Sun Chengfang, a fishery officer from Ningbo's Xiangshan county, works on the Fishery Administration Ship 33205. [Photo/Ningbo Evening News]

Sun Chengfang, a fishery officer from Ningbo's Xiangshan county, was conferred the title of "The Best Public Servant in China" on Dec 2.

He was among 32 people across the country who received the honor and the only one from East China's Zhejiang province.

Having been a fishery officer for 40 years, the 58-year-old Sun now serves as the chief officer of the Fishery Administration Ship 33205 affiliated to the Xiangshan Ocean and Fisheries Law Enforcement Team.

During the tenure as the chief officer since 2005, Sun has rescued 615 fishing boats in distress and saved 481 fishermen, recovering more than 38 million yuan ($5.85 million) in potential economic losses. 

He has carried out 4,032 inspections and cracked 791 illegal cases, while his accumulated sailing time surpasses 30,000 hours.

In the first half of this year, Sun was honored by the Zhejiang provincial government for his excellent work.