Qin Shuilian on her patrol.
A few days ago, news that Typhoon "Utor" was approaching Liuzhou kept Qin Shuilian up at night. As a volunteer mountain patroller in Yuanyuan Community, Liuzhou, she grows anxious whenever severe weather hits, especially about the safety of nearby hillsides.
Patrolling the mountains every two days
Qin Shuilian, 55, is a resident of Yuanbao New Village on Baiyun Road in Liuzhou, living right at the foot of Yuanbao Mountain. Five years ago, after retiring from an enterprise, she could have started enjoying a leisurely life—until community workers came to her door and said, “You know Yuanbao Mountain well. Please help keep an eye out for any potential geological hazards and let us know if you spot anything.”
Yuanyuan Community is located in the urban-rural fringe along Baiyun Road, where Jiutou Mountain and Yuanbao Mountain within its jurisdiction are both prone to hazardous rocky landslides. The community has always taken disaster prevention and relief very seriously. Always enthusiastic about community affairs, Qin Shuilian readily agreed. Thus, beginning in 2009, she became a volunteer mountain patroller.
Yuanbao Mountain once experienced a geological disaster in 2007. Today, many residents live both at the foot and halfway up the mountain. Relevant departments pay close attention to the area’s geological safety, and Qin Shuilian understands full well how important the role of a patroller is.
Since taking on the role, in order to monitor the mountain conditions more closely, Qin Shuilian heads up the mountain to patrol roughly every two days to check whether rocks halfway up the slope are loose or whether trees behind residents’ homes are secure.
Yuanbao Mountain has no designated hiking trails, so Qin Shuilian can only make her way along overgrown paths tangled with weeds and brambles. A full circle around the mountainside takes her nearly an hour each time. Though the terrain is rugged, she says she knows the paths well and has never had a fall. The only downside is that the rough trails wear out her shoes—each year, her specially bought thick rubber boots are ruined.
Going door-to-door with warnings
In addition to patrolling the mountain, whenever severe weather is forecast, Qin Shuilian visits households in advance to give warnings. “There’s going to be fierce wind and rain today. Keep an eye out at night—if you hear anything strange, get up and take a look.”
On the evening of August 15, worried about the fierce winds and heavy rain from Typhoon "Utor", Qin Shuilian went around reminding residents about safety precautions. She set out from home at 7 p.m. and finished visiting over 100 households by almost 10 p.m.
Patrolling the mountains to check for hazards and going door-to-door to remind residents about safety are just part of Qin Shuilian’s daily routine. When severe weather suddenly strikes, she must rush up the mountain even more urgently.
Only after eliminating dangers can she sleep peacefully
Every year during the transition between spring and summer, Qin Shuilian doesn’t sleep well. “The rains come suddenly and heavily during that season, often in the middle of the night. That’s when I worry the most.”
Qin Shuilian herself can’t remember exactly how many nights over the past four years she has gotten out of bed, grabbed a hoe, and headed up the mountain in the rain to clear drainage channels. To better inspect conditions at night, she also bought a professional flashlight so she can see farther and brighter.
When sudden downpours strike, landslides and poor drainage can both lead to serious consequences. Only after resolving these emergencies can Qin Shuilian sleep peacefully. “I promised the community I’d do this job well—no amount of wind or rain can stop me.”
Whenever Qin Shuilian goes up the mountain late at night, almost everyone in the village is already fast asleep. She often walks alone through the hills. One day in May this year, around 3 or 4 a.m., thunder roared and rain poured down violently. While on patrol, a bolt of lightning struck near her, frightening her badly. Now, she’s especially cautious—during thunderstorms, she avoids climbing to high ground.
What brings Qin Shuilian comfort is that, over the years, with relevant departments stepping up vegetation protection on the mountains, Yuanbao Mountain hasn’t had any major safety hazards. And like Qin Shuilian, many residents have also joined the community’s disaster prevention and relief volunteer service team.