0:00 For more than a decade, the Chinese Communist Party has promoted the image of the great nation craftsman. But this time, the concept has become the subject of online ridicule among Chinese users. Let's look at a video. In the video, a person blows up a balloon and places a regular sheet of paper over it. He holds the balloon with one hand and uses a household electric drill with the other hand to drill directly through the paper. The drill goes through the paper and creates a round hole, but the balloon underneath remains intact. At first glance, this may not seem unusual. Drilling through a piece of paper placed on a balloon does not appear to be a remarkable feat, but the video was made to imitate performances that CCTV once presented as a national level skill performed by a great nation craftsman.
0:47 In the original CCTV program, the setup was similar. A sheet of paper was placed over a balloon, but the drill used was a fixed industrial drill press. The person operating it was introduced as an experienced master craftsman. As the drill slowly moved downward, the studio became completely silent. When the commentator was about to speak, someone quickly stopped him. The host also asked everyone to stay quiet, suggesting that even a small distraction could affect the craftsman's precision. The camera focused closely on the drill. The paper was pierced, but the balloon remained intact. The audience immediately applauded. With the fixed drill, dramatic camera shots, reactions from the host, and the title of Great Nation Craftsman. CCTV presented the
1:33 demonstration as a special skill that could only be achieved by top level workers. However, the recent video showed an ordinary person using a household electric drill without securing the drill or using special equipment and achieving the same result. Some commenters joked that the person even completed the task faster than the so-called great nation craftsman. After the video was posted, the comment section quickly became active. The most liked comment did not contain any insults. It said, "This video shows that in our country, everyone can be a remarkable craftsman." Other comments joke that the skill had become widespread and that technology had become cheap and accessible. One commenter wrote, "Great, the technology can become common and the price has dropped to almost nothing. Now we have
2:19 great nation craftsmen everywhere." Another commenter gave a more practical response, saying, "I was trained to do this kind of work at a factory. It only took me 2 minutes to learn, and I was already doing tasks that were more difficult than this. If I damaged something, my wages would be deducted." The video also inspired many people online to recreate the demonstration. The transume went beyond simply proving that ordinary people could do the same thing. One woman even copied the style of the original great nation craftsman performance and recreated it herself. >> What are you doing? >> Measuring the outer diameter. >> Is that how you measure an outer diameter? >> That's how a great nation craftsman does it. >> What are you doing now?
3:04 >> Welding a soldering iron. >> You're holding it there. Doesn't that burn your hand? That's how a Great Nation craftsman does it. >> What are you doing this time? >> Adjusting the speed. >> That's an emergency stop button. You adjust the speed like this. >> That's how a Great Nation craftsman does it. >> Seriously, anyone who graduated from a vocational school would know better than to do this. The reason the video became funny is that the woman is obviously not a great nation craftsman. Instead, she's copying and exaggerating some of the over-the-top demonstrations, awkward gestures, and questionable scenes that were previously promoted by state media. One person deliberately performs the actions incorrectly, while another questions what she is doing. Once she
3:50 responded with the line, "That's how a Great Nation craftsman does it." Viewers immediately understand the satire. CCTV once claimed that an experienced worker could detect extremely tiny errors simply through touch. Online users then continue the joke by exaggerating the idea even further. In one parody video, a person says, "A flu virus is about 100 nanometers in size. You just chop it into pieces and divide it into 20 parts. Then with one touch, you can tell which part is the virus's head and which part is its hand. Look, this is the leg. Oh, and this one is the female virus." The phrase great nation craftsman has gone from a carefully promoted national honor by the
4:35 Chinese Communist Party into a sarcastic joke that many Chinese internet users immediately understand. One case that drew widespread attention was called handpolished 5 nanometers. The person at the center of it was Yui, a polishing technician at factory 699 of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation second academy. A promotional video introduced him this way. How thin is 0.01 microme? It is less than 17,000th the thickness of a human hair. Yet this Chinese craftsman used his own hands to polish 5 nanome aerospace components, achieving results that even top machines could not match. The camera then showed Yahwei himself.
5:21 He said, >> "The measuring tool for my skill has not been invented yet." He meant that no instruments existed that could measure the precision of his craftsmanship. The narration continued, "He is the national treasure policing craftsman of factory 699 of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation. When foreigners mocked China for being unable to manufacture such components, he stood up and proved them wrong. The video then reached its main message. To overcome Western restrictions on ultra thin material technology, he polished away his own fingerprints and used sandpaper to manually create components with a 5 nanometer surface
6:06 roughness, surpassing the precision of the world's leading technologies. The fine line said, "These hands not only create nanometer level precision for major national projects, but also erased foreigners prejudice against China." However, critics pointed out that throughout the entire segment, the machines workshop environment and testing equipment disappeared from the story. What remained was only a pair of hands and the number. One online commenter mocked the claim. If you can feel 5 nanome with your hands, that would mean you could use your fingers to sense something like an E.coli bacterium. I checked the size of E.coli. Its length is around 1,000 to 2,000 nanome. So, how long is 5 nanome?
