A border patrol soldier washes his face. [Photo/WeChat account of the army]
For the past 45 years, a stationary Chinese regiment has been patrolling the border area, braving strong wind and heavy snow, at the foot of Qomolangma in Tibet autonomous region.
The sentry post, located at Gangba county, has an average altitude of 4,810 meters above sea level with more than 200 days of strong wind a year.
Border patrol soldiers show their disfigured hands. [Photo/WeChat account of the army]
Wang Qiangqiang, a private, was stopped by a fellow sentry at the entrance to the regiment after being stationed in a sentry post for half a year because the harsh weather had transformed his appearance so much that even a comrade-in-arms failed to recognize him.
Something similar happened to Huang Li, a sergeant first class, whose fiancée began crying after arriving to the sentry post for her wedding and finding it very difficult to recognize her husband-to-be's disfigured face.
Soldiers patrol the border. [Photo/WeChat account of the army]