Hao Diangui

Hao Diangui first started climbing a nearby mountain to improve his own health but, years later, he has also contributed greatly to the environmental health of Cuiwei Mountain.

The 65-year-old resident of Shijingshan district has been collecting garbage, mainly plastic bags, from Cuiwei Mountain for 16 years, a self-imposed task that has made him a household name in the area.

Hao retired in 1996 for health reasons and, in 1999, decided to climb the nearby mountain to strengthen his body.

When he started climbing, instead of beautiful scenery, he saw plastic bags littering the mountain. Upset at the mess, Hao, who believes the mountain is an important landmark for those who live nearby, decided to gather and dispose of the trash.

Initially Hao would walk the trail gradually filling a garbage bag then dig a deep hole and bury the bag of trash.

Unfortunately, when the rainy season came, the plastic bags were washed from their burial pits. After he saw this, Hao began carrying his filled garbage bags back down the mountain. Although this made his work more difficult, it ensured the garbage was dealt with permanently.

When people first saw him picking up garbage, some asked what he was going to do with it, or thought he was a cleaner and asked how much a month he earned. Hao would answer: "Nobody has paid me so far. If you are rich, I don't mind you giving me money.

"Once, several people were littering while climbing the mountain, maybe without really thinking about it, and I picked up after them. When they noticed me, they stopped and went back to pick up all their litter and put it in my bag," he said.

"Though I am not in a position to punish those who litter on the hill, I believe people all have self-respect, so good behavior will influence someone sooner or later."

When faced with doubt that he alone could not collect all the garbage from the massive mountain, he simply responded, "From now on, as long as you, or anyone, don't litter anymore, I believe I can finish one day."

To gather garbage from a wider area, he often takes different paths. "Now many people know me," he said. "They say 'hello' to me and they don't litter. Now on paths where I often walk, I don't find garbage so easily."

In addition to picking up trash, Hao stops smokers for fear of forest fires. He also carries a small shovel to remove dog droppings from the mountain paths.

"I help people, and they are happy, and I am also happy," he said.

zhaoqian@chinadaily.com.cn