Guard at 'home' on railway bridge

Yang Youguang has spent 30 years patrolling span to ensure safe passage of trains

Yang Youguang walks to his duty room on the bridge on the Yunnan-Vietnam railway on June 2. The bridge has connected the cliffs for over a century in Pingbian county, Yunnan province. [Photo/Xinhua]
In the Pingbian county section of the Yunnan-Vietnam railway — the first railway built in Yunnan province — there is an iconic bridge that has connected the cliffs for over a century.

Yang Youguang often patrols the bridge, where he has been stationed as a guard for more than 30 years, his skin darkened by constant exposure to scorching sunlight. His wife and a few other colleagues also take turns guarding bridge, helping ensure the safe passage of trains.

Trains running on the bridge must pass through two tunnels. Carrying a flashlight, Yang not only checks the condition of the bridge deck but also needs to have a precise understanding of the situation inside the tunnels. He walks in and out of them, gauging the overall condition of the bridge. He then descends the steep stairs to the bottom of the bridge to inspect its components.

Yang checks the condition of the bridge deck in a tunnel on June 20. [Photo/Xinhua]

When a train comes, Yang stands at the entrance of his duty room, which is about 3 square meters, and records the time the train passes on the bridge.

In between his patrols, Yang stays in his duty room at the head of the bridge, organizing work logs or cleaning up.

In his dormitory room, there are several large, eye-catching characters — "When the bridge exists, so do we." This is the motto he has been practicing for over 30 years.

"I have long regarded the bridge as my own home," Yang said.

Yang stands at the entrance of his duty room on the evening of June 20. [Photo/Xinhua]

Yang cuts firewood in front of his dormitory room while his wife heads to the duty room on June 21. [Photo/Xinhua]