Graduate walks the line, and her video goes viral

She walks the line, in scorching sun or icy winds, to check high-voltage wires.

Working atop towering pylons has brought electrical engineer Li Jiasi, born 1995, an army of online admirers.

A 2020 graduate of the school of electricity and automation, Wuhan University, Li works on pylons ranging in height from 30 to 100 meters.

Some question the Gen Z youngster's embrace of a high-altitude environment more traditionally associated with rugged male specimens.

"You have a master's degree from a prestigious university," they typically say. "Why suffer this?"

Li Jiasi, 26, enjoys her work for a power supply company in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. (Photo: Xinhua)

Li's reply is that she likes her job with State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company.

Her university research focused on high-voltage insulation technology. So the day job highly matches her interest.

An inspection takes 3-4 hours. Li sometimes carries up lunch and savors her seat.

"Looking at the scenery from the towers and wires is different from being in a skyscraper," Li says. "My perspective is not blocked in any way. It's an amazing experience."

Li has lost track of how many towers she climbed.

It took 30-40 minutes to climb her first pylon. Today, with heavy equipment on her back, Li climbs the same tower in only 10 minutes.

(Video edited by Xiao Jiabin, Translated by Wang Ziyuan and edited by Sun Tianren; Source: Xinhua)