He Zhichao works at the construction site. (Photo/ts.cn)
It's mid-day under a strong sun on July 27, and He Zhichao is inspecting a construction site at Urumqi's new railway station.
He, 26, is a deputy project manager for the Xinjiang Branch of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau. Busy with building the north square of the landmark new station, He spares no time for a break at noon.
His demanding timetable calls for rising at 7 am and getting back to his dormitory until 1 or 2 am. He wears a white safety helmet and a basic white T-shirt and sports messy hair and facial stubble. With such a tight schedule, there isn't time to tend to his personal appearance.
"The square is a key part of the new station, and we must bring it to the people in time," he says.
The new railway station, namely Urumqi Railway Station, will be put into use at the end of the year.
It is at the west end of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed railway, which tremendously shortens the travel time from Urumqi to Lanzhou and Beijing.
What's more, 110 square meters of the new station will become a core of the Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone (Toutunhe District), boosting the development of the new town.
"With the support from the whole county, Xinjiang is a promising land full of development potential. It is a good place to build my career," He says.
In July 2011, after graduating from the Civil Engineering Department of Wuhan University, He was hired by the Xinjiang Branch of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau. Though his family in Hubei province didn't want him working that far away from home, he has reasons for his choice.
In April this year, He was promoted as a deputy project manager. Normally it takes eight or nine years to get to that position. But everything is at a faster pace in Xinjiang.
Since the construction of the new station started in April 2013, He has been working steadily, spending 10 months of the year at the construction site, taking only two days off per month. In the past two years, He has seen how modern architecture rises from bare land.
No matter how hectic the work is, he will view photos and video of his 10-month son via WeChat every day.
The baby is being raised by his wife back in Hubei. When He decided to work in Xinjiang, his then-girlfriend followed him and they married in December 2012. She went back to their hometown in Hubei after becoming pregnant.
He and his wife have been away from each other for about one and a half years. "It is really hard for her to raise the baby on her own," he says in a low voice.
The baby can say "mama" now, but can't say "papa" yet. He says he feels guilty about not being with his wife and the baby: "The only time I can spend with them is the winter break."
Now, He has two wishes after the construction is completed. The first one is to take many pictures of the new railway station, to let his friends and family know what a great project he's been working on. The second is to bring his wife and child back to Xinjiang, where they can happily live together.