6:55 A medium-sized protein molecule, something students learn about in high school physics, is roughly 5 nanome long. Can our hands actually feel a molecular structure? Can you touch it and feel it? I can't even feel the mites on my scalp. At most, I can scratch off something on the surface, but I cannot feel the might itself. So, how could anyone feel a protein molecule? If you can polish something to 5 nanome with your hands, then you could also make a COVID 19 virus or an E.coli bacterium by hand. And if you wanted, you could even tell whether the bacteria was male or female. Let's make a comparison. In theory, catching a bullet with your bare hands could be considered
7:41 possible under certain circumstances. But polishing something to 5 nanome by hand is absolutely impossible. If I had to choose, I would rather believe someone could catch a bullet with their hands than believe this claim about hand polishing 5 nanome. Promoting patriotism is not a problem. and encouraging national pride is also understandable, but it must be based on respect for science and logic. This reminds me of a saying, exaggeration and boasting do not prove anything. One online commenter noticed the detail in the video. Yahwei did have an electronic precision gauge placed next to him, and the reading on the device did not show the level of precision he mentioned. The commentator did not accuse him of faking anything.
8:27 Instead, he questioned whether the instrument might have malfunctioned or whether the measurement happened to capture a particularly precise spot by coincidence. >> It's like playing billiards. Sometimes you can make a shot without carefully aiming, but does not mean your eyesight or aiming ability is exceptionally good. The same commenter also criticized another part of the publicity surrounding Yahwe which claimed that his hands had become increasingly flexible through years of work. >> The report said that Y is a senior level technician which is basically like saying he is a skilled mechanist. His right hand was seriously injured after being pierced by a sharp object and the
9:14 tendons in three fingers were severed. Every time he picked something up, he felt intense pain. The doctor told him, "You can't continue this job. You need to change careers." But later, he said, "I have to keep doing this." With that determination to never give up, he forced himself to return to the polishing job. He kept stretching and training his tendons little by little and eventually broke through the limits of medical science. Years of practice supposedly trained him to develop a pair of hands that were softer and more flexible than ordinary people's. In other words, the more he used his hands, the softer they became. That is another medical miracle. Normally, the more we use our hands, the rougher they become. That's just common sense. If someone
9:59 does no physical work every day, their hands might stay smooth. But Y was the opposite. He worked so much that his hands became softer. I have done polishing work myself. When I was young, I worked at a paint factory. Maybe I was doing it the wrong way because after I stopped, my hands became smoother. Whether his claim is accurate or not, I haven't verified it. But I do have a friend who plays Mojang a lot. from constantly handling the tiles. The two fingers he uses have developed calluses. The Great Nation Craftsman campaign was not simply about discovering outstanding workers. It was a top-down program with official targets, documents, and deadlines. In January 2024, the AllChina Federation of Trade Unions issued the
10:45 implementation measures for the Great Nation Craftsman Talent Development Project initially as a trial document. The document stated that around 200 Great nation craftsmen would be trained each year. At the same time, local governments and industries were expected to develop around 1,000 provincial level and ministerial level craftsmen and around 5,000 city level craftsmen annually. That meant a total of about 6,200 craftsmen every year. In the past, a factory might have produced an exceptionally skilled worker and journalists would later discover the person and make a documentary about them. Now, the number of people to be selected is decided first. Even if stable candidates are difficult to find, organizations are expected to fill those
11:30 targets. Less than 10 months later, the central government issued another document incorporating these goals into official policy. What started as a trade union initiative became a nationwide government program. The following year, the AllChina Federation of Trade Unions released the final version of the talent development measures. Under the program, training for Great Nation Craftsmen lasts 2 years. After completing training and passing evaluations, participants receive certificates. The national, provincial, and city level trade unions are also required to provide dedicated funding for the program. In other words, the system has targets at the top, a training period in the middle, and special funding at the local level. The program also includes publicity requirements. According to article 14 of
12:17 the implementation measures, organizations must use the workers home app to showcase participants achievements, promote skills, inheritance, and share results. This means that these craftsmen are not only selected and trained through the system, but once they are chosen, they are also expected to appear in official publicity campaigns. In the past, media outlets might independently choose to report on outstanding workers. Now, promotion has become part of the organized process. And once publicity becomes required, there are also performance targets and audience expectations. To attract attention, the stories need memorable details. Looking back at Yahwei, his technical achievement is difficult for ordinary viewers to understand. But the image of his hands with worn fingertips
13:05 after years of work was much easier for audiences to remember. That is where the exaggeration comes in. So it is not surprising that documentaries about China's great nation craftsmen have been mocked by online users or that some demonstrations can be easily recreated by ordinary people. And this type of storytelling is not limited to great nation craftsmen. China has seen similar examples in other areas. In April this year, a 14-year-old boy appeared in the news. His name is Ching Ang and he is from Hainan. At the time, he was supposed to be in the second year of middle school. According to his mother, he developed an interest in making small objects with a hot glue gun when he was in kindergarten, and he often took apart old household items. Reports said he
