At China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Ma Zhongquan has spent more than 20 years on Niutou Mountain, witnessing the country's space program advance while building a career defined by dedication and growth.

As a rocket blasts off, Ma and his colleagues keep their eyes fixed on their screens on Niutou Mountain, just a few kilometers away. Their job is to track the rocket from the very first moments of its flight.

They also operate a specialized safety control system, ready to respond if a rocket poses a threat to the launch site or areas along its flight path.

“Knowing that we are here gives our launch team peace of mind. We describe ourselves as a sword that is always ready, but never drawn,” Ma said.

As a teenager, Ma watched a rocket launch with his father. The moment left a deep impression on him. He began to understand how closely a country's technological progress was connected to the hopes of ordinary people.

“My father had been so excited, but suddenly he became very quiet. That was the first time I realized that the country wasn't so far removed from our own family,” he recalled.

In 2003, Ma volunteered for a post at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, taking on work in a remote mountain location where even access to drinking water was a challenge. He stayed on, witnessing two decades of technological change as equipment evolved from analog systems to automated tracking and data transmission.

“I've witnessed step by step how China's space program has grown stronger. I've taken part in missions involving BeiDou, lunar exploration and Mars exploration. I've been part of that journey,” Ma said.

Beyond his work at the launch center, Ma also visits schools to share the story of China's space program with the next generation.

“I hope to plant a seed of interest in space in every child's heart. Who knows? One day, it might take root and grow, just as it did for me,” he said.

But years of dedication on the mountain have also meant missing precious moments with his family. Asked whether a particular moment had stayed with him over the years, Ma recalled a difficult time when his family needed him.

“My wife called to tell me our child had a fever. She wanted me to come home and help, but I really couldn't leave because the mission was underway,” he said.

It was a difficult reminder that the demands of a mission can reach deep into family life.

In 2007, China successfully launched Chang'e-1, its first lunar probe. The achievement also brought Ma a personal message of encouragement from his former primary school teacher.

“My primary school teacher called and said, ‘I'm proud of you.’ I used to think that serving the country through aerospace was just a slogan. But at that moment, those words took on real weight,” Ma said.

Ma has also begun documenting the stories of those who have worked on Niutou Mountain. A poem he wrote about the mountain has also been engraved on its wall.

“I want future generations to know that a group of people on this mountain devoted themselves to their work and achieved something extraordinary,” he said.

In his spare time, Ma picks up his colored pencils to sketch the launch center and the mountain across the changing seasons. Over the years, he has captured not just the mountain's changing landscape, but also his deep connection to it.

Looking back on his journey, Ma was asked what his generation of aerospace workers had been protecting and what mission they would carry forward.

“China's space program is itself a Long March toward the universe. The older generation took us from zero to one and laid the foundation for us. The spirit of perseverance, truth-seeking and innovation at Xichang is also part of this Long March,” he said.

For more than 20 years, the technology has changed. China's space program has reached farther. Through every mission and every story he records, Ma continues his own journey. For him, the Long March of China's space program is also the Long March of his life.