Song Hengchun has been the river chief in Dongzhaozhuang village of Yiyuan county, Zibo city of Shandong province, for more than a decade, but the association runs deeper.

Over the past four decades, Song and his family have been religiously contributing to keeping the reservoir clean. The Zhaozhuang reservoir was built in the 1960s and provides irrigation to farms and the surrounding villages. In the 1980s, the then 30-year-old Song quit his city job and returned to his hometown to guard and manage the reservoir.

To help him in this task, starting with regular inspection of the reservoir's water quality, Song also got his family involved, settling down in the area. During the flood season, Song and his wife take a boat ride from upstream to downstream, clearing the water of debris and trash.

In 2014, Song was appointed river chief, which increased his sense of responsibility toward the reservoir. In June, Song's son inherited his role as river chief.