'Spidermen' keep tourist attraction clean

Working for Huangshan Tourism Development Co, Li was among the 1,670 national model workers honored this year for his devotion and pursuit of fine workmanship.

Li first worked as a ticket collector at the scenic spot in 1997 before becoming one of its rappelling cleaners in 1999.

"I was afraid to rappel at first. I still remember the location was over 50 meters high — a building with dozens of floors — and I was trembling at the time. I bundled up my courage and went down attached to a rope after a long hesitation," he said. "But I hit the rocks, which hurt!"

He didn't give up, and figured out ways to keep himself balanced.

"The locations where trash has fallen on are cliffs or in brambles," he said. "A Chinese proverb says, 'It is easier to climb up a mountain than to go down a mountain', while for us, it's much harder to climb up. We need to hold the body using the strength of one single arm when climbing up, and use another hand to manage the rope in case it tangles with bushes or other things.