Second home

Beyond the high-stakes rescues, the women have woven themselves into the fabric of the local community, serving six villages and a permanent population of 1,156 residents. To them, Pumaqangtang isn't just a workplace; it's a second home.

Despite the "swollen face and purple lips" that Wu has to hide from her mother during calls to spare her worry, the women have found a rhythm in the cold.

They don't just patrol; they belong. Wu Hui delivers ID cards to remote nomadic camps where she is greeted with steaming butter tea. Li Hongyan spends her free time teaching art at the local school, painting "the summer of her imagination" for children who live in a land where trees cannot grow.

To maintain their mental health, they utilize the station's small luxuries: a pool table, a movie room and a karaoke lounge.

They tend to a vegetable greenhouse and forage for mushrooms during the fleeting, beautiful summer months.

For Li Hongyan, the motivation is simple. Growing up in a border town in Yunnan province, she watched soldiers guard her home. Now, she is the one standing watch.

"I want to serve until my body can no longer keep up," she said. "Others were beacons for me. Now, I want to be a beacon for someone else."

yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn