He is the third generation worker with the city sanitation department in his family, having developed a special feeling for the job from his grandfather and his father.

"My work is to clean the city and make the city more beautiful and it is an important career," he said.

For 21 years, he has cleaned the public restrooms in the district. During his spare time, he volunteers to work in a local home for the elderly.

When he started his job, he and his colleagues still worked with their hands. Over the past few years, they have worked together and developed electric machines that have aided their manual work tremendously.

As they can now work more efficiently, Gu and his colleagues have also established a service center to help clean up sewage in individual homes.

(China Daily November 7, 2002)