Saluting dedicated cop who ‘sticks to the last’
Print Edition
A handsome traffic cop seen in an emotional 90-second video marking the 95th-anniversary of the establishment of Communist Party of China has become a symbol for Party members who promise to serve the people with their hearts and souls.
The officer is one of six ordinary workers and Party members seen in the video. His name is Cai Zhenyi. His regular beat is the intersection of Yan’an Road W. and Jiangsu Road in Changning District.
In the video, filmed by China Central Television, 27-year-old Cai is described as “the one who sticks to the last.” Cai says the video offers an accurate portrayal of his job.
It was raining heavily when a CCTV production unit visited Cai at the intersection.
For Cai’s scene, there was no script and no staged photography. The camera crew merely recorded the young police officer going about his routine duties.
“I was on duty that day. The leaders assigned me the task of assisting the CCTV crew during filming. I’m a little bit surprised, but feel honored,” Cai said.
“I always do the same thing when I work in bad weather. If it is not rush hour, I usually stand beneath the elevated road to hide from the rain. But when I return home and take off my shoes, the skin on both my feet is wrinkly after standing in water for hours.”
Man of many talents
Cai is 180cm tall, with big eyes and a straight nose. While his good looks and diligent demeanor have made him an online celebrity, many might be surprised to learn that he is also an art-school graduate.
Cai began to study painting in middle school. These days, while looking at works from his friends and other artists often leaves him itching to exercise his own talents, he has never regretted becoming a police officer.
“Although you have to work hard to be a traffic officer, it is my personality to work all the way through to the end,” Cai said proudly.
Cai joined the ninth division of the Shanghai Armed Police Corps in 2009, and shortly afterward took part in security work at the Shanghai World Expo.
He joined the Communist Party of China two years later because of his good work performance. After retiring from military service, Cai was admitted to police school. He has been a traffic officer for two and a half years.
During the summer, when temperatures can touch 40 degrees Celsius, Cai spends hours standing on the road, where he’s exposed to the scorching heat, vehicle exhaust and the roar of passing traffic.
In heavy showers, Cai’s rain boots are usually full of water. He also knows first hand how tiring and dangerous it can be to work on the city’s streets.
Shanghai launched a massive crackdown on traffic violations in April. Traffic officers have been a major force behind the enforcement campaign to reduce traffic congestion across the city.
During the campaign, Cai was once knocked to the ground when he attempted to stop a vehicle with a fake car plate. Some drivers have even attacked him and tried to escape punishment.
In spite of all the hazards, Cai believes the hard work has paid off in the form of more orderly traffic conditions. At the intersection where he works, traffic violations have dropped considerably as people become more aware of driving rules.
When he handles traffic offenders, sometimes commuters join him to teach violators lessons.
Duty calls
When Cai is on duty he never lets a violation go unpunished. He attributes the patience he’s cultivated from years of painting to his fastidious approach to law enforcement.
“I can always find the offender with just one glimpse.
“As I always seize the key point when I enforce the law, most violators are sincerely convinced,” Cai said proudly.
Cai appears serious, but he also has a warm heart. As there are no street-level zebra crossings at the intersection of Jiangsu Road and Yan’an Road W., Cai always helps people with injuries or infirmities climb up and down the elevated overpass, especially patients from the nearby hospital.
Qixi Festival — also known as Chinese Valentine’s Day — fell August 9 this year, but Cai worked the night shift from 3pm to 11pm that day. There was no candlelight dinner for Cai to share the romantic occasion with his beloved. Just as in the video that thrust him into the public spotlight, he was the person who stuck to the last of that day, when many people his age were out enjoying themselves.
“A candlelight dinner was a mission impossible, but I sent flower to my girlfriend through a delivery service,” Cai answered.
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