Bring services to the hearts of the people; this group of China Life employees writes extraordinary stories in ordinary moments.

Editor’s Note:

Every steadfastness echoes an original aspiration; every story shines with extraordinary brilliance. In the Fourth “Move People of China (Gǎn Dòng Guó Shòu)” character story exhibition event by China Life Insurance Company Limited (hereinafter “China Life”), we once again focus on the new-era financial professionals who take root at the grassroots level and give quietly of themselves. They may be in seemingly ordinary roles, yet they vividly embody the profound meaning of “Guarding the Original Aspiration, Paying Tribute to the Extraordinary” through their day-to-day sense of responsibility, their willingness to step forward at critical moments, and their tireless pursuit of service innovation. Let us walk into their stories together, feel the strength that comes from within, and appreciate the extraordinary chapters they write on the journey of “serving the overall development of the nation and safeguarding a better life for the people.”

With the pace of the times never stopping, someone is always standing firm in the places where they are most needed. From the ruins after the earthquake on the Yunling plateau, to the misty islands across the Yellow and Bohai seas, and then to the front line of financial consumer protection in the streets and alleys of Shanghai, three China Life professionals are carrying out the same original aspiration in different ways.

Jiang Dongjun, along the sound of waves on Changdao, uses his steps and warmth to bridge the last mile of insurance services across the sea border; Xie Songchen, among the mountains of Yunnan, uses professionalism and speed to hold up an umbrella of insurance protection for affected people; Lu Min, amid the bustle of Shanghai’s streets, uses care and wisdom to safeguard the lawful rights and interests of financial consumers. Their stories are not filled with earth-shaking legends, yet through their day-to-day steadfastness and repeated奔赴, they draw the most down-to-earth professional undertone of China Life people—putting oneself at the service of others, and achieving both self and others.

Jiang Dongjun: “Insurance is what you need most when it’s the snowiest time for others”

Half of the sea at Changdao is poetic, and half is dangerous. This is the only island county in China, made up of 32 islands scattered in the Yellow and Bohai seas’ confluence. Transportation within the islands relies entirely on boats; the weather is unpredictable—strong winds, thick fog, and halts in service are all part of everyday life here.

In 2018, after retiring from the military, Jiang Dongjun took off his uniform, put on China Life’s lapel badge, and set foot on this island. He stayed for eight years. Before that, he had been stationed in Qashqar, Kashi, Xinjiang, participating in the Wenchuan earthquake relief and rescue, the 2008 Olympic security effort, and earning four Third-Class Meritorious Service awards—his military uniform protected peace and stability for the country and the people. When he transferred to civilian life, he resolutely chose the insurance industry, simply because of one sentence from his mother: “Insurance is what’s needed most when it’s the snowiest time for others.” These plain words became his guiding principle and original aspiration for taking root on the island and going deep into service, and they also supported him in doing service at sea for eight years, day after day.

Between the islands of Changdao, travel by boat varies in duration—its nearest point can be reached within just over ten minutes, while the farthest may take several hours. For eight years, Jiang Dongjun brought equipment such as a laptop, a printer, and more, and traveled to every corner of the islands to deliver insurance services right to the doors of fishing households. His mobile number became a household-known “insurance hotline” on the island—consulting on insurance before fishermen set out at dawn, and claims assistance after elderly people suddenly fell ill late at night. He always answered questions and responded to requests. Often, local uncles and aunts would come to the counter specifically—not to handle business, but just to sit for a while and smile as they said, “Xiao Dong, come over and take a look.” On this island full of human warmth, Jiang Dongjun was no longer just an outside insurance agent; he had long become a part of the family.

People on Changdao often mention the cold winter morning when Jiang Dongjun always tells them about. At that time, the sea was hit by strong winds, and huge waves battered the pier; all flights were suspended. An elderly person urgently needed to process a claim, waiting for the claim payment to treat his illness. Jiang Dongjun inquired from many sides and finally contacted a fishing boat that had long been working near the coast and had strong wind-resistance. When he appeared at the elderly man’s doorstep, soaked through and with a pale face, the elderly man gripped his hand and burst into tears, unable to say a word for a long time—only repeatedly murmuring, “You’ve made things difficult for yourself… you’ve made things difficult for yourself.”

