Sun Yingxiang: Lone forest ranger in southeast Yunnan

Just like in a family, each member has to play a due role

When night falls, darkness seems to be devouring everything in the mountain. The YTVFCS was lit up the instant Sun started the petrol-driven generator, and the light spilling from the cottage is the only beam in the deep mountain.

“I used to light candles at night, and I cannot recall how many I have used up,” Sun said. There was no power supply in the station for long, but now he no longer needs candles for a small generator has been equipped. Moreover, he can watch TV in the mountain, opening his eyes to the outside world.

At first, the only way for Sun to get food like grains and vegetables then was to walk to a fair 20 kilometers away. Later, Sun began to grow different vegetables around his cottage and raise cows, sheep, chickens and bees. 

“Forest rangers like me, whose income is low, can improve the life quality and balance the household expenditures by raising some livestock and growing some vegetables.” Sun said pleasantly.

Apart from the poor living conditions, loneliness is another challenge for forest rangers. More than 140 kilometers away from the Shizong county seat, the YTVFCS is far-flung in the forest. It takes locals a four-hour drive on a bumpy mountain road to reach there. It is hard to have someone to talk with.

During the years, Sun has nurtured a deep affection to the trees and grass in the forest, and it was his greatest pastime to watch the lush trees and chirping birds. “I traveled around the mountains when I felt lonely,” said Sun. “And seeing the verdant, beautiful plants, I had nothing to lament.”

When asked the reason behind his decade-long persistence, Sun said after some consideration. “The country resembles an ordinary family, and each member has to play a due role, big or small,” Sun said, adding that “There will be no firewood if no one is willing to go to the forest; and there will be no food if no one is willing to plough the farm.”

Sun almost forgets the exact home location in the town 

The family reunion for Sun is less possible through a year. Sun takes care of trees in the mountains, while Sun’s wife Zhou Fenxiang looks after their two children in the Shizong town. Besides, he is the only person working in the station, so he could by no means leave, even for the Spring Festival. 

Sun confided that once he could have almost forgotten his home address if he had not been informed by others. In the early spring now, Sun said he has to work even harder in the fire-frequenting season, and his wife has sometimes come to the station and cooked for him. He is quite tired after work. 

Being the wife of “a wild man” is not easy for Zhou, and sometimes she feels unfair and upset when they are apart. Knowing Sun’s work is full of risks, Zhou is often anxious about her husband. She has tried to persuade Sun to quit, as Zhou was haunted by a terrible day when he was hit on the feet by a falling rock and no one came to his rescue. 

But still, Sun is not willing to leave the forest. He firmly believes that: “If one has chosen to do something, he has to try his best and go through with it.” Otherwise, he should quit. In the wake of the interview, Sun picked up his tools and set out for another round of patrol. His figure faded away in the forest.

Reporting by Luo Chunming and Pan Yue (Xinhua); trans-editing by He Lin and Wang Shixue