Tian Rui, a 39-year-old former courier in Yichang, Hubei Province, has turned his knowledge of mountain villages into a service connecting elderly residents with their children working abroad.
An estimated 110 million Chinese citizens live and work outside the country, leaving many aging parents isolated in rural areas.
Tian makes trips to seniors' homes to deliver groceries, medications, birthday cakes, or simply to share tea and conversation.
He does not charge for short visits but requests fuel reimbursement for longer journeys, and he records each visit to send edited videos to the families abroad.
One client's family lives as far away as Bolivia, and Tian's recordings have provided final memories for relatives; in one case, an elderly man died four months after Tian's December visit.
Tian has also documented the vitality of some centenarians, including a 100-year-old woman who insisted he stay for dinner and recited all 16 grandchildren's birthdays.
The most common request from seniors is simply companionship and reassurance that their children are thinking of them, with many asking when he will return.
His work has drawn widespread attention on Chinese social media, where he has been described as a "family bridge" for separated households.
Man Makes 200+ Trips to Remote Villages to Connect Elders with Their Children Working Abroad
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