They weather the weather, whatever the weather

Meteorologists in Jilin province endure harsh conditions while working at mountain facility to provide valuable data

Since the Tianchi Meteorological Station was set up in 1958, generations of employees have done their part to produce accurate weather data from Changbai Mountain in Jilin province.

Tianchi is one of China's designated first-class weather stations, and was developed under tough conditions. Its 53-year-old director Jiao Xiangzhao has worked there for 24 years.

After graduating from senior high school in 1989, Jiao found work in a factory in Antu county in the Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture.

In 1995, he decided to continue his studies and was admitted to the Nanjing University of Meteorology in Jiangsu province, which became the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in 2004.

After earning his bachelor's in 1998, he became a meteorological observer at the Songjiang township station in Antu. He shifted to the Tianchi station in June 1999.

"Before me, there were no permanent meteorologists here," he said.

"At certain times of the year, staff would be chosen from different departments of the prefecture's meteorological bureau to come up here to work."