Holidays on hold for Hangzhou 2022's dedicated construction workers

Even though Wang Zhongxian lives close to the construction site where he works, as chief of the project, going back home during the National Day holiday was not among his options.

"For us construction workers, a holiday is a luxury," said Wang, who despite his heavy workload always wears a smile on his tanned face.

Wang is in charge of the construction of Gongshu District Chengxi Sports Park Stadium and Gymnasium, a venue for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Renovated from an urban village, it will host table tennis and hockey competitions during the Games, the 19th edition of the Asiad. After the completion of the Games, it will become a public sports park.

"We are faced with a challenging task under a tight schedule. Although I'm close to home, I can't go back," said Anhui-born Wang, who moved to Hangzhou a few years ago. "All of us miss our homes and families. I just can't leave my colleagues and workers here working while I enjoyed the holiday."

He was joined by Yang Junkai, who is tasked with the managerial work of the project. The 33-year-old didn't manage to spend the Chinese New Year holidays with his family back in Hubei province due to his tight work schedule and the COVID-19 outbreak. Golden Week was no different.

"This is my last chance this year, of course I want to go back home,"Yang admitted. "But the project is in a crucial phase right now, which requires concerted efforts from every one of us."

So far, the steel roof frame of Chengxi Sports Park Gymnasium has been completed. Now work is underway on its curtain wall, which will make the stadium resemble the 'jade cong', an exemplary artifact from Liangzhu Culture which dates back some 5,000 years.

"This is the most difficult part of the entire project," said Han Guoli, deputy chief of urban village renovation projects in Gongshu district."Every day about 1,000 workers are on site and an additional 1,300 to 1,500 will be needed once we move on to interior decoration and landscaping around the building.

"We are confident we can finish the project as scheduled next year."

Many Wangs, Yangs and Hans, hailing from different parts of the country, are staying on the construction sites as work on the Games venues continued apace during the holiday.

Thanks to their dedication, 41 of the 45 Games venues will be finished by the end of March 2021, according to organizers.

Meanwhile, preparations for the Games are also in full swing, with the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) holding various activities to celebrate the two-year countdown in September.

In addition to its capital, Zhejiang's other co-host cities of Ningbo, Wenzhou, Jinhua, Shaoxing and Huzhou also staged aquatic sports competitions and other sports-themed activities.

Last month, pictograms for the 2022 Games were unveiled. The pictograms, covering 40 sports and 59 disciplines, were developed by the same team that designed the Games' emblem－dubbed 'Tides Surging'. All the pictograms feature a common design motif of smooth lines and dynamic graphs. They will appear in a variety of scenes for the Games, including competitions, venue signs, promotion, broadcasting and souvenirs.

HAGOC also launched a global campaign to generate ideas for a slogan for Games volunteers. Applicants can submit their proposals online, by post or on site to the HAGOC office over the next month.

XINHUA