Nyima Lamo treks on foot during a routine journey over the mountains to bring letters to villagers.

When it rains, the rainwater affects the brakes, often causing her to bump hard against the cliff on the other side to stop, Nyima says.

"A fall into the river means certain death. I know I must bring letters to those eagerly awaiting them, so I am extremely careful."

As the terrain influences the local climate, it is common for Nyima to meet four seasons on her postal route in a single day.

"One minute you are walking under the scorching sun, and the next you find yourself stuck in snowdrifts," Nyima says, adding she often packs three sheets of plastic, along with her letters and food.

"In case of sudden rain, I need the plastic to cover the letters. It is my responsibility to protect the mail," she explains.

But the capricious weather is nothing compared to the other hazards she encounters - like snakes.

"When I chanced upon these creatures, I had the same feeling as the first time I used the ropeway," Nyima says. "To encourage myself and to overcome my fears, I often belt out folk songs. Or, I simply take a detour to avoid them."

Faced with mountain gales, mudslides and landslides on her postal journey, Nyima always wears bright-red clothes so she can be easily spotted in case of any trouble.

At night, she rests in the villages, where hospitable residents are happy to invite the "messenger in red" to their houses, offering her a place near the fire and treating her to their best food and drink.

"My happiest moment is when I am handing over the letters to the villagers," Nyima says, adding that she particularly likes to deliver college admission notices. They are the hardest to deliver as they are time-sensitive and must be handed over personally to the students. But many of them often go herding after retuning from school.

Once, to locate a student, Nyima had to spend six days navigating meandering mountain paths and running to different villages to ask about him.

She finally found him herding cattle in a remote ranch.

"Thinking of these children leaving the mountains and building bright futures for themselves makes me feel that my efforts have been worth it," she says.

In the past 12 years, Nyima has never taken a day off, except for maternity leave.

Her devoted service has earned her much recognition. She joined the Communist Party of China in 2006 and in 2008, was selected as one of the top 10 Outstanding Chinese Youth.

Speaking of her latest honor, the first woman rural postal worker to take the stage at the annual meeting of UPU, says she would like to share the credit with 16,000 mail carriers in China who still make deliveries on foot.

"With the development of the economy, highways and roads have now been built. But I, along with many other postal workers, still hike the old routes and slide along zip lines because it allows us to take shortcuts and save time," she says.

"A foreign representative at the UPU meeting asked me which is more important, letters or life. I said both are important. Once the bag of letters is on my shoulder, I consider them a part of my life."