Zhang Tiancheng, head of a maintenance team for Zhengzhou Locomotive Depot of the Zhengzhou Railway Bureau, has been working for 32 years as a locomotive painter. He leads his team to paint locomotives in a closed workshop. In summer, workers wear thick protective clothing in the workshop, which is often hotter than 40 C.

"We paint more than 70 diesel locomotives each year," Zhang said. "The heavy work and tough working environment scared away a lot of young people."

The team consists of seven people with an average age of 49. It usually takes the team three or four days to paint a locomotive.

A worker paints the wheels of a locomotive in Zhengzhou city, Henan province, on July 15, 2012.[Photo/Xinhua]

Workers stand on a locomotive they had been working on and take a picture in Zhengzhou city, Henan province, on July 15, 2012.[Photo/Xinhua]