A man in central China has completed more than 200 trips to remote mountain villages in a year, visiting elderly parents on behalf of their children who work and live far from home or overseas.

Tian Rui, 39, from Yichang in Hubei province, is a former rural courier who now operates a small convenience store, according to Jiupai News.

Years spent delivering parcels through scattered mountain communities provided Tian with a deep understanding of the winding roads. They also unveiled a quiet reality of rural life: elderly parents ageing alone after their children left for jobs in distant cities or overseas.

Last year, Tian decided to turn that familiarity into a unique service, visiting elderly parents on behalf of absent children and becoming what he describes as a “middleman” between generations.

Clients request his assistance in buying medicine, food, and even birthday cakes, which he carries along mountain roads to their parents’ homes. His most distant client lives in Bolivia, more than 17,000km away.

Despite improved living standards, Tian noticed that rural elderly individuals often yearn for companionship more than material support.

“What they really want is to know their children are thinking of them and to have someone to talk to,” he shared with the media.