In 2018, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions named him a Great Country Craftsman of the year, along with nine other individuals nationwide.

"The award doesn't belong just to me, but to all my team members. It's an honor to have taken part in China's self-developed Fuxing project, which is the fastest train in commercial operation in the world," he said.

The awards are the result of decades of practice, and an inquiring mind.

When he first began working, Li would study welding during his lunch breaks and stayed behind after work to practice in the workshop.

"Our company held a lot of competitions, so I made the best of any spare time to practice my skills, and improve my ranking," he recalled.

When there was no extra material available to practice on, Li would hunt for bits of scrap iron. He also visited more experienced welders to perfect his technique.

Li was dedicated to his job. The company required workers to finish 100 water tanks each month, but he would always try to weld at least 20 more.

In 1988, he came first in a competition organized by his workshop and in 1997, won three first prizes for three different welding methods in the Changchun Welder Competition.

As Li's reputation rose, he began to tackle more cutting-edge tasks. In 2007, he devised a method for welding a bogie's ring frame in a single go. These bogies were later used on China's then fastest bullet train, which was capable of speeds of 250 km/h.

"High speed demands high quality. Unlike trains that run at 80 km/h, any welding slag left on a bullet train bogie could result in a severe accident. Weldments must be identical, without flaws, so every one of them has to be a work of art."