Zhao Jing is a senior CNC (computer numerical controlled) lathe technician with Inner Mongolia First Machinery Group Co., Ltd., under NORINCO (China North Industries Group Corporation) Group. Given her persevering efforts to improve her professional skills during the past 19 years, she has become an expert in numerical control machining. Given her outstanding work performance, she has been named a National Technical Expert and a National March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetter. She has also been considered a top technical expert in China's ordnance industry. She is also head of Zhao Jing CNC Master Studio, a State-level master worker's studio. In 2022, she was elected a delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress. 

When she began working at the company, in 2003, then-20-year-old Zhao set a goal for herself: To become an excellent technical worker. To improve her technical skills, Zhao taught herself more than 10 professional courses in her spare time. As a result, she became the first technical worker (in the company) to master the CNC lathe operation and programming skills. During the following several years, Zhao compiled more than 5,000 CNC programs, and became a proficient operator for several CNC lathe systems. At the age of 26, she became the only senior woman CNC lathe technician in the company. 

Zhao is always strict with herself in her work. "Sometimes, we are allowed to have a 20 percent-scrap rate during production. However, I try my best to achieve a 100-percent pass rate in production," says Zhao. 

As a result of her persevering efforts to pursue perfection (in work), Zhao became a top technical expert in numerical control machining. In 2013, her company established Zhao Jing CNC Master Studio. Four years later, the studio was upgraded to a State-level master worker's studio. During the past several years, Zhao has led her team in offering more than 100 conductive suggestions to improve productivity, and in solving more than 70 technically difficult problems. So far, Zhao and her team have obtained more than 10 Chinese patents. and have created more than 30 million yuan (US $4.29 million) in economic benefits. 

Given the rapid scientific and technological development in modern society, and the continuous iteration and upgrading of CNC equipment, CNC machining technology is gradually developing toward digitization, informatization and intelligence. To keep pace with the times, Zhao leads her team's members in making constant efforts to improve and innovate their processing technologies and skills. 

On October 1, 2019, Zhao attended the ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which was held in Tian'anmen Square (in Beijing). As she witnessed the State leaders review the equipment, produced by her company, she felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. 

In 2020, soon after she learned the machining accuracy of a product's component could not meet the design requirement, Zhao led the studio's members in overcoming the challenge. During the following half a month, she and her team's members often worked around the clock. Eventually, they cracked the "hard nut." 

Zhao attaches great importance to the cultivation of young, highly skilled workers. She has compiled teaching materials (on CNC machining technology for young workers), which have contained years of her reading notes (from technical books) and the records of her experience in operating CNC lathes. Zhao has also taught, free of charge, many young workers. During the past several years, the studio has trained more than 500 CNC lathe operators, and has cultivated many highly skilled workers for the company. 

Zhao feels lucky that she has received so much honor. She says, "I'm just an ordinary, front line technical worker. Without my company's cultivation, I could not have had the opportunity to display my talent."

Photos by Wang Xiaohong

(Women of China English Monthly May 2023 issue)