'Well-being guardians'

While millions of people were traveling home for a family reunion, there were many still on duty to safeguard others. These "well-being guardians" include medics at various hospitals in Shanxi.

On Feb 16, Chinese New Year's Eve, Li Chunjing, head of the inpatient department of the People's Hospital of Lingqiu in the northern Shanxi city of Datong, accompanied some elder patients, instead of his family members.

"Winter is the time of high occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases among senior people," he said. "The occurrence rate is especially high during the festival periods as their diet and daily routine differ from normal times. That means we are busier during this period of time."

Also on full alert were firefighters, to prevent the risks of fire incurred by crackers and fireworks.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, the temperature dropped to — 15 C at the Guancen Mountain Forest Park. Several firefighters rested at a forest monitoring station after a day's work. When they were talking to their families on the phone, they saw a fire engine approaching.

To their delight, their colleagues had brought them a big dinner. "The dishes are more delicious than ever," said one of the firefighters. "The festive atmosphere is still here when we are on duty."

Far away from their homes, a group of Shanxi medics spent their Spring Festival at a hospital in Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon. They are part of the current Shanxi medical aid team to Africa.

Due to the time difference, Wang Jianhua, head of the team, and his colleagues were standing at an operating table while their family members were sitting down to Chinese New Year's Eve dinners.

"Safeguarding the health of locals is our new year gift to the people of Cameroon," the doctor said.

Since 1975, Shanxi has dispatched 25 medical aid teams to Africa, involving a total of 811 medics, according to the Shanxi Health Commission.

Zhang Qi contributed to this story.