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Guo Kai is a wheel loader driver in Qingdao City of east China's Shandong Province. He gained national fame after appearing in two TV shows in August last year and January this year.

In them, he successfully used an igniter tied to the bottom of a 30-ton wheel loader to ignite fireworks hung seven meters above ground. He also created a Guinness world record by using a wheel loader to open 30 beer bottles in one minute.

It seems Guo has a special talent for operating the huge machine, but this talent isn't a gift from heaven. Behind the stunning skills are dedication, perseverance and hard work.

Guo was born in 1985 in a rural area of Shandong Province. His father fell ill when he was 16. To make ends meet, he gave up school and left home to find work in big cities.

Sadly, although he worked 13 to 14 hours every day, he earned little because of lack of education and professional skills, making him feel very discouraged.

His life changed in 2004, however, when he read a story in a newspaper about Xu Zhenchao, a model worker in the Qingdao Port who turned his blue-collar post into an outstanding performance. The story renewed Guo's ambitions for success.

In 2005, Guo became a wheel loader driver at Qingdao Port, responsible for loading and unloading ore from ships. To get familiar with operating the clumsy machine, he practiced more than 10,000 times during his daily work, and then used chopsticks to continue practice at home by night. In less than six months, he managed to develop excellent operating skills to produce a seven or eightfold increase in normal work efficiency.

To enhance his skill, Guo designed a game of opening beer bottles with wheel loader. The game required precise control of the machine in terms of direction, speed and power. Eventually, he was invited by state-owned China Central Television to show his talent, creating a Guinness record of the most beer bottles opened with a wheel loader in one minute.

Guo Kai maintains his wheel loader.[File photo]

As Guo became increasingly adept, he turned his focus to other links in the chain of work. He invented a mechanism that could save fuel worth 280,000 yuan (US$42,616) and cut down carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 1,000 tons per loader every year. He also invented a set of lubrication check devices that could save more than 300,000 yuan (US$45,660) in lubricant expenditure every year. Besides, he cooperated with co-worker Qiao Lun to produce more than 60 inventions that gained five state-level patents. All of these inventions are widely used in the Qingdao Port now.

Due to his outstanding performance, Guo was promoted to team leader in 2007 and became a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2009. His personal life also improved. With his increased salary he was able to afford treatment that cured his father's chronic illness, and he managed to buy an apartment of more than 130 square meters in Qingdao City.

Guo didn't keep the secrets of his success only to himself, however. In recent years, he has trained around 100 apprentices. To fire the young people's enthusiasm, he even created a 3D animation for teaching and learning along with his co-workers.

Such dedicated efforts have earned Guo many accolades. Over the past few years, he has been awarded more than 30 honorary titles, including Best Young Worker of China and Most Skillful Young Worker in China. What's more, he was nominated as a candidate for the title of National Outstanding Party Member in May. The result will be announced later this year during the celebration of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

"As long as you are willing to work hard, common people can also attain uncommon results," Guo said when reviewing his remarkable achievements.

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