Heated discussion

Gu Huijing, 17, a schoolgirl in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, has become a hot topic on Chinese social media.

In April, Gu won first prize in a competition for vehicle maintenance in Dongguan city, Guangdong, which attracted 33 teams from across the province.

News of a female winning such a competition trended on Sina Weibo, generating heated discussion over gender and career choices.

One netizen said: "Women should not be influenced by old-fashioned thinking, but should do whatever it takes to discover their interests and strengths. There are more possibilities out there."

Gu said: "Many people think vehicle maintenance is a job for men. That's a stereotype. I don't think gender has anything to do with choice of occupation."

She became interested in robots and driverless cars after watching car-themed movies such as Fast & Furious and Transformers when she was at primary school.

Born in 2004, Gu decided to major in automobiles while she was in junior high school.

When she told her parents this, they were surprised. "They thought I was joking, but they respected my decision and advised me to take responsibility for my decisions, no matter how hard things were in the future," she said.

Driven by passion, Gu is also a realist. "I think the future of the automobile industry is bright, because we cannot live without vehicles. We also obviously need food, clothes and houses," she said.

When she started learning about cars in 2019, she was often confused by their different parts and circuit diagrams.

"I thought it couldn't be that hard to repair cars when I started to take the course, but I was totally wrong," Gu said.

In addition to lessons in math, English and Chinese, the course covers chassis maintenance, engine reassembly and circuit diagram recognition. "For me, the most difficult part is reading the circuit diagrams," Gu said.

She began preparing for the competition in Dongguan two months after starting junior high school.

"Competition at our school is intense, so I had to work hard to stay in the running," she said.

Although still a sophomore, she was required to compete against seniors.

From 8 am to 5 pm, Gu had lessons as usual, but at night she attended a training camp with about 30 students.

Her teacher once tried to persuade her to give up, as she was a sophomore, was not as knowledgeable as the seniors, and because no women had ever been selected for the competition. "But I insisted that I would carry on," Gu said.

Even though she is taller than many of her peers at 1.70 meters, she is not strong enough to carry some heavier car parts, but constant training and hard work won her the chance to represent her school in the competition.

"My record for reassembling an engine is 26 minutes－some 30 seconds less than the school record," said Gu, who enjoys photography and playing chess in her spare time.

Thanks to her outstanding performance in the competition, she received an offer from a college in Shenzhen, and she does not need to take the national college entrance exam, or gaokao.

Gu said she wants to choose a career related to automobiles, but before doing so, she has another mission.

"The first thing to do when I turn 18 is get a driver's license. I can't wait to drive," she said.

Gu was busy during the summer vacation, when she was interviewed several times by national and local media.

"I'm happy to give these interviews, which are valuable and meaningful for me. I treasure the chance to let more people know about vehicle maintenance," she said.

Tangping or "lying flat"－a trend among young people related to working less, or not at all－is becoming a buzzword, but not for Gu.

"I have a goal and I will work harder to make it happen. I will be responsible for my choices," she said.

Gu has a bigger ambition for the new semester, which started on Sept 1.

"The next goal is to represent my province in a national competition," she said. "If possible, I also want to take part in the World-Skills Competition and demonstrate Chinese craftsmanship to more people."