while clutching onto the boat for dear life with the other. Fortunately， he was saved by a few passing-by fishermen and with their help，finally made his way over to the soon-to-be university students home.