Jiang Jianxiong — Zhejiang Company, East China Materials Business Division

Time flies and years pass like a shuttle. In the summer of 2019, I graduated from China Jiliang University with a major in Materials Chemistry and joined China Testing & Certification International Group Zhejiang Co., Ltd. with aspirations for the future, taking root at the grassroots frontline ever since. When I first entered the workplace, faced with unfamiliar standards, samples, original records, and test reports, I was full of enthusiasm but lacked experience, so I could only start with auxiliary work. However, I well understood the principle that “learning is like rowing upstream; if you do not advance, you retreat.” While diligently completing my own tasks, I humbly consulted colleagues and recorded key work points. Over time, I grew from a novice at a loss to a technical backbone capable of working independently, and began to independently undertake core tasks such as testing, training, and scope expansion.

As an old saying goes, “Stay true to the original aspiration, and you will reach your destination.” In this era where anyone with an AI assistant and the DeepSeek system can have the whole world, our original aspiration is often forgotten—“we have gone so far that we forget why we started.” In my view, the original aspiration is the dream made at the starting point of life, the goal we long to reach throughout our lives. As a grassroots inspector, every test is an exploration of the unknown and a commitment to testing quality. I will continue to uphold this responsibility and mission, act as an inputter of big data, provide technical support to our customers, be responsible for our testing data, keep my original aspiration firmly in mind amid the trivial and complicated testing work, shine and contribute, and move forward with courage and determination. Testing work is my main battlefield and also a furnace that tempers my abilities. Receiving, testing, and processing thousands of sample groups every year has exposed me to many challenges: how to arrange time efficiently, calibrate equipment accurately, and use reference materials and methods in a standardized way. Every sudden equipment failure, sample preparation difficulty, or fluctuation in environmental parameters is a test for me. To ensure testing progress, I often work overtime late into the night, adhering to “finish today's work today” to ensure that customer needs are met in a timely manner. With a rigorous attitude and stable output, I have gradually won the trust of colleagues and leaders.

The little bits of accumulation in ordinary posts will eventually converge into a staircase of growth. In 2020, in order to expand its construction engineering testing business, the company urgently needed personnel to obtain relevant work qualification certificates. I proactively signed up and used my rest time to participate in training for foundation, steel structure, and main structure testing. Through video learning, off-site practical operation, and repeated drills, I finally passed the assessment smoothly. The moment I held the certificate, I felt extremely proud—this was not only recognition of my personal ability but also injected momentum into the company's efforts to open up new business.

In 2023, when the company applied for High-Tech Enterprise status, I was responsible for leading the research project “A Gypsum Product Test Sample Preparation Device.” From drawing design and material procurement to device commissioning and improvement, my team and I worked day and night to tackle key problems and put forward multiple innovative solutions. When the project passed acceptance and obtained a utility model patent, the cheers in the laboratory still linger in my ears. This experience made me understand: grassroots scientific research is not out of reach; as long as we keep our feet on the ground, even a glimmer of light can become a torch.

In 2024, the Tonglu Fire Resistance Limit Laboratory construction project was launched. As the company's first off-site laboratory, its success or failure would affect the future business layout. My department colleagues and I stayed on site for two weeks, completing equipment installation, sample commissioning, and the first ignition test. In the following months, we frequently traveled back and forth to Tonglu, and ultimately successfully obtained CMA qualification and completed testing of more than ten sample groups. Watching the empty factory building transform into a standardized laboratory, I deeply realized the meaning of “no effort is wasted”—every drop of sweat is accumulating strength for tomorrow's harvest.

Looking back on my grassroots years, hardship and achievement are intertwined, and sweat and growth go hand in hand. In the future, I will continue to improve my professional capabilities with a pragmatic attitude and devote myself to deep cultivation in the testing field. At the same time, I also hope that higher authorities can provide more resource support and professional guidance, so that our grassroots team can move more steadily and further in technological innovation and service upgrading. May the light of fireflies converge into a long-burning river of stars for the development of the industry.