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"If I could not overcome a technical problem in making a new product, it would keep me up for nights," said 59-year-old Mao Lasheng, a man who builds "coats" for China's home-made guided missiles.

Mao Lasheng, a sand molder working for the country's largest missile manufacturer, has seen his products paraded in Tian'anmen Square four times. [Photo/Xinhua]

Mao works at a factory under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the nation's largest missile manufacturer. For the past nearly four decades, Mao has been making the sand mold used in casting the outer part that wraps a guided missile.

The sand molding of the outer part of a missile is handled by human hands, instead of machines, due to its complicated structure and large size. Not even the slightest error can be made in the molding process. The surface of the sand mold should be perfectly smooth and clean, without any pore or crack. Otherwise, the product is discarded.

The job requires a worker to squat on the ground for more than 10 hours a day to keep a flexible position.

"The early days in the workshop were hard for me," recalled Mao Lasheng. "After squatting for only 20 minutes, my legs trembled and I felt sore in the thighs."

"To overcome tiredness, I squat no matter whether I was eating or reading. Through repeated practice, I gradually adapted myself to long hours of squatting," said Mao.

Besides making the sand molds, the job also involves a lot of moving and turning the sand molds. Mao's right shoe sole was rubbed thinner than other parts as a result of repeated use.

A junior middle school graduate, he could not even read a blueprint when he entered the factory. For that, he was often scolded by his mentor.

"My mentor's generation might have poor academic education, but they never gave up when it came to practical work," said Mao, recalling the work ethic of his mentor.

After a lot of practice and continuous learning, Mao himself rose from obscurity to become a skilled sand molder. He could tell the texture and hardness of sand simply by touching it.

In 2006, the factory Mao worked at was tasked with making the outer part for a key type of guided missile in the country. While the lab test fared well, the practical trial failed more than 20 times because of cracks in the mold. Despite many rounds of analysis by experts, they could not find the flaw.

It was then that Mao Lasheng was tasked with finding out the problem.

Mao moved into the laboratory, bringing food with him, amid many doubtful voices. After two days of experiments, and repeated trial-and-error, Mao finally walked out the lab with bloodshot eyes to the people waiting outside to find out how the problem was solved.

"It is truly amazing. The problem that puzzled senior engineers was solved by a blue collar worker," said Yu Kaisheng from the science and technology committee of the factory.

It was the fourth time that a product Mao Lasheng made was displayed in Tian'anmen Square when the HQ-12 air-defense missile was paraded in the Victory Day military parade held in Beijing on Sept 3 last year.

With the development of new military equipment, Mao feels more pressure. "The new material should be lighter, with higher strength and heat resistance. I could not sleep for nights when I could not overcome a technical problem," said Mao.

To keep up with new developments, Mao immerses himself in books when he has spare time.

Mao is an introverted man who is not good at communicating, even with his family. "As far as the job is concerned, it's okay for me to talk with people. But when it comes to matters in life, I am not good at it," he said.

With his parents having passed away years ago, his daughter working away from home, and most of his acquaintances in the workshop having retired, Mao talked even less in recent years.

"Sometimes I go to the workshop and play with the sand by making them into different shapes," said Mao. "Sand is just like children, it does what I tell it to."

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