“If there are conditions, go ahead. If there are none, create the conditions and go ahead.” People’s Daily attributes the line to Wang Jinxi, the “Iron Man” of the Daqing oilfield.
In 1960, Wang led Drilling Team 1205 from Yumen in Gansu to Daqing. There was no housing. Some slept in cattle sheds, others on canvas on the ground. Grain was short, and people picked up frozen cabbage leaves. “The drilling rig has arrived. What if there is no crane? Pull it by hand and carry it on our shoulders!”