'Steel Knife Team' at cutting edge of service

Lu Xueliang: discovering his own worth

Lu Xueliang, 28, served in the squadron for eight years. He said he still feels a surge of emotion when he recalls the prestigious team and the efforts he made striving to uphold its reputation.

After joining the force in 2010, Lu undertook various tasks, withstood temptation when offered bribes at customs posts and risked his life providing assistance in the wake of natural disasters.

From 2016 to 2017, he and his colleagues were responsible for security at a customs post in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, where they checked individuals and vehicles deemed suspicious. They had to guard against all kinds of temptations and threats to their safety.

"The volume of passenger traffic was large, and numbers reached about 700,000 people a day. Our task was extremely arduous," Lu said.

"Outsiders cannot imagine what we faced every day－bribery attempts, offers of sexual favors, and threats to our lives. Those were all the work of smugglers who wanted us to turn a blind eye to their trade."

Temptation was placed in his path several times.

One day, two young men followed him into a secluded area. They told him that they knew soldiers earned meager salaries and they could show him a way to make easy money.

"I don't know what they were smuggling, but they offered me a bank card with about 20,000 yuan ($2,920) on it and promised more. I refused and reported the approach to my superior," he said.