Xu Zhenchao (center), awarded the title People's Craftsman, talks to students at a crafts class held in Shenyang, Liaoning province.

For Xu Zhenchao, a recipient of the title of People's Craftsman, it's not only about overcoming technical challenges with his skills; it's also about passing down the spirit of craftsmanship to future generations.

Xu, 75, who is the senior manager for equipment engineering and technology at Qingdao Qianwan Container Terminal, regularly visits frontline operations to exchange insights and share expertise.

Born into a working-class family in Rongcheng, Shandongprovince, Xu began his career as a dockworker at Qingdao Port in 1974. A decade later, at the age of 34, he was selected as one of Qingdao Port's first crane operators for container handling. Since then, he has pursued excellence in his role. Despite having only a middle school education, Xu taught himself English to study the circuit diagrams of crane control panels. Through repeated experimentation, he overcame numerous challenges and ultimately produced two complete sets of detailed circuit diagrams based on the actual circuit boards.

Over the past few decades, Xu has shattered the world record for container handling nine times, establishing the renowned "Zhenchao efficiency". Leading his team in technological innovation, he pioneered the "oil-to-electric" conversion for container gantry cranes, helping to significantly reduce production costs.

"I've worked with gantry cranes all my life, and I hope to help others grow quickly," Xu said.

In 2011, the Xu Zhenchao Model Worker Innovation Studio and Master Studio were both established, covering areas of 100 and 120 square meters respectively, and each accommodating more than 100 people.

Focusing on major topics such as smart ports, green ports, safety and quality, loading and unloading efficiency, equipment technology, and energy conservation, the two studios have established four innovation teams dedicated to efficiency, informatization, technology, and migrant workers. These teams tackle technical challenges in port innovation projects and play a leading role in summarizing achievements, innovative processes, and new project development.

The studios have advanced Xu's mentorship in "teaching, assisting, and guiding", providing a vital platform for skill exchange. This initiative continuously boosts the learning capacity, creativity, and expertise of technical personnel and key technicians. Since their establishment, the two studios have filed 108 national patents and completed 998 technological innovation projects.

"From carrying loads by hand to achieving mechanization and now automation, I have witnessed the changes at Qingdao Port over the decades. This progress is due to both national support and the hard work of dock workers," said Xu. "We must continue to invest in the training of technical workers, cultivating versatile talents to contribute to the construction of a world-class marine port."

Wang Ruyun, a senior electric welder technician from China Railway Baoji Bridge Group, is also committed to leading more people in tackling technical challenges through his innovation studio.

Bearing the responsibility of advancing new steel bridge welding technologies, the Wang Ruyun Model Worker Innovation Studio has been dedicated to overcoming key technical challenges. Leading a team through meticulous research, Wang and his teammates focused on welding tests for weather-resistant steel, ultra-thick steel plates, and ultra-high-strength steel plates. These efforts helped resolve critical bottlenecks in major domestic projects, such as China's first railway bridge built using weathering steel — the Zangmu Grand Bridge on the Lhasa-Nyingchi section of the Sichuan-Xizang Railway — and the nation's largest bridge steel tower — the Taizhou Bridge steel tower.

In 2024, Wang's studio launched three major research projects, generating two innovative outcomes and addressing a total of 18 production-related technical challenges. They also put forward 16 rationalization proposals and completed two quality control technician team research projects, providing crucial technical support for the construction of various large steel bridges within Baoji Bridge.

Since the establishment of the studio, Wang has trained five senior technicians, 12 technicians, and 25 senior workers. The studio has become a "university" for developing a highly skilled workforce, contributing to improvements in quality, efficiency, transformation, and innovation.

"In recent years, we have closely focused on high-quality corporate development and the reform of the industrial workforce. We have continuously promoted the establishment of model worker and craftsman innovation studios at all levels, providing relentless impetus for the development of new quality productive forces within the company," said Liu Jun, deputy Party secretary and chairman of the trade union at Baoji Bridge.

"It has been proven that model workers and advanced employees are the backbone of corporate innovation and development. By organizing them through the Innovation Studio platform, we engage in activities such as invention, creation, renovation, and tackling key challenges. These efforts help solve problems in production, operations, technology, and management, thereby enhancing the company's technological innovation capabilities, product transformation and upgrading capabilities, and market competitiveness," Liu said.