A future city in the making

"Working in the construction industry is dangerous and tiring. You spend most of the year working and living in the construction site, and can only go home on holidays."

Shi followed a fixed routine six days a week with one day off. He started his day at 8 in the morning and got off work at 6 in the afternoon if he didn't have an extra shift. His main duty was to make sure that every project was properly finished by time with a good quality.

The 32-year-old engineer thought of himself as one of the luckiest people in the world this year. "My daughter was born on May 12, and I make video calls every night with her," said Shi, who subconsciously crossed his fingers and felt the gold wedding ring on his left ring finger.

Living in Xiong'an, just 2 hours' drive from his home Tangshan, Shi couldn't go back home often, as he was in charge of over 130 workers and needed to ensure their safety and work. While he wasn't there all the time for his family and couldn't watch his beloved daughter grow, Shi was attentive and rigorous with his work, and was glad to see new buildings rising and thriving on the horizon of Xiong'an, a future city in the making.