Wang Yongmei conducting engineering budget work

　　It is said that coal mines are a man's world, but she, a woman, does not yield to men. She stands out among the men in the coal mine, not only becoming the only female department head in the mine but also receiving honorary titles such as Advanced Individual and Model Worker multiple times. She is Wang Yongmei, head of the Engineering Management Department at Guancang Mine of Guizhou Yuneng Company under Chongqing Energy Group.

　　A Story of Three Visits to Seek Talent

　　In 2008, during a procedure for building the mine, Liu Tingcheng, the mine manager of Guancang Mine, first met Wang Yongmei, who was doing budget work at a real estate company in Zunyi. He learned that she was an expert in budgeting. Guancang Mine, then in its early stage of construction, was in urgent need of engineering budget talent. Eager for talent, Manager Liu asked if she would be willing to work at the coal mine. Wang Yongmei thought it was a joke and did not take it to heart.

　　A few months later, a friend suddenly brought it up again, saying that someone had entrusted them to invite her to Guancang Mine. "I really knew nothing about coal mines. I heard it was a man's world, so I politely declined..." Wang Yongmei admitted that at first she had never thought of working in a coal mine. However, Guancang Mine persisted. Not long after, Manager Liu Tingcheng personally visited her and had a three-hour long talk with her. "Should I live comfortably in the real estate company, or go to the coal mine to realize my life's value?" Unwilling to be mediocre, Wang Yongmei began to waver, and finally decided to venture into a career at Guancang Mine in return for this "three visits."

　　In January 2009, Wang Yongmei officially began working at Guancang Mine. The story of Manager Liu Tingcheng's three visits to seek talent also became a much-told tale at Guizhou Yuneng Company.

　　Precise Budgeting Makes an "Expert"

　　Wang Yongmei graduated from Chongqing Engineering Management College. Although she had nearly 20 years of experience in engineering management and budgeting at private enterprises and large state-owned companies, she was not familiar with coal mines. Relying on an unyielding spirit, she established a firm foothold in this man's world of coal mining.

　　"Engineering budgeting is a highly policy-oriented and technical task that involves the interests of both the enterprise and the construction party. It must be prepared impartially and without bias." Wang Yongmei often reminded herself and her colleagues of this, and led by example. She reviewed drawings, checked materials, went to the site, and repeatedly rechecked measurement data to achieve precision and accuracy, creating favorable conditions for engineering budgeting. In one budget, she had doubts about the budget found in a follow-up audit. She recalculated until after 1 a.m. and saved more than 3,000 yuan. She said with satisfaction, "Even if it's just 1 cent saved, I feel gratified and happy." To verify the prices of engineering materials, she inquired everywhere in the market and was even mistaken by merchants for a "commercial spy." Once, a boss of a construction unit approached her and offered a red envelope for her to be lenient in the budget, but she refused outright. She said that one must not harbor greed and must not do things that go against one's conscience and harm the enterprise for petty gains. Another time, to rush the third phase of landslide treatment, a construction unit proceeded to the next construction step before the concrete curing period was complete. When she learned of this, she immediately and resolutely stopped it. The construction unit argued that waiting the full time would delay the schedule and that it would not greatly affect construction quality. "When safety and quality conflict with the schedule, we would rather have safety and quality than pursue speed." She criticized the construction unit sternly without regard for personal feelings.

　　She scrupulously fulfilled her duties. In 2010 and 2011 alone, in engineering audit reductions, she reduced amounts by more than 20 million yuan for Guancang Mine, saving a large amount of engineering investment costs. With practical actions, she proved that "women do not yield to men" and was widely recognized as a "budget expert," carving out her own place in a man's world.

　　This is how Wang Yongmei realizes her life's value through her work. Especially after becoming head of the Engineering Management Department, she introduced advanced experience in engineering archive management, and the five mines of Guizhou Yuneng Company came one after another to observe and learn.

　　Heroic Spirit with Gentle Tenderness

　　Wang Yongmei grew up in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The black soil forged her strong physique and forthright personality. Her colleagues all like her very much. In May 2009, when the mine established a labor union, the female workers elected her as director of the women workers' committee.

　　"We must treat our sisters well and not let everyone down..." Seemingly carefree, Wang Yongmei also has a woman's carefulness. When a female worker fell ill, she was the first to visit and express sympathy. When someone's family had difficulties, she actively helped apply for hardship subsidies. Every year she took the lead in organizing regular health checkups for female workers. When female colleagues had conflicts or misunderstandings, she promptly mediated and resolved them. Ma Li, a female worker at the mine, was seriously ill and in low spirits. Wang Yongmei often talked with her and urged her to go to the hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible. During Ma Li's chemotherapