Li Yanxia is always on the construction site of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Her daily routine includes dredging drainage ditches, repairing canal fences, weeding canal slopes, and controlling overflow.
"The construction site is the best place for people who are engaged in production and who dare to do what they think," she says with a smile. "It also broadens my vision and enables me to think thoroughly."
In her 30s, Li is a manager in charge of the daily maintenance work for the civil construction of the Zhengzhou section on the project's central route, for the project's contracting company the Yellow River Construction Engineering Group Co Ltd.
Hot summer days are the most difficult for Li's team in the channel. The heat at noon is unbearable, and the workers are working under the searing sun. Li worries that she and her staff could suffer from heat stroke, but she also worries not completing her tasks on time.
She would ask the workers to rest in the shade of the bridges through the hottest time of day, and she would join them on the mats and chat about the problems they encountered during construction.
At one such time, a worker said, "We are not experienced in barbed wire installation, which is time-consuming and laborious. It is not good-looking either, affecting the appearance of the project." In order to solve this problem, Li was busy asking for help as much as she could.
Li's hard work paid off. She learn that a neighboring management office who had done a good job installing the barbed wires, and she organized training sessions for her own team. Afterwards, she paid close attention to ensure that the installation was done properly.
"[Li] sets herself as a good example to the others, and she always stays at the construction site until all the work is finished," said a construction staff. "She is a diligent and hard-working manager who does not talk empty words."