[Beijing Winter Olympics] Daily work of China's only female ice maker: operating an ice repair truck that four boys can't lift

  [Concurrent] Zhang Zhiyuan ice maker

  We push the ice repair truck, the black one with two reels.

It's so heavy that 4 men can't lift it.

  [Explanation] The girl in the picture is Zhang Zhiyuan, a 27-year-old girl from Harbin.

In the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, Zhang Zhiyuan will appear in the curling competition as the only female ice maker in China.

Recently, Zhang Zhiyuan said in an exclusive interview with China News Agency that he was very introverted.

It was curling that changed her.

  [Concurrent] Zhang Zhiyuan ice maker

  Before I learned curling I was not talkative, I was a very introverted person.

Curling has changed me, so I think this may be the best arrangement.

Because curling is first and foremost a team project.

In curling, 4 people need to cooperate, and 4 people need to communicate during the whole process. First, they are forced to speak.

Later I found out that because when you went to learn curling, you must have been in contact with people outside your school and family, so there was still a change in your personality.

  [Explanation] Zhang Zhiyuan told reporters that it takes seven or eight days to make a relatively basic ice surface.

Sometimes it even has to work in the ice rink for nearly 18 hours straight.

In the face of high-intensity work, Zhang Zhiyuan said that he did not regret choosing this job, because the ice maker has its unique charm.

  [Concurrent] Zhang Zhiyuan ice maker

  I think it's more challenging. You have to think about how to fix your ice today according to the line the athletes are throwing.

And how can it reflect the level of an ice maker? It doesn't mean how difficult or difficult it is to do this process. In fact, the process of doing it and the operation of repairing it every day are not difficult at all, just normal.

But one is the ability to solve problems. There may be a sudden situation today. If you are experienced and you can judge it, you can solve the problem well.

For example, if there is a sudden power outage in the game, the cooling will stop after the power outage, and the ice surface may be affected.

This is what I have encountered, and it is a work of experience.

  [Commentary] Zhang Zhiyuan liked ice and snow sports since childhood, and later practiced curling.

After graduating from university, he went to study in the UK, and also chose his favorite sports management major, forming an indissoluble bond with curling.

At present, Zhang Zhiyuan is not only an ice maker, but also a coach of the Shanghai Curling Association.

From curlers to coaches to icemakers, curling accompanied Zhang Zhiyuan all the way.

But Zhang Zhiyuan recalled that at first her family and friends did not support her choice.

  [Concurrent] Zhang Zhiyuan ice maker

  To tell the truth, it was because of the Winter Olympics, these interviews, my family, my friends and classmates that I was in the ice maker industry, and only then did they know what an ice maker was.

Maybe my parents knew about it before, but I didn't think this thing could make a living or anything.

Pretty cool, because after all I didn't take the path my parents arranged.

  [Explanation] As a member of the Chinese ice maker team, Zhang Zhiyuan will assist the main ice maker to provide ice making services for the curling competition venues at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

After coming to the Winter Olympics as wished, Zhang Zhiyuan also talked about his next "curling dream".

  [Concurrent] Zhang Zhiyuan ice maker

  I also want to be the main ice maker for this kind of international competition in the future, or at least I can stand a little more stable in the ice making industry in China.

For example, the students I teach now are from Shanghai, and if they can enter the national team in the future, including if I can play international competitions in the future, it would not be very good for them to win glory for the country on the venue I made.

  Reported by Chi Hanyu in Beijing

Responsible editor: [Wang Shanshan]