Because of her firm request, the coach agreed to let her try the team for two months, but she had to quit if she couldn’t stick it out.

"We found that she did even better than the boys after the two months. She performed the best out of the four new students we recruited that year and became the priority for our attention," he added.

After two years of training in the team, Zheng demonstrated increasingly excellent welding techniques. In April, she won third prize in welding at the 45th World Skills Competition trials as the only female participant in her category. The eight-hour contest was so tough that many male participants quit before finishing.

"I have participated in four to five skill competitions so far and every time I was able to win an award," she said with pride.

"Many people are impressed by her perseverance and hard work. She endures dirty and dusty working environments and can hold heavy iron plates while welding. And her welding work is better than that of many boys," said Guo Zehao, a student who entered the school's elite team at the same time as Zheng.

"Every time the sparks hurt her eyes or the hot melted iron scalded her, she would deal with the wounds in private. She still chose to continue her welding path," Zheng's mother said.

In October, Zheng worked as an intern in a local branch company of China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, the nation's manufacturer of locomotives and rolling stock, and was very happy to receive instruction from the company's highly-experienced welding master, Zhang Zhong.

"My career goal now is to become a welding master. Though it’s a long way ahead, I will make efforts to reach it," she said.

Zheng has also become a role model in her school and the elite team no longer sets limits for female students in recruitment because of her.