According to CCTV News, significant progress has been made in the construction of Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel section on the Guangzhou Zhanjiang High Speed Railway. On the third day of the Chinese New Year, the shield tunneling machine will pass through the piles of the Zhanjiang Bay Bridge at a distance of only 0.9 m. As the tunnel major leader of CRDC Guangzhou Zhanjiang High Speed Railway General Contracting Project, our senior brother Huo Sixùn from Mao Yisheng Class 2008, introduced the construction of the Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel. He stayed at the engineering frontline with the team during the Spring Festival to ensure the smooth progress of the project.
On the first day of the Chinese New Year, we contacted Huo Sixun via video who was still inspecting the drawings in the office and conducted a brief interview, inviting Huo Sicxun to share his experience and feelings on the engineering frontline with the faculty and students of the Institute. The following was the interview made by a core student:
Q: Hello senior brother, before the official interview, could you please give us a brief introduction to the Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel? In terms of social benefits, what are the expected results of the completion of the Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel?
Well, the Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel is a part of the Guangzhou Zhanjiang high-speed railway that runs underneath the Zhanjiang Bay. In order to reduce the impact on navigation, roads, urban buildings, and other aspects, we have chosen the tunnel method to cross the bay and city after comprehensive consideration, and constructed the Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel.
In terms of social effects, there are currently only two bridges across the bay in Zhanjiang City, with limited traffic conditions. After the completion of the Guangzhou Zhanjiang Railway, citizens can take high-speed rail to pass through the Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel, improving the traffic conditions in Zhanjiang City.
Q: Spring Festival is approaching and you and your team are still sticking to the construction line. Thank you for your effort. What makes you and your team choose to remain on the engineering frontline during the Spring Festival?
There are two main reasons why we cannot go home for the Spring Festival. The first is that there are still 20 tunnels under design for Guangzhan Railway, and drawings need to be reviewed during the holiday period. Second, the Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel under construction will cross laterally the bridge piles of Zhanjiang Bay Bridge on the third day of Chinese New Year. The net distance between the shield tunneling machine and the bridge piles is only 0.9m, which is highly complex in domestic projects. Although full preparations have been made, on-site monitoring and control are also required to ensure that there is no risk.
Q: After graduating from the civil engineering major of the Institute, you have been deeply engaged in the forefront of civil construction engineering for many years. Do you have any impressive experiences or feelings?
I was selected in Mao Yisheng Class when enrolled in 2008 by the Institute. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 2012. After graduating with a master's degree in structural engineering in 2015, I joined China Railway Design Group to design railway tunnels. I have been working for 7 years now, growing from an assistant engineer to a senior engineer.
To be emotional, the first thing is that work is really hard. Whether it's the designer, constructor, owner, or real estate industry, there is a lot of overtime work, and young people need to be prepared to endure hardship when they first start working.
The second is that the accumulation of technical and social experience requires a long-term process and long-term exploration. Being a conscientious person in work and life, diligent in learning and summarizing, gradually your own work ideas can develop, and you can gain a foothold in the industry, and work will become easier.
The third is to attach importance to the platform provided by the school and connect more with classmates and alumni. The total number of students in School of Future Technology is not large, but in the future, students may engage in many industries and fields, therefore, we should cherish our classmates and alumni. Let's make more communication. Any work never can be done alone.
Q: Education emphasizes the unity of knowledge and action, and the combination of books and reality. May I ask how do you become an important practitioner of great power project today by putting knowledge into practice step by step from a theoretical learner on paper?
In fact, for "future technology" or "major technology", it is often a long process from books to practice. The theoretical knowledge on the books is very important, which is the basis of any discipline. But when it comes to job, even for the same major in the school, it is also divided into many types of work, which have different requirements for professional knowledge in width and depth. First, the students need to lay the theoretical foundation well and then gradually enrich it in practice as required.
Second, the students shall pay attention to the methodology for problem solving. We not only learn knowledge in the university, but also gradually form our own ways to solve problems. By mastering the methods of learning, scientific research and social communication, when we meet any problem after stepping into the society, we can solve it in a more efficient manner.
Third, we shall know how to seize the opportunity. Even with strong personal ability, one still can't be successful without platform and opportunity. We shall learn to find an opportunity and seize an opportunity. Opportunities are always for those who are well prepared.
Q：What do you think has influenced you mostly during your four-year undergraduate career in the school?
In my four years as an undergraduate, I study in Maoyisheng Class of Qiushi Honor College, and also an active member of the school. In the four years, I am influenced mostly in the following three aspects.
First, my career planning has changed significantly. From a single major at the time of admission to final selection of my ideal major through 2 years of learning and understanding, I learned relevant knowledge of civil engineering and tunnel major, which has profoundly changed my personal career development in the future.
Second, no matter for the former school or the present-day School of Future Technology, it is a composite discipline platform. Therefore, learning in such an environment expands my field of vision and improves my comprehensive ability, which is very useful in my later work.
Third, the school provides very good learning and practice platforms. Excellent students create a good atmosphere, which is of great inspiration for personal learning and growth.
In general, I have a deep feeling and also benefit a lot in retrospect.
Q: Brother, what would you like to say to your younger brothers and sisters?
Well. I also have a lot that I want to share with everyone from my personal work experience.
First, professional basic knowledge shall be learned well. Professional knowledge is an open sesame, which is an absolute principle no matter where you are.
Second, career planning shall be made as early as possible to choose a good industry. The School of Future Technology focuses on future technology. So, it has a lot of uncertainty. Therefore, in the phase of undergraduate, we shall firstly have a comprehensive understanding of job contents in the major and the field in width, and then in year 3 and year 4 of undergraduate, we can select an interesting field to understand in details and select a field for future development based on practice and industry development.
Third, I suggest that internship and practice be made on holidays. There are great differences between school and job content. It surely has a certain limitation only by asking some individuals. You can have a clearer knowledge of this industry only by personal experience. For undergraduate in school as fresh graduate, there is a policy support in China. The first job is very important. The range available for selection is very limited for job hopping. So, you shall have a clear positioning for yourselves. Especially for the students of School of Future Technology, we shall have higher requirements for ourselves and try to strive for an important post in an important industry.
Forth, we shall have confidence in ourselves, and be free from arrogance and impetuosity. All roads lead to Rome. For any post, once we do seriously, we can make achievements.
Fifth, I will give some suggestions to the students in Maoyisheng Class. Objectively, any industry has a certain periodicity. Engineering industry is relatively stable at present. On the whole, you will often work overtime or go on a business trip if you select the engineering industry. The students shall make a cool judgement and analysis for career to select your own growth road based on your own development planning. Similarly, the engineering industry has a large engineering volume, which is of great benefit to the improvement of personal ability and cultivation of vision of overall situation. This is also a fortune in life. If you plan to be engaged in the engineering industry in the future, you shall learn professional knowledge well in an earnest manner, cultivate your external action and internal mind and get things done step by step.
