20 years on the edge: Meet the cliffside cleaners of Tianzhu Mountain

High up on the cliffs of Tianzhu Mountain in Anqing, Anhui Province, a special team has been hard at work. These are not ordinary workers – they're the mountain's very own "beauticians." From May 6 to 18 this year, their efforts have once again drawn attention.

For the past 20 years, more than 100 sanitation workers, led by Tu Yousheng, have taken on the dangerous task of cleaning up litter and retrieving lost items from steep, 1,000-meter cliffs. Over two decades, Tu has rappelled a staggering 2,800 kilometers – the equivalent of the distance from Beijing to Urumqi.

Calluses cover their hands, and their clothes are often soaked in sweat. Yet day after day, year after year, they persist – silently safeguarding the beauty of Tianzhu Mountain and creating a clean, orderly environment for all who visit.