CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- On the vast river, ships come and go. In the broad river course, the navigation mark provides guidance for the passing ships day and night. During the flood season every year, the water level fluctuates frequently, so the navigation lights need to be adjusted in time, and navigators will be busy and nervous. In Changjiang Chongqing Waterway Bureau Cuntan Waterway Maintenance Base, we visited this group of “navigators” on the river about their daily routine.

From Chaotianmen, passing by Cuntan Yangtze River Bridge, Changjiang Chongqing Waterway Bureau Cuntan Waterway Maintenance Base not far away. This Waterway Base is responsible for the safety and smooth flow of the 11km-section from Chaotianmen to Tangjiatuo, as well as the routine maintenance of 24 navigation marks. Although the section from Chaotianmen to Tangjiatuo is not long, it is one of the most complicated sections of the Yangtze River in Chongqing.

Four sailors, one captain and one chief engineer constitute a team. Cuntan Waterway Maintenance Base is equipped with 10 people, and they patrol the waterway and navigation marks 24 hours in turn. As the work ship leaves the pontoon, the day-to-day inspection begins.

The working ship was slowly approaching the buoy ship. The navigator Wang Hechuan and his colleagues were standing at the bow of the ship, pulling up the cable, picking up the tools and preparing to get on the buoy ship to start work.

Recently, the water level has risen, and the scum that floated upstream is accumulated and wrapped around the steel cable of the fixed navigation marks. Navigators need to clean these scum one by one. Wang Hechuan picked up the sickle and leaned over the bow of the navigation mark to clear it, while his colleagues hooked and cleared the weeds on the work ship.

Navigation marks are known as the “eyes” of ships, and those who protect “eyes” and “wipe” their bright eyes are navigators. After checking that the voltage of the navigation light on the buoy ship was insufficient, Wang Hechuan and his colleagues took the navigation lights from the work ship to replace it. “At night, the navigation lights are the ‘eyes’ of the ship’s navigation and must be checked in time and maintained.

After finishing the inspection of navigation marks, several people were busy cleaning the ship and cleaning the lights... It is also part of their work to maintain the navigation marks. The river was turbulent, and the navigation ship was shaking with the river. Feng Qingming joked that they were “dancing” with the ship.

After completing the inspection and returning to the base, Wang Hechuan and his colleagues had a short time to sit on the bow and rest. Working on the river, this group of navigation marks is accustomed to wearing a pair of old-fashioned sandals, “It’s anti-skid and waterproof,” Wang Hechuan said with a smile.

Wang Hechuan brought the replaced navigation lights back to the work ship for further inspection and maintenance. After working for more than 10 years as a navigator, this “post-80s” guy was skilled, took a sickle to remove scum, and used a wrench to repair equipment... He focuses on the Yangtze River Waterway.

With water as a companion, navigators took root on the ship and was on duty 24 hours a day. In the flood season, it is common to set off at two or three in the morning and return until evening. A navigator on duty stays at the base and is responsible for meals. After a few years, everyone has gained good cooking skill.

As the sky became dark, the navigation lights on the river became more and more bright, guiding the direction of passing ships. Sitting on the deck of the pontoon, navigators were having dinner and watching the stars on the river. The night is quiet and beautiful. (Translated by Luo Juan, Fathom Language Limited)