Such journeys are too numerous to count in Jiang Dongjun’s island life. With poor island communications and weak network signals, he used loudspeakers in the village to broadcast insurance policy education, and he explained insurance knowledge household by household in fishermen’s talk, so that insurance concepts could enter every island home. When handling claims cases, he carried the careful rigor of a soldier—verifying situations from the police station to retrieving medical records from the clinic, with every step done meticulously to ensure each claim payment was delivered in a timely and accurate manner. He always kept that line of original aspiration in mind, understanding that on an island, a claim payment could be a family’s lifesaving money—real, no different from snow-time help—and it could not allow even the slightest slackness.

Across eight years on the island roads, Jiang Dongjun has blended the spirit of old islanders into every boat ride out to sea, every doorstep service visit, and every claims handling. With his actions, he fulfills the promise of “snow-time help when it’s the most needed,” letting the warmth of insurance pass through layer upon layer of sea waves, reaching every fishing household.

(Photos: Jiang Dongjun explains insurance business to residents on the island)

Xie Songchen: “In the face of disaster, we are the first line of protection for customers”

On August 3, 2014, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Longtoushan Township in Ludian County, Zhaotong, Yunnan. As landslides and cracks split the mountains, houses collapsed and collapsed, roads were destroyed and blocked, and millions of people were trapped in the disaster. At that time, 25-year-old Xie Songchen had only recently been transferred from a finance and accounting role to a claims management position. When disaster struck suddenly, he hesitated almost none. He volunteered immediately, packed his simple bag, and drove into the earthquake zone through the night.

It was the first time Xie Songchen faced such a devastating disaster directly. On the mountain roads with continuing aftershocks, scattered rocks rolled down one after another from the cliff walls; the wheels crushed over the damaged road surface; outside the window were pitch-black mountains, while inside the car there was tight, silent tension. When he arrived at Longtoushan Township, the epicenter area was already a wasteland. Temporary tents were packed with affected people, with cries, shouts, and rescue calls interwoven. He and his colleagues didn’t have time to rest and adjust; they immediately set up an insurance claim reporting service point at the epicenter—one table, a few chairs, a telephone—this was all their working platform.

Over the next seven days and nights, Xie Songchen and the team barely slept. They braved the scorching sun, faced the aftershocks, and walked across rubble to visit every affected village, paying insurance proceeds to 143 affected customers. When the first payment was made smoothly and the affected families received the compensation, their eyes reddened as they said, “Thank you for still thinking about us.” At that moment, Xie Songchen became even more determined: claims are never just cold numbers calculated; they are hope delivered in a desperate situation. He and his team are the first line guarding that hope.

Over more than ten years, at more than 50 claim emergency incidents—mud and debris torrents from landslides in Zhenxiong mountain areas, and the search-and-rescue scene of the Eastern Airlines 3·21 aircraft accident—Xie Songchen was always the first to rush to the front line. When someone asked him whether he was afraid, he simply and calmly said what he stood by in his heart: “I’m a claim examiner. In the face of disaster, we are the first line of protection for customers.”

Across fourteen years, Xie Songchen grew from a claims newcomer into an expert holding the qualifications of a junior economist and an intermediate claim examiner, becoming a “living encyclopedia” in his colleagues’ words for resolving tricky issues in claims. But he also knew that one person’s strength is ultimately limited, and it is only a group’s steadfastness that can go further. In 2023, the “Xie Songchen Studio” was formally established in Kunming, Yunnan. With more than 20 young colleagues, he threw himself into innovative exploration in technology-driven claims. The “one-stop” direct claims settlement service they built realizes a five-“exemptions” experience: “no need to file a claim report, no need to apply, no need to submit documents, no need to visit the counter, and no waiting.” They truly make the data do more running and the public do less legwork, building a solid line of defense for people’s livelihood protection.

“Virtue, like water’s source; ability, like water’s ripples.” This is what Xie Songchen wrote on the cover page of his notebook. On the road of claims service, he always thinks from the customers’ perspective. He inscribes “started from user needs, ending with customer satisfaction” into every verification, every payout, and every innovation. On the land of Yunling, he lives into the warmest form of insurance.

