Following trailblazer's path

Connection to the master

"I feel I have a connection to Zhan Gong," Yang said, referring to Zhan Tianyou. "I was born in 1962 and he was born in 1861, 101 years earlier. I was born and raised next to the railway he designed and built, and the year I began working there in 1981, his tomb was relocated next to it. For the 40 years I worked in the station, he was always with me."

The use of "Gong" when referring to someone is a respectful form of address in Chinese.

Yang admires Zhan so much that he has memorized the railway pioneer's writings.

His favorite is an article titled To Young Engineers. Yang took it as his motto and used it to guide his work. He even hung an excerpt in the station's exhibition room.

"Zhan Gong is more than an engineer, he is also a philosopher and a master of literature," Yang said. "Zhan is my master."

Yang's reverence for Zhan and his understanding of the railway accumulated during his 40 years on the job.

Qinglongqiao is not a big station. It has a track, a terminal that Yang has turned into a small exhibition room, a statue of Zhan, a small exhibition outside of old railway signs, the tombs of Zhan and his wife, and a famous willow tree that has been there for over 85 years. The station's sign still reads "Chinglungchiao", retaining its old transliteration from when the station was built. A thorough tour doesn't take more than 10 minutes.

This history aside, Yang admitted that doing the same work for decades was sometimes a bit boring, but said that he felt a great deal of responsibility.

"Every day on duty, safety was like a sword hanging over my head. It was like walking on thin ice my whole life," he said, adding that the first thing he did each morning was to get the weather report.

"When it was rainy, I worried. When it was snowy, I worried. When it was windy, I also worried. I never slept soundly."

Because of its location by the Great Wall and the mountains, he was always concerned that bad weather might destroy the railroad and interfere with operations.

"After taking over from my father, if I came home later than usual, his first question was usually: 'Was everything safe today?' That used to annoy me and I would tell him to stop asking. But now that my father is gone and I have a son, I sometimes wonder if my son took over from me, whether I might worry and ask him the same question. Safety is always the top priority, and my father always told me to be safe when I left home for work."