Young Woman Excels at Welding Wins Awards

Zheng Lian is at work. [For Women of China/Chen Hui]

Zheng Lian, a talented, 21-year-old welder, has won several awards for her excellent welding techniques during domestic and/or international welding competitions. "I like the welding sparks. They are the most beautiful flowers in my eyes," she says.

Passion for Welding

As she wears her protective suit and gloves, Zheng holds a mask in her left hand — and a welding gun in her right hand. The moment she begins to weld, the sparks fly in all directions.

Although she is well protected, it is unavoidable that she will get burns on her hands, or that she will have sore eyes.

Zheng admits welding is painstaking work, especially for women . However, she always says, without hesitation, "Welding is my favorite occupation."

Adds Zheng: "My mother worked at CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation) Qishuyan Institute Co., Ltd. in Changzhou (a city in East China's Jiangsu Province). As we lived in the industrial park, I heard many stories about welding in workshops in my childhood. Each time we passed by the workshops, my mother told me not to watch the welding sparks.

"However, I couldn't help but watch the sparks … I found the sparks were as splendid as fireworks. I developed an interest in welding when I was fascinated by the sparks. I like the sparks. They are the most beautiful flowers in my eyes," she adds.

After she graduated from Qishuyan Experimental Middle School, in 2014, Zheng was admitted to CRRC University, to study welding. There were 38 students in her class, and only five were girls.

Zheng's mask has the Chinese character Lian written on its surface. It is her given name, which means lotus in Chinese. "I am used to using my own mask. I have deep feelings for the tools that I use for a long time. It feels like they are an indispensable part of my life," she says.

Zheng Lian and her colleagues discuss about how to weld. [For Women of China/Chen Hui]

'Welding Is Like Embroidering'

The CRRC University has a special team composed of excellent students, who major in welding. The team's members receive intensive training, with the purpose of participating in domestic and/or international competitions. Three to four students are selected to join the team every year.

Zheng applied to join the team at the beginning of 2015. "We generally didn't recruit girls because the training was really tough and intensive. Zheng exceled in her class, and she was very determined. So, we decided to recruit her," Zhang Tingwang, the team's coach, recalls.

"I told her that she was allowed to quit at any time during the first two months. However, she turned out to be the best among that year's four new team members after two months of training," Zhang says.

Zheng Lian talks with her colleagues. [For Women of China/Chen Hui]

Zheng was the only girl on the team at that time. They practiced welding eight to 10 hours a day. She greatly improved her technique after two years of training.

"Welding is like embroidering, and the welding joint is like the stitch. You must pay close attention to your technique," Zheng says.

"We, including our teacher, are impressed by her welding skills. It is not easy for a girl to persist in practicing welding … She does a better job than some of our male members. She is really something," Guo Zehao, a team member, says.

In April 2018, as the only female competitor in the welding competition, she won third prize during the national mechanical-industry qualification competition for the 45th WorldSkills Competition (held from August 22-27, 2019, in Kazan, Russia) in Hangzhou, in East China's Zhejiang Province.

Last June, the 2018 Arc Cup International Welding Competition was held in Zhuzhou, in South China's Hunan Province. Zheng won third prize in manual metal arc welding, in the student category. She was also named Outstanding Female Welder.

In her spare time, Zheng reads books related to welding, to enrich her knowledge, and she also does physical exercises, including jogging and playing football, to improve her strength.

Zheng became an intern at CRRC Qishuyan Institute Co., Ltd. in October last year. Welding master Zhang Zhong guided her during her work.

Now, she is a regular employee of the company. "I feel happy that we can learn skills from our masters. I hope I can become a real master of welding in the future. I will strive to realize my dream," Zheng says.

Zheng Lian is at work. [For Women of China/Chen Hui]

(Women of China)