How should young people navigate their journey in this era? In today's China, young employees of state-owned enterprises are providing a resounding answer through their actions. On the path to promoting high-quality economic development, a group of daring and driven youth are dedicating themselves to the vast fields of new energy, new industries, and new equipment. They leave their footprints in the depths of the Gobi Desert, on the front lines of scientific research, and in manufacturing plants, allowing the flowers of youth to take root and bloom where the country needs them most.
Oriented by a sense of national duty, choices often determine one's future direction. For some young people, it is precisely the choice to gain experience at the grassroots level that has given their lives a clear course. In Santanghu Town, Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County, Hami City, Xinjiang, rows of wind turbines over a hundred meters tall stand on the endless Gobi Desert, while dark photovoltaic panels shimmer like the sea. This is China's first "desert-Gobi-wasteland" new energy transmission base—the large-scale wind-solar power base on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang. New energy accounts for over 70% of its installed capacity, enabling it to transmit more than 21.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually to Chongqing.
When construction began in 2023, the area was desolate for dozens of kilometers. That year, dozens of university graduates from across the country packed their bags and arrived, forming a youth突击队 dedicated to tackling the challenges of the "desert-Gobi-wasteland" base. With an average age of just 28, they all made the same choice: to advance westward and shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding national energy security. "We knew it would be tough and exhausting, but the sweat we shed contributes to ensuring national energy security, and we find fulfillment in that," said Ma Zijian, a member of the youth突击队 from Xinjiang Huadian Tianshan Power Generation Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Huadian Xinjiang Company.
By the end of 2025, China's cumulative installed capacity of wind and solar power is expected to exceed 1.8 billion kilowatts. The transformation of the new energy industry is profoundly reshaping the global energy landscape and supply chain system, generating employment demand across the entire chain—from planning and design, equipment manufacturing, to construction, operation, and maintenance. More young people, like the members of the youth突击队, are finding paths to realize their life's value on the front lines of energy supply.
For young people, the grassroots level is precisely where they can realize themselves and dedicate their passion. As industrial upgrades and national strategic layouts continue to advance, the landscape of grassroots work is undergoing profound changes. Positions that were once overlooked have now become hubs for new technologies and industries, opening vast opportunities for young talent to showcase their abilities.
Looking back today, members of the Luo Yang Youth突击队 for hydrogen-energy drones at AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd., who are in their 30s, admit that everything has exceeded their initial expectations. "We started exploring simply because the domestic hydrogen-energy drone sector was a blue ocean. We never imagined that this long-endurance, quiet hybrid hydrogen-energy drone could actually reach productization, let alone anticipate the wave of the low-altitude economy," said Tang Peng, a team member who graduated from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
Starting from scratch in 2022, they explored hydrogen energy propulsion technology and have since developed a product-level drone that integrates hydrogen energy, lithium batteries, and solar power—a "tri-energy" system. They set a domestic record by achieving continuous flight for 30 hours with a long-endurance, quiet hybrid hydrogen-energy drone. Today, their drones are not only making significant contributions in fields like domestic forest patrols but have also become a standout "Chinese name card" in the low-altitude economy sector.
Riding the winds of the times, the Luo Yang Youth突击队 for hydrogen-energy drones has soared alongside the aircraft they send into the sky. According to predictions from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, China's low-altitude economy market is expected to exceed 35 trillion yuan by 2035. Below a thousand meters, opportunities abound. This blue ocean of employment is opening its arms to young people, waiting for them to explore infinite possibilities in this vast arena.
The grassroots level has always been the best classroom for tempering talent and forging backbone personnel. By settling into their roles, enduring solitude, and delving deep into their work, young people hone their skills through day-to-day persistence. In the heavy-duty gas turbine manufacturing workshop located in Deyang, Sichuan, the precision casting production line operates around the clock. Young members of the Dongfang Turbine precision casting technology team repeatedly optimize parameters to ensure that the turbine blades of heavy-duty gas turbines can withstand the challenges of high temperatures, high pressure, high rotational speeds, and high corrosion during operation.
"The turbine blade is the core component of a gas turbine. Previously, we were constrained by foreign technology. Its complexity, long precision casting process, and over 160 intertwined influencing factors meant we had to find the optimal solution amidst contradictions," said team member Zhang Qiongyuan.
Upon learning that Dongfang Electric Group was establishing a laboratory in Deyang to tackle critical "bottleneck" technological challenges, a group of ambitious young graduates from universities such as Tsinghua University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and Xi'an Jiaotong University flocked to the opportunity. Over the next decade, they dedicated their youthful passion to the laboratory and workshop, determined to overcome this challenge in the equipment manufacturing industry.
After more than ten years of relentless research, in 2020, China's first domestically developed F-class 50-megawatt heavy-duty gas turbine (G50) achieved full-load operation for the first time. In 2023, this model successfully achieved grid-connected power generation and officially entered commercial operation. Zhang Qiongyuan still remembers the day the G50 achieved full-load operation, when team members embraced each other in tears, followed by a series of awards and achievements. "It felt like a breath we had been holding in our chests was finally released. For researchers, there's no greater sense of accomplishment than seeing their work bear fruit," he said.
When the youth are strong, the country is strong; when the youth are capable, development gains momentum. From super projects that solidify the foundation of development to technological breakthroughs that open future pathways, from safeguarding people's livelihoods and protecting the well-being of millions to serving the broader mission and fulfilling responsibilities, state-owned enterprises shoulder significant responsibilities and build platforms. They attract generation after generation of young students to dedicate themselves to the grassroots level, pursue their dreams, and write a youth答卷 on the questionnaire of the times that is worthy of their youth and their mission.
Comments