When Tian Maoshun was released from prison in 2013, the first thing he did was to visit a local police station to find Yang Jiafa, the policeman who had arrested him.

Tian wasn't there for revenge but rather to show his gratitude to Yang, who volunteered to help his parents while he was in jail. Tian knelt before Yang in tears.

"If it weren't for Yang, I probably wouldn't see them alive any longer," Tian, 41, a resident of Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, says of his elderly parents.

In 1994, after Tian, an only child, was sentenced by a local court for intentionally hurting someone, Yang promised to look out for Tian's parents.

Tian had earlier spoken of his concern about his parents to Yang during interrogations.

For 20 years, Yang set aside money from his income every month to support Tian's parents.

He visited them twice a month with supplies such as rice and cooking oil. In addition, he helped them with their farm work during farming seasons.

"I feel lucky and thankful for Yang's help. Otherwise, I don't think I could have survived to see my son come out of prison," says Yang Zhengqin, Tian's mother.

Tian's family has since moved to a house provided by the local government. The family's financial condition has improved with him taking up part-time jobs like renovating houses during slack farming seasons.

"I'll remember Yang's favor forever," says Tian.

This is just one of the many stories about Yang Jiafa, the 53-year-old police officer, who has been helping needy people in the community that he serves.

In 1989, Yang Jiafa, after five years in the military, was transferred for civilian work to the Gaopo township's police station in Guiyang's Huaxi district, an undeveloped rural place back then. More than 70 percent of the area's population belonged to the Miao ethnic group, and as many young people went to work in the cities, most residents of the villages were women, children and the elderly, who only spoke the local Miao language.

For Yang Jiafa, a native of a different part of Guizhou, language became the first major challenge at work. To better communicate with the locals and to help them solve practical problems, he started to learn the local language.

In recent times, he has not only used his fluency in Miao language for work, but also to act as a bridge between his colleagues and the local community, according to Wang Sen, a former colleague of Yang. Sometimes he is called by phone to assist his colleagues to communicate with the local people.

The highland township witnessed a lot of land-related disputes in the past due to local traditions as well as the people's relative poverty. If not carefully handled, such disputes could have escalated.

Winning the trust of the locals with his sincerity, Yang Jiafa handled many cases successfully by following his principles like "comparing one's feelings with those of the other".

Over the past years, he has paid numerous visits to people involved in the many cases he has handled, and has acquainted himself with most residents of the township's 20 villages.

Living for a long time in the mountainous region and riding a motorbike often in the cold wind have contributed to his rheumatism. His hands are swollen and his knee joints ache due to the condition. But Yang Jiafa has tried to avoid letting such challenges affect his work.

"He works very hard," according to Wang Ping, a local village head. "He is easygoing and is familiar with all the villages in the area."

His long-term commitment has not only won Yang Jiafa the respect of locals, but also the recognition of authorities. He was honored as a national heroic model by the Ministry of Public Security in 2015.

"I'll do anything that is helpful for the local people. I also enjoy being around them," says Yang Jiafa, who is affectionately called "bilingual policeman" by the local residents.

Liu Xiangrui contributed to the story.

yangjun@chinadaily.com.cn