Workplacebecomesa platform for friendliness

People are happier and friendlier during the holiday season, said Wang Liang, a 33year-old worker on a platform at the Beijing West Railway Station.

“They are all smiling and happy to be going home, and seeing them happy makes me happier,” said Wang, who is working for the fifth Spring Festival in a row. “Even when I’m not at home, I can still feel the festival at work. This is nice.”

Wang’s job is to ring a bell before a train approaches the platform and make sure everyone gets on and off safely.

One frequent problem is people getting off a train to smoke a cigarette or make a phone call, only to return after the train has left the station.

In these cases, Wang calls his colleague aboard the train to take care of the passenger’s belongings, and sometimes their families, and arranges for the passenger to catch another train.

“I met someone who was left behind and his wife and child were still on the train. It was certainly an unhappy incident before the festival when families should stay together,” he said. “We quickly arranged for him to catch the next train. After all, our work is sending people to where they are going.”

Most of Wang’s working hours are spent waiting on open platforms. When the extreme cold hit China two weeks ago, the temperature dropped to -20 C. Under his uniform, Wang wears down jackets and trousers.

“But still, if I stay outside too long, my toes become numb from the cold,” he said.

Sometimes, watching snow or rainfall on the empty platform gives Wang a feeling of loneliness.

“There is no moment when I want to see a train arrive sooner, other than those times,” he said. “When the train arrives, and passengers start to get on and off, they talk, laugh or cry. The platform will have a short moment of life.”