Hard travel, hard work

Source: CCTV.com | 01-29-2008 09:16

Despite the bad weather, millions of people around the country are struggling to get home for the Spring Festival. For many others, though, this time of traditional family reunion is actually a time for more work.

Guangzhou Railway Station is one of China's busiest. Now, the cold weather has made it the most crowded. 150,000 people have been delayed here in the last two days.

Chen Shufen works in this hot spot as a guide. She answers hundreds of enquiries on a normal day, but at a special time like this, that number can reach thousands.

Chen Shufen, guide of Guangzhou Railway Station, said, "Me and my colleagues haven't gone home lately. Many of them are sick. But we must put passengers' needs first. This is the basic requirement of my job."

She doesn't drink water, despite her sore throat, because she wants to avoid the huge queue for the toilet.

Things are even tougher for the people working in the square in front of the station. These guides walk and run so much that they wear out a pair of socks every day. Their job is simple but difficult, telling people that it's time to get on their train in a huge crowd like this.

At the same time, electricity suppliers are trying to make sure energy needs are met.

60 workers in the southwest China built a new power transmitting tower in two days, to keep operations running at a nearby railway station. They carried more than 20 tons of materials onto the mountain top bare-handed.

In many places around China, police are also working around the clock to prevent traffic accidents caused by the snow.

Editor:Zhang Ning