For the past four years, Zhong Congrong has been on the streets of Chongqing every day picking up trash and reminding people to protect the environment.

Every day, after breakfast and dinner, businessman Zhong wears an orange T-shirt, drives a Mercedes-Benz into downtown Chongqing, China. Within an hour or two, he walked the streets, picked up pieces of trash and talked to passersby about littering.

"My mission is to change people's bad habits and raise their awareness about environmental protection," Zhong said. This action helped the 54-year-old businessman win many awards, but also made him add some bruises on the body from people who dislike listening to him. It also made him almost trade off his marriage.

Going through all that, Zhong was determined not to give up, becoming a persistent campaigner on environmental issues in this city of over 30 million people.

In mainland China, many cities have banned littering and fined violators up to 200 yuan. However, these rules are rarely followed by people. Although many bins have been placed in public places, waste is still a headache problem.

Zhong owns three businesses in Yunnan province with a total value of more than 100 million yuan ($ 14.3 million), but he prefers to be called an environmentalist. Zhong said he started the mission in 2015 after meeting a 70-year-old woman in Sanya City, Hainan Province. He was impressed by the devotion of her and her husband when they went to collect trash everyday.

"They are retired professors at a prestigious university in Beijing," Zhong said. "I talked a lot with her and asked her why she went to pick up the rubbish every day when cleaning today, the garbage will appear tomorrow," he said.

The woman said the way to solve this problem is to teach people not to litter, but she did not dare to do it. Zhong said the meeting motivated him and dared to change his attitude.

Returning to Chongqing, Zhong observed and found out that diners at fast food restaurants and chains are the ones most likely to litter.

"Maybe it is because when people eat and drink at restaurants, they litter wherever they want. When they go out, they continue to do so," he said. "Shoppers in shopping malls are generally more civilized".

When "patrolling" on the streets, Zhong wore an eye-catching orange T-shirt printed the message of stopping indiscriminate littering. His tools are metal clips for picking up tissue paper, plastic bags, mineral water bottles, diapers and more in the garbage. He also brought a portable speaker to appeal to diners: "To protect the environment and not affect the healthy development of our children, dear friends, please do not litter."

Zhong said he was initially afraid to stand in front of a crowd of diners busy eating. Gradually, however, he did not feel any fear. One of the bigger challenges is conveying the message to people who don't want to listen and refuse to litter in the right place.

"Our society has many types of people is normal and I need to face this reality," Zhong said. "I was prepared that I would be called a 'crazy guy'."

He handled this problem with patience. When he reminded people to throw rubbish indiscriminately, many ignored him, others left, but he prepared an answer.

"If you don't pick up the trash, I guarantee you will be humiliated today. I'll let the passersby see and know what shame you just did. People will condemn you and you'll have to be ashamed," he told them.

When people said that this was not Zhong's job, he replied that what he was doing was for the benefit of the community. However, he sometimes has to pay dearly. Once, he caught a few young men throwing garbage from cars into the street. He drove after them, asked to clean, but these people refused, cursed, then beat him. In the end, they were taken to the police station.

Zhong hopes his work will bring "positive energy" to employees at his auto parts and packaging company, even though his work has nothing to do with business.

Last year, he was named one of the 10 faces by the city government for Chongqing's community, and his family was honored as the Chinese cultural family, awarded by the Chinese Women's Federation.

His wife, Yang Zuhui, did not support her husband at first and threatened to divorce. "What worries me is that you try to convince others and the scuffle is inevitable," Ms. Yang told her husband in an interview on Hunan TV in 2017.

"My husband is not tall, sometimes he is weak and beaten. I am worried about his safety," she added.

However, two years ago, the 10-year-old daughter changed Ms. Yang's attitude. During a daughter's picnic, Mr. Zhong taught both the children and the adults there about proper disposal of the litter. His daughter was embarrassed because her father's statement became proud when classmates praised Mr. Zhong for being great and "as a hero to protect the Earth".

Ms. Yang turned to her husband because he knew he was a decisive person and once he decided to act, he would not change. His son, over 20, who returned to Chongqing after studying in France, also always supports his father.

"My son said that volunteering on the environment is commonplace in foreign countries and should be respected," said Zhong.

Going out to pick up trash has become a part of Mr. Zhong's life. "In the evening, if I'm at home, my wife and kids will remind 'why don't you pick up the garbage?'" He said.

Zhong said that daily scavenging is very important because the more he does it, the more it affects more people. "By eliminating the habit of littering, Chinese people can hold their heads high when they travel abroad," Zhong said.