Zhao Xianzhi (middle), a resident of Zhuang ethnic group, chats with members of Detian women police pioneer team on October 28, 2025. Photo: Huang Lanlan/GT

At dawn, the roar of the falls fills the air, and sunlight refracts through the spray into tiny rainbows. At the Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall, a scenic spot straddling the China-Vietnam border, a Vietnamese visitor runs up to a patrolling female police officer to ask the way to the viewing platform. The officer replies in fluent Vietnamese; her warm tone brings a relieved smile to the visitor's face. 

By nightfall, the lights of Vietnamese villages across the border Guichun River are seen dimly. A team of women police officers, flashlights in hand and reflective vests catching the beam, patrols the riverbank. They carefully examine the railings by the riverside. "This section is a bit loose - report it for repair first thing tomorrow," one officer says, jotting down the note in her book.

The Shuolong township in Chongzuo, Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region houses China's first cross-border tourism cooperation zone - the Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall tourism zone. Beyond the natural landscape, a "Detian women police pioneer team" with an average age of 28 has become an attraction in its own right for many tourists who visit. 

The team is tasked with patrolling the frontier and helping fight against cross-border crimes, such as smuggling and illegal crossings.

"We serve both Chinese and foreign tourists, while acting as guardians of border security," Yang Huan, captain of this team, told the Global Times.

Serve global tourists

One day in October, German tourist Hendrik Wandel approached patrol police at a water viewing platform with a question, "Excuse me, where is the restroom?" Two female police officers replied in English and pointed him toward the nearest facilities.

Wandel, who visited China for a third time, told the Global Times reporter that he was impressed by both the safety of the scenic area and the friendliness of the officers on duty. "If I need help, I wouldn't hesitate to turn to the [Chinese] police," he said.

Scenes like this have become a daily occurrence at the waterfall. On September 15, 2023, the cross-border tourism cooperation zone began trial operation. Since then, the "one‑day, two‑countries" travel model has drawn visitors from around the world to this formerly obscure border town, which now sees daily visitor peaks exceeding 30,000.

In response to the growing number of international travelers and the accompanying potential security pressures, the Shuolong Border Police Station established the Detian women police pioneer team. Yan Yingdong, head of the station, believes that the affinity and patience of female police officers can help defuse conflicts and deliver better services. 

"Through flexible, soft‑touch policing, we want Chinese and foreign tourists alike to experience both the safety and human touch of China's border," Yan said.

The team comprises 12 members, some of whom are proficient in English, Vietnamese or Zhuang language - the language of Guangxi's largest ethnic group - to facilitate barrier-free communication for visitors. 

Li Hui, a deputy captain of the team who majored in Vietnamese at university, has repeatedly helped Vietnamese tourists. She recalled that one day in July a Vietnamese tourist surnamed Nguyen became embroiled in a standoff with a vendor at the scenic area, and the language barrier made negotiation impossible.

Upon arriving at the scene, she listened to Nguyen's complaint in Vietnamese and then provided explanation of cross-border tourism consumer regulations to the vendor. Within 20 minutes, the vendor agreed to a full refund, and Nguyen thanked Li with visible emotion.

In the scenic area's police office, the Global Times reporter saw a wall covered with thank-you notes in multiple languages. "Thanks to the Chinese female police," "excellent service" - each note stands as a silent testimony to countless heartwarming moments. According to Shuolong Border Police Station, the women police pioneer team had handled more than 900 incidents, responded to over 5,500 inquiries and received 71 letters of thanks from global visitors by the end of October 2025.

Dealing directly with international visitors at this cross-border attraction, the women police team has become more than a law-enforcement and service force; it has turned into a vivid calling card of China's southwestern frontier, reflecting the country's openness, inclusiveness and friendliness.

Yousef Ali, head of a travel agency in Dubai, visited the Detian Waterfall on an inspection tour during his first visit to China. 

"The people here are friendly and warm, and the scenic area is safe and well organized," he told the Global Times. "I will recommend it to more [foreign] tourists."

Tourists take bamboo rafts to visit the Detian Waterfall in Chongzuo, Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on October 18, 2025. Photo: VCG

Protect national border

Shuolong township shares a 36.6-kilometer border with Vietnam. Boundary monuments stand along that stretch, marking an important frontline for national security. Besides serving at the cross-border waterfall attraction, patrolling the border and cracking down on cross-border crime are also key duties of the women police pioneer team.

