"Which is more important to you, letters or life?"

"Life is important, and so are letters. While being loaded on me, letters have been part of my life," Nima Lamu said in response to the question posed by a foreign representative at the annual meeting of the Universal Postal Union held in Switzerland early May.

Nima Lamu, 35, has spent 12 years delivering letters and parcels in a rural area of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

She works in Deqin County in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, where the altitude ranges from 1,000 to 4,500 meters. Her mail route covers 350 kilometers, requiring seven days for a round-trip on foot.

In 12 years, she has never lost a single letter or parcel.

"I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do," said Nima Lamu, who came to Beijing on Friday and received media interviews at the headquarters of China Post Group Corporation (China Post).

While walking her route, she has learned how to avoid falling rocks and landslides. She has also learned to prepare herself for potential animal attacks.

"I'm most terrified of snakes. Every time I see one, I scream and scare it away," she said, smiling. "Luckily, the snakes are not poisonous."