13:50 taught himself calculus, aerodynamics, and CAD modeling and built a small turbo jet engine in his family's living room. Let's first look at the most straightforward version of the story. In an article published by China Youth Daily on April 18, the report said Chingang knew he could not build a real turbo jet engine. He simply wanted to see whether he could make a model that could spin and produce thrust. Processes such as cheap metal work, CNC machining, and laser cutting were completed through outside suppliers. Some parts that required a five- axis machine tool were processed for free by people online who offered help. During the first test run, the engine failed to achieve self-sustaining operation. These details were clearly presented as a middle
14:36 school student summer engineering project. So, how did this story become a 14-year-old who built an aircraft engine? On April 15, Guanging.com published a headline saying, "14-year-old kid genius builds a turbo jet engine model by hand in 6 months." The next day, Global People published another headline, 14-year-old builds an aircraft engine by hand. The difference came down to just two words: model. Turbo jet engine model is a handmade device that can spin and produce air flow. An aircraft [clears throat] engine is a machine capable of powering a plane into the sky. Between those two things lies the entire aviation industry. After the more dramatic headlines spread, online users began examining the
15:22 details. One Billy Billy creator analyzed the footage from the news reports frame by frame. He pointed out a simple mistake. The difference between a cubic cm and the cubic meter should involve a factor of 1 million. But the boy only moved the decimal point four places. There were also more questionable details in the footage shown to reporters. He used simple drawings from Giing instead of proper engineering diagrams, used pliers to tighten a screw, and the laptop screen appeared to be showing a screen recording rather than actual design software. Before the boy became famous, he was still using short videos to learn middle school physics. His profile claimed that he read the fantasy drama, The Three Boy Problem in first grade and built a weather observation rocket model
16:09 in third grade. Another creator who focuses on parenting content examined the story in more detail. What exactly are the mistakes in this handwritten draft? I uploaded the image to AI and as shown here, it identified some of the errors. Viewers can pause the video to take a closer look. Besides those, there are many other small mistakes. For example, the unit for Newton was written incorrectly and [snorts] other scientific terms were also misspelled. If someone took a handwritten document full of errors like this and used it as a basis for a real project, I honestly cannot imagine what kind of useless piece of scrap metal would be produced. Not only that, he was also able to obtain materials like aluminum powder
16:56 and perchloric acid. These are hazardous chemicals that are strictly regulated by the Ministry of Public Security. How did he or his family obtain them? Why is it that when I tried to make a small M7 toy model using threaded parts, people call the police on me? But this situation is treated differently. Of course, there are more questions surrounding this child's story. During the early stage of building his online account, Ch did not even seem to know basic concepts such as what an arrow engine was. A series of question marks in his replies revealed his lack of understanding. Later, he may have realized that answering technical questions could damage the image of a young aerospace genius. So, he stopped
17:41 responding to professional questions and only replied to messages of encouragement. After he became popular, people began questioning the authenticity of the story. More and more viewers asked him technical questions and even challenged him to live stream and demonstrate his designs using professional software. However, until now, he has only agreed to do so, but has never actually live streamed. Even the software shown for his drawings appeared to be Jening, a video editing app. After seeing all of this, many people concluded that this was similar to the previous Jangping controversy, a case of creating a so-called genius figure. On the surface, it appeared to be the story of a teenage aviation genius who taught himself calculus and built an aircraft engine model by hand, shocking the internet. But when his
18:28 actual calculation notes were examined, the basic formulas contained errors, unit conversions were incorrect, and his understanding of physics concepts was confused. Even basic knowledge that a middle school student should understand appear to contain mistakes. There was also a lack of respect for the fundamentals of science and engineering. To me, if these amateurs really wanted to work on aerospace, they should stop worrying about lift, thrust, and drag. they might as well design a relativity engine based on the idea that 1 + 1 equal to 6 and build a time machine instead. >> At that point, the controversy might have ended, but official organizations stepped in. From April 25th to 26th, the Aero Engine Corporation of China's
19:14 Hundan Power Machinery Research Institute invited the boy to visit and arranged for experts to inspect and improve his model. On April 27, Shinua news agency published a report titled, "Are engine experts help jet engine boy pursue his dream of flying." The timing attracted attention. Online users had just been highlighting questionable details in the story, and then a national level aircraft engine research institute invited him for further support. Some online commenters sarcastically suggested that the boy must have strong connections. One person joked that after seeing the family owned a Toyota Alfred, he immediately understood why things turned out differently. The comment meant that the boy's family appeared to be financially comfortable. The commenter said he had initially felt sympathy, thinking the
20:01 child was struggling to build an engine model on his own, but after seeing the family's expensive vehicle and the official support that followed, he felt there was no need to worry. Another commenter made a blunt but widely shared point. What does built by hand actually mean? It means making, assembling, and putting together the parts yourself. Ordering components online and simply assembling them is not the same thing. If that counts as built by hand, then every Foxcon worker should be featured in the news because they can all handbuild iPhones. Workers at car factories could all claim they handbu cars. [music]
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