Two officers help each other across the ice at the Kampug glacier. [Photo by WANG JING/CHINA DAILY]

Apart from their regular duties in Pumaqangtang town, the police officers also regularly patrol the Kampug glacier, which is located at an altitude of 5,600 meters and is a popular tourist attraction. The police officers have been involved in more than 40 rescue operations at the glacier. It takes two hours to drive from the police station to the glacier, and by the time they finish a return trip it is usually nightfall.

In summer, water from the melting ice makes the road to the glacier bumpy and muddy, and vehicles often get stuck in the mud. During the winter months, there is the threat of motorists getting lost, including the police officers themselves, after heavy snowfalls blanket the roads.

"Each rescue mission has a different story behind it," said Sonam Daje, deputy chief of the Nakartse border management team, which is in charge of the station. "We have received hundreds of letters of appreciation for our help rescuing people."

The officers have built a greenhouse to grow 16 varieties of vegetables in order to improve their diets. The annual yield from the greenhouse is more than 500 kilograms, and the station is well on the way to being self-sufficient in vegetables.