(Photos: Xie Songchen studies and optimizes claims services)

Lu Min: “A contract is cold, but the way to solve problems can be warm”

In the Yu Garden business district of Shanghai, people flow and the streets are bustling with life. Within this noise and vitality, the consumer protection office of China Life Shanghai Branch is tucked away. Lu Min sits at his desk, with a thick stack of complaint case volumes in front of him. This veteran China Life person has been steadfast in consumer protection for fifteen years, and he has long grown accustomed to the “chaotic battle scene” here—complainants overflowing with anger, people seeking help with deep grievances, and insurance disputes tangled and complicated. His job is to find the warmest balance point between cold contract clauses and the scorching fires of everyday human life.

In January 2012, only a month after joining the complaints post, Lu Min encountered the first “hard fight” of his career. A customer was emotionally agitated, full of hurt feelings, due to a dispute over a claim. At that time, Lu Min squatted down, handed the customer a cup of warm water, and sat beside the customer, quietly listening. It took more than two hours. When the customer cried, he slowed down his note-taking pace; when the customer choked up, he promptly handed over tissues and spoke softly, “I understand how hard it is for you.”

He didn’t rush to讲道理 or list provisions. Instead, he simply did his role as a listener, smoothing the customer’s restlessness with warmth. After the customer’s emotions calmed down, he gradually sorted out the crux of the problem and communicated step by step to negotiate and resolve it. On the day the issue was handled, the customer tightly shook his hand with all his might, eyes filled with gratitude. It was this one grip that made Lu Min firmly certain: the core of consumer protection work is never just “handling matters according to the contract terms,” but also “putting the person at the center of the problem.” It also made the line “A contract is cold, but the way to solve problems can be warm” become his unshakable service philosophy for fifteen years.

In Lu Min’s office, a calligraphy-and-painting work hangs on the wall: “Use aspiration as a mirror to advance the people’s insurance business.” For fifteen years, this artwork has constantly reminded him that consumer protection work must not only hold the bottom lines of laws and regulatory requirements, but also make room for the warmth of human relationships. In March 2025, social security transfers involving nearly ten million Shanghai migrant workers led to a surge in call traffic to the 95519 hotline. To ensure service experience, the Shanghai Branch decisively broke through with technology and launched self-service query functionality within 36 hours. As a core member, Lu Min made full use of his years of consumer protection experience, accurately grasped customer needs and compliance bottom lines, and empowered service upgrades with solid professional foundations—so that consumer protection work had both speed and warmth.

Lu Min insists on “analyze one sparrow to solve a whole category of problems.” As the leading unit of the Consumer Rights and Interests Committee of the Shanghai insurance industry peer association, Lu Min helped drive the formulation of industry self-discipline assessment guidelines. As a practitioner of the “Fengqiao experience,” he promoted China Life Shanghai Branch to become one of the first units in Shanghai to establish bank-and-insurance dispute mediation centers’ dispatched “mediation stations.” In the first half of 2025, China Life’s mediation station ranked first in the industry’s comprehensive rankings. The regular deliberation system launched by the station has also been promoted to become an industry norm.

In addition, Lu Min extended consumer protection service to the front line of financial public education. For a long time, he has led the financial public education work in Jiande Community, and he teamed up with “three authorities and one institution” to provide convenient financial services for residents, while also proactively assisting in handling customer requests from other insurance companies. For special groups and rural areas, he led the construction of a rural financial education work station in Songjiang District, and innovatively launched financial education materials in Braille. Through this, financial knowledge reaches every corner of the city and every group, and warm-hearted services help build a shield for financial consumer protection.

Lu Min likes cycling. In his spare time, he rides his bicycle through the streets and alleys of Shanghai. This hobby also shapes his work philosophy: “See every stretch of road clearly, and step on every pedal steadily; don’t aim for instant success—go steadily and solidly.” In his fifteen-year consumer protection journey, he has moved forward steadily, step by step with every footstep, and practiced the philosophy of “solutions with warmth.” On the track of financial consumer protection, he firmly guards the bottom line of financial risk for consumers across the board.

(Photos: Lu Min carries out financial knowledge outreach work in the community)

Jiang Dongjun, Xie Songchen, and Lu Min—though they are in different regions across the motherland and fight on different posts in the insurance industry—share the same sense of steadfastness and original aspiration. Their stories are a snapshot of China Life’s countless employees. Across the country, countless China Life people light up the world with faint sparks and turn the ordinary into greatness, delivering the warmth of insurance to every corner of the country, and to the places where the people need it most.