Technician devotes decades to development of China's aero-engine industry

Hong Jiaguang measures a tool part at a workshop of Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine Co., Ltd. in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Jan. 3, 2018. [Xinhua]

SHENYANG -- At 7:30 a.m., Hong Jiaguang enters an aero-engine company in northeast China's Shenyang City, switching on machines and meticulously polishing tools used to produce engine parts.

Hong, tall and lean with thin-rimmed glasses, is known by co-workers for his endless pursuit of excellence and innovation. The technician from AECC Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine Co., Ltd. has spent decades devoting to both his job and China's development of aero engines, and he has been elected as a delegate to the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"Aero engines are hi-tech and sophisticated products composed of tens of thousands of parts," the 43-year-old said. "My job is to develop tooling for aero-engine production, which requires a high level of precision."

With a long list of honors to his name -- including China's top science and technology awards -- Hong has been engaged in manufacturing for 24 years, completing more than 200 tooling technological innovations and solving over 340 problems that stalled the progress of the sector.

At the age of 19, Hong went straight from a vocational school to AECC Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine Co., Ltd. He has never forgotten his days as a newcomer to the industry. "Every CPC member in the company was an inspiration to all, particularly for our young technicians."

Zhang Fengyi, a senior technician with more than 40 years of experience, would work all day in the workshop in an immaculate white shirt, Hong recalled.

"He told me that even a piece of debris thinner than a human hair that got stuck in the machine would jeopardize the processing of engine parts, and preciseness is the prerequisite for our work," Hong said.

Hong has since maintained the meticulous habits of wearing pristine overalls and wiping the lathe machines three times a day.

He is an everyday craftsman with a brave soul, defeating whatever challenges life throws his way.

A few years ago, he volunteered to break the technical bottleneck in aero-engine blade processing. After more than four years of research and numerous tests, Hong and his team developed a precision grinding technique for the blades, which significantly improved the quality of the products.

In 2015, the company established a workstation named after Hong, which attracted numerous young technicians, and many of them have since become his apprentices.

"I hope the spirit of craftsmanship can help more young people navigate their work. As a CPC member, I want to inspire others and pass on what I learned from veteran Party members," Hong said. 

Hong Jiaguang looks at a technical drawing at a workshop of Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine Co., Ltd. in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Jan. 3, 2018. [Xinhua]

Hong Jiaguang reads a book at an office of Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine Co., Ltd. in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 9, 2022. [Xinhua/Yang Qing]

Hong Jiaguang operates a machine at a workshop of Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine Co., Ltd. in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Jan. 3, 2018. [Xinhua]