The first snow of the year hit Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province?on February 18, surprising many of the city's residents. But for traffic police, snowfall brings more responsibilities.

A traffic policeman shovels ice on a road in Gaopo township,Guiyang city, capital of Guizhou province.(Photo/Guiyang traffic management bureau)

Driving a patrol car, Zhao Ji checks the traffic situation along the road with his eight team members."I began to worry about the road conditions last night when I saw the rainfall," Zhao said. For the past 15 years, the 36-year-old traffic policeman has been working at the frontline under extreme weather conditions.

Gaopo township, Guizhou province, at an average elevation of 1,400 meters (about 4,593 feet), faces severe road conditions due to its twisting mountain roads.

"Roads to Gaopo has been closed since this morning because of the heavy snow, our team members are sprinkling industrial salt along the roads," said Zhou Xuefei, deputy director of the Guiyang traffic management bureau, seventh brigade.

In Qingyan Ancient Town, one of Guizhou's most famous tourist attractions, there is only one traffic command center consisting only of barracks. Under bad working conditions, the 19 traffic policemen of the center are in charge of Gaopo township and four other close townships.

Zhou, who has been working for 18 years as a traffic policeman, stayed on duty the whole night in Jiu'an township, another place in Guizhou where the road was closed due to bad weather conditions.

"We work hard, but it's rewarding," Zhou said.

Zhou, like other traffic police, is gaining the public's trust, but the work worries their families."I was moved when my son asked me to take care this morning," Zhao Ji said with red eyes.