The winner of the "July 1 Medal" will be introduced to you, Ai Aiguo, who has been working as a welder for more than 50 years and is an outstanding representative of the craftsman spirit.
During this period, 71-year-old Ai Aiguo still sticks to the front line, working with his colleagues to find the optimal welding solution for the project. Ai Aiguo, a native of Youxian County, Hunan Province, entered the Xiangtan Iron and Steel Plant in September 1968 and became a welding worker. He has been working for more than 50 years.
In 1983, the former Ministry of Metallurgical Industry organized many steel companies across the country to jointly develop a new type of tubular blast furnace tuyere. Welding the copper parts of the tuyere became the biggest difficulty of the project. Ai Aiguo, who was still an ordinary welder, volunteered for the job. After five months and hundreds of tests, he successfully mastered the copper welding technology. With this research, Ai Aiguo won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award.
For more than half a century, Ai Aiguo has been striving for excellence and continuous breakthroughs. Combining rich theoretical literacy and operational skills, Ai Aiguo has overcome more than 400 welding technical difficulties and improved processes for my country's metallurgy, military, mining and other industries. More than 120 products and 1 invention patent. He has won the National Employee Self-taught Talent Award, the Chinese Skills Award, and the National May Day Labor Medal.
For more than 50 years, Ai Aiguo has trained more than 600 welding technical talents across the country, and has also taught technology to more than 200 laid-off workers and rural youth for free.