Guarding the Lights for Thousands of Homes

This is a set of labor education story books carefully compiled for young people. With “a better life is created by labor” as its core， it selects workers who love their jobs， forge ahead， pioneer and innovate， and tells their extraordinary stories.

On June 10， 2009， just before 9：30 a.m.， Hu Hongwei was standing beneath a power tower， preparing for his work. His colleagues had arrived early but were careful not to engage in too much conversation with him， not wanting to put extra pressure on him. This day was critical： It marked the national inspection of China’s ultra-high voltage （UHV） live-line maintenance research project. Ultra-high voltage live-line maintenance technology is often seen as the “diamond” on the crown of power transmission technology. When an insulator fails on a 1000-kilovolt UHV line， traditional replacement methods require a minimum three-hour power outage， resulting in a reduction of 15 million kilowatt-hours — equivalent to the daily electricity usage of a medium-sized city. Live-line maintenance， however， avoids this economic loss but presents uncontrollable risks， where the slightest mistake can be life-threatening for power line workers. Hu took a deep breath， cleared his mind， and focused himself with unwavering calm.

Hu Hongwei retired from the military in 2000 and joined the State Grid Hubei Electric Power Company’s ultra-high voltage （UHV） transmission maintenance center. In his years of working with electricity， he committed himself to learning and practice， striving to become a qualified power maintenance technician. In 2001， Hu participated in his first line maintenance task with his mentor， replacing spacer dampers on the Ge-Nan line （connecting the Gezhouba Converter Station in Hubei to the Nanhui Converter Station in Shanghai）. On his first day of live-line work， Hu struggled to keep up; while his mentor replaced eight spacers， he only managed three， and his mentor had to help him with the final section. That night， Hu couldn’t sleep， lying in bed as he replayed his mentor’s movements in his mind. The next morning， he sought out his mentor， asking for a hands-on demonstration. By the third day， Hu was replacing spacers even faster than his mentor， not only completing his task but also helping his mentor with another section.

In just a few years， Hu became a key technician in the second live-line maintenance team at the maintenance center. In 2008， due to his outstanding skills and physical endurance， he was chosen to participate in live-line maintenance trials on an ±800-kilovolt UHV transmission line. What does 800 kilovolts mean？ If any living creature were to touch this line， it would instantly turn into a fireball， reduced to ashes. To successfully complete the task assigned by the state， Hu trained rigorously every day， starting with UHV line-walking drills at 8 a.m.， moving to project simulations at 2 p.m.， and concluding with technical reviews at 5 p.m. Over six months of intensive training， he went through over 200 pairs of gloves， 14 pairs of work boots， and wore out seven sets of work clothes.

All his hard work and dedication has led to this day. At 9：30 a.m.， Hu put on his specially designed protective suit and climbed up the power tower. When he was still 1.5 meters away from the high-voltage line， a blinding arc of electricity formed between his potential equalization rod and the line， crackling with sparks. Unfazed， he hooked the rod onto the line and continued climbing until he secured himself onto the high-voltage line. At that moment， as he entered the same potential as the line， it felt as if countless tiny needles were pricking his face; his hair was tugged as if by an invisible force， and his ears buzzed loudly... After over an hour of intense work， Hu successfully completed all the tasks in the trial. The success of this experiment filled several global technical gaps and marked China as the first nation to master the full set of maintenance technologies for the highest voltage transmission lines. Hu Hongwei became the world’s first “warrior of the forbidden zone” to make intimate contact with ±800-kilovolt ultra-high voltage lines.

Later， someone asked Hu Hongwei， “Were you scared back then？” Hu replied， “Of course I was afraid， but someone had to do it. The country chose me， so I had to see it through， and I believed I could succeed.”

Transmission line failures affect the supply of electricity for daily life and production， so power maintenance workers must respond immediately whenever needed. Hu was well accustomed to this pace of work. In the office of his live-line maintenance team， he always kept a travel bag with his work clothes and personal items. Whether for emergency ice storm repairs， flood response， or military games power supply support， Hu would grab his bag and rush to each work site， racing against time. One day just before the 2018 Spring Festival， Hu’s team received an urgent task before the end of the workday： Several insulators had broken off due to high winds and freezing conditions along a UHV line at the border of Jingzhou and Jingmen. The safe operation of the main power grid artery was at risk. Without hesitation， Hu and his colleagues put aside their plans to celebrate the Chinese New Year with their families and hurried to the site. The snow-chilled winds on the Jianghan Plain were cutting. While making repairs， melted snow from the tower above dripped down their sleeves， soaking their arms with icy water. After over four hours of intense work， the insulators were replaced， and as Hu and his team descended from the tower， each of them was shivering from the cold.

In the summer of 2022， Hubei experienced an extreme heatwave， with electricity demand reaching record highs， making the task of ensuring power supply especially challenging. One day in July， while Hu’s team was patrolling the Shuangyu Line 1 in Zhaoshi Town， Tianmen City， they detected heat on a drain board using an infrared thermometer. “The drain board’s temperature was between 70-80℃， which was 20-30℃ higher than usual — a critical defect that must be immediately addressed！” After climbing the tower， Hu discovered that the conductive paste between the drain boards had dried up and cracked， causing resistance and heat buildup. Waves of heat rose from below， and the tower was scalding. Under the blazing sun， Hu spent over an hour doing high-altitude repairs， finally resolving the issue. By the time he completed the task， he was drenched in sweat; his white undershirt beneath the insulated suit was soaked through and could even be wrung out.

Neither biting cold nor scorching sun has ever deterred Hu Hongwei’s determined progress. Through years of changing seasons， he has climbed over 10，000 towers， logged more than 1，900 hours of live-line work， walked over 1，300 kilometers on high wires， and patrolled over 12，000 kilometers on the ground.

Electricity is one of nature’s most remarkable “magic powers” gifted to humanity， transforming human society and shaping the course of history. It’s deeply intertwined with our daily lives. When we enjoy the convenience of electricity in our homes， we shouldn’t forget the many power workers like Hu Hongwei who stand vigil， quietly dedicated to their work. For Hu， as long as he sees the lights illuminating countless homes at night， and his work bringing a better life to others， he feels an unwavering strength to keep moving forward.