Zhao Shibin greets students who wait to board a boat in Huangdong Yao Township of Hezhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, May 13, 2021. Waiting by the river has been the daily routine of Zhao Shibin for the past 19 years. Zhao, 61, is a ferryman from Huangdong Yao Township in the city of Hezhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Separated by the Huangdong River, locals who live in the east bank can only be ferried to reach the west bank, where village markets and medical institutions are located. Knowing that the biggest obstacle to people's life was nature itself, Zhao started to ferry residents in 2002 by pulling the iron-clad boat with a rope through the 105-meter waterway. He has therefore gained the nickname "a human bridge across the river." Since 2016, local authorities have been committed to improving transport infrastructure. Access to paved roads has been realized in the east bank, with a total length of more than 10 kilometers. (Xinhua/Liu Lingyi)
