Beyond the call of duty: Gansu's forest rangers on patrol

"Due to road congestion, if rangers want to go to the farthest villages in our jurisdiction, such as Majiaping and Jianpingshan, for patrols, they have to walk 30 to 40 kilometers on mountain roads, climb four mountains, and cross more than 10 rivers," Hao said.

"Each patrol takes three to four days, and this kind of remote mountain patrol tests people's perseverance and courage the most. The key is people must be able to endure loneliness."

When Hao returns from his patrol every day, he writes down the inspection results in the patrol log, recording his love for mountains and forests.

Due to his excellent performance, Hao was selected as Gansu's most beautiful forest ranger last December.

Wang Quangang, 37, passed the provincial unified recruitment exams and became a forest ranger after graduating from university in 2012.

"This kind of loneliness is unbearable for most people, and more than 50 percent of the people who became forest rangers with me have quit," he said.

Wang admitted he also had been struggling between quitting and not quitting for a long time. However, after struggling for several years, he gradually developed a fondness for the job.