He Jing patrols on the train. Photo by Qu Feifei and Wu Sheng.
Spending Chinese New Year's Eve and the first day of the New Year on the train.
Viewing photos of his wife and daughter on Weibo.
Key figure No.5: Train Police Officer
Main character: He Jing
Position: Captain of the Nanjing Railway Public Security Bureau
At around 2 PM on Chinese New Year's Eve, I arrived at Nanjing West Station. The usual hustle and bustle was missing, with fewer passengers boarding. He Jing, a young captain born in 1984 from the Nanjing Railway Police Brigade, along with his colleague Dong Wei, were on duty for the K527/8 train traveling from Nanjing West to Guangzhou. Since becoming a train police captain in 2009, including this year, He Jing has spent three New Year's Eves away from home and family.
Spending New Year's Eve and the first day of the New Year accompanying passengers on the train.
I boarded the K527/8 train with He Jing. There were few passengers onboard. He Jing explained that as the train passed through Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou, the number of passengers would gradually increase. This train always had a large passenger flow and complex public security conditions along the way. Departing at 3:07 PM, it would arrive in Guangzhou around 6:10 PM the next day. Both he and the passengers would spend New Year's Eve and the first day of the New Year on the train. "This train doesn't have a TV, so we can only listen to the Spring Festival Gala on the radio with the passengers," He Jing laughed.
Even during the holiday, there are still pickpockets active on the train. Last New Year's Eve, while patrolling the K527 train to Guangzhou, He Jing noticed two suspicious young men who had boarded with short-distance tickets. Through observation, He Jing found them suspicious and quietly followed them, moving between carriages with a whistle, warning passengers about theft. Unable to make their move, the suspects had no choice but to get off at the next station. He Jing said that just when everyone is relaxed, it’s when the suspects are most active. Therefore, for train police officers, as long as they are on the train, they must focus fully on their work, without any distinction between holidays and weekdays.
Feeling happy after seeing photos of his wife and daughter on Weibo.
After six years of work, He Jing is very introverted. He admitted to me that he met his wife in 2009 through an introduction from colleagues. From marriage to the birth of their daughter, He Jing hasn’t spent a single New Year's Eve with his wife, which makes him feel guilty, especially towards his newborn daughter. Every time he thinks about not being able to be with her during holidays, he feels heartbroken. He also wishes he could sit together with his family on New Year's Eve, making dumplings, eating a reunion dinner, watching the Spring Festival Gala, and hearing the continuous firecrackers early on New Year's Day. In the hometown, these things don’t seem precious, but those who are far from home actually yearn for these...
But then, He Jing smiled brightly again. He said that compared to the older train police officers who have been serving for decades, his contributions are nothing. Because the job of a train police officer determines that as long as you're out on duty, you are the "guardian" of the entire train. Seeing all passengers safely reach their destinations is the completion of a train police officer's mission.
When I called He Jing again, the train had already passed through Suzhou Station. He told me over the phone that he had just seen a photo uploaded by his wife on Weibo. His wife and daughter looked so cute. Although he couldn’t celebrate the New Year with his family, chatting with them via WeChat and Weibo made him very happy.
Communicator: Qu Feifei, Reporter: Wu Sheng