One late afternoon in October, a Global Times reporter rode along with the team members as they patrolled the China-Vietnam frontier. Each officer carried roughly four kilograms of police kit, walking beneath the setting sun and pausing from time to time to scan the surroundings.

At a boundary monument on the bank of the Guichun River, they found two Chinese nationals lingering to take photos. The officers approached, confirmed their identities and purpose, and patiently explained border regulations. "These seemingly minor details can directly relate to national security. We must exercise greater care and caution," captain Yang told the Global Times.

Yang, 28, has led her team in multiple operations targeting cross‑border crimes. Since the founding of the team in 2023, Yang and her members have helped crack more than 30 cases involving border‑related offenses, bolstering stability along the frontier.

One incident occurred in March, when the team learned from sources about the presence of foreign nationals illegally entering China at a local vegetable market. It soon sealed off the perimeter to prevent anyone from fleeing, and waited for reinforcement before moving in together. "That time we arrested four illegal migrants in total," Yang recalled.

Language skills have proven a vital asset in investigating cross‑border crimes. Li said she is sometimes called on to serve as a Vietnamese interpreter during casework, helping investigators collect basic information from illegal entrants and supporting case progress. 

"I'm very glad that the language I learned can be put to use where it's needed most," Li said, with a smile on her face. "As a police officer from China's immigration administration, I feel a profound sense of responsibility, especially in these border areas." 

Nowadays, in response to the complex border control situation, the Shuolong border police station has strengthened tech-based defenses. It runs irregular drone patrols, and built a data platform that analyzes and assesses early-warning feeds in real time - creating a 24/7 technological watch.

Station head Yan said that, during similar time periods, the number of border-related cases that the station handled fell from 126 before this tech network was in place to 90. "That means our early-warning and prevention capability has improved by 40 percent," he explained. "Even if our people are not patrolling the front line every moment, the eyes of technology never rest."

Yang Huan, caption of the Detian women police pioneer team, touches up a border monument with red paint in Chongzuo, Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Photo: Huang Lanlan/GT

Contribute to ethnic harmony

Guangxi is an autonomous region with the largest population of ethnic minorities in China. 

During an inspection tour to the region in December 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Guangxi's efforts to build a demonstration zone for forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation should start from the community level, calling on the region to further enhance ethnic unity, reported the Xinhua News Agency on December 18 that year.

In Shuolong, where roughly 97 percent of its some 13,000 permanent residents are Zhuang people, the Global Times reporter found scenes of ethnic harmony etched into the fabric of everyday life: Beside the Detian Waterfall, young Zhuang couples danced and warmly invited a Han tourist who was filming to join them; at the gate of the township's primary school, children spilling out after class cheerfully greeted the female police officers who escorted them safely across the road. 

For the Detian women police team, its work involves not only interacting with global tourists and potential criminals, but also serving local residents from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The team members delve deep into the local community, handling household-registration matters, visiting seniors living alone and left-behind children, and conducting public education on telecom fraud, all efforts aimed at preserving the town's peace and cohesion.

Tackling telecom and online frauds is another important task for border police, Yan said. In February, for instance, Shuolong police learned that a 35-year-old local villager might be targeted. They located him immediately and discovered that, the villager had downloaded an app and was preparing to transfer 15,000 yuan ($2,107) to an account given by an online "customer service" contact. After patient explanation and persuasion by the police, the villager realized the app was a scam and stopped the transfer. 

With efforts of local police, this border town enjoys good public order, with people from various ethnic groups living in harmony. Yang said that, although most members of the women police pioneer team are neither local nor Zhuang, they have built excellent relationships with local residents there. 

"The Zhuang people celebrate many ethnic festivals. During these festivities, villagers enthusiastically invite us to dine, dance and make snacks together," she told the Global Times. "We're like one big family."

One mild autumn afternoon, the team patrolled through a Zhuang village. At the village, 70-something Zhao Xianzhi greeted the officers warmly. He brought out a few chairs, and invited the officers to sit in his courtyard for a casual talk.

"Because of the Party's and the government's good policies, our lives have improved a lot," Zhao said to the women police officers. "More tourists have come, our income has risen - and that's thanks to your protection. You visit us often and help solve our problems."

"With you here, our lives are safer and better," he smiled.

Frontier heroines