China's first self-developed bullet train, the Fuxing, might be the best symbol of the nation's speed. The world-class train is made in the northeastern city of Changchun, capital of Jilin Province.

It's hard to imagine that just four decades ago, manufacturers were still finding their way. Seventy-six-year-old Li Shizhong who has retired from CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles remembers the early days that they did many odd jobs on a rotating schedule just to build a proper plant for formal production. "The conditions were very bad – no dust collectors, and lighting was poor," Li added.

It was through perseverance that Li saw the birth of China's first underground vehicle. At that time, there was no experience in creating new designs, but only drawings for workers to refer to. He recalled that once he was told to process some intricate components he had never seen before in a short time. "After staying up all night and catching a cold, I nearly gave up. My wife encouraged me to keep trying hard and not to worry about failure. Finally I made it," said Li proudly.

Decades on, the model worker's master hand and hard work ethic have been successfully passed down to his son Li Wanjun, who has become a chief operator at the company, hailed as the nation's "master of high-speed train welding."

Just like the generation before him, Li has also overcome many technical barriers while producing the most advanced vehicles for foreign clients. More importantly, he has realized his father's unfulfilled dream – building China's own high-speed train.

But the younger man realized that new challenges are lying ahead as they now face different demands from home and abroad. He agreed that skilled workers should first master manual skills to finish high-quality products. "But that is not enough today, we also need to innovate and to learn about the latest intelligent manufacturing," Li pointed out.

‍In the past 30 years, Li Wanjun had also worried about his career path but finally he turned down many foreign companies' offers and stayed because of a better working environment and a bright industry prospect. He set up his own studio and began to train young talent, leading them to secure a series of industrial criteria and national patents. And his team is now also growing at an unprecedented speed.

Li told us that he found young people nowadays are better educated and more realistic. "They are living in better times and they know that as long as you keep improving your skills, your hard work will pay off and the company and the nation will honor you. They are no longer humble about being technical workers."

While a number of people quitting their jobs in the difficult early days, more workers like the Li family have endured the darkest of times, and embraced the industry's grandest achievements. And this glory is all kept in the company's archives, which now Li Wanjun's daughter Li SIqi, the youngest girl of the family, is looking after.

Following the same path, the young lady is starting at a basic job level as a clerk. She said she was currently busy with work, as the company is quickly growing with more exports and construction projects.

"My father and grandfather all look forward to me succeeding them. And I'm learning from their spirit – to do the basic jobs to perfection," said Li.

Over the past decade, China's railway sector has grown by leaps and bounds after starting much later than other countries. While many wonder how China has grown from an industry newcomer into a major player, the Li family believed that it is generations of dedicated workers that have driven China's high-speed train manufacturing and they will continue to take it to the top.