Final heroic trek forged in mud, sweat

Multiple honors

At the station, part of the Chengdu section of China Railway Chengdu Bureau Group, Dang was known as the "comprehensive controller", the nerve center of the operation.

His job was to receive and verify dispatch orders and oversee high-speed train scheduling instructions. Over eight years, he handled more than 10,000 dispatch orders. Not a single one was incorrect. He received multiple honors from the railway bureau for his dedication.

"He always said dispatching isn't like passenger services, where you can apologize for a mistake. A wrong dispatch order puts trains and people in danger," recalled his friend Ma.

His colleagues said that beneath his burly 1.85-meter frame lay a gentle heart.

Once, when he found a passenger's backpack on the platform containing nearly 5,000 yuan in cash, he contacted the owner to return it.

"He was someone who could always empathize with others," said colleague Yang Fang. "When I learned he cut his vacation short to join the relief effort, I wasn't surprised. That was simply who he was."

On July 26, authorities from Hengzhou in Guangxi officially issued a certificate of heroic conduct for Dang.

The certificate reads: "Comrade Dang Xinrui actively engaged in flood-fighting and disaster-relief efforts, carrying supplies on foot to affected residents, and ultimately sacrificed his precious life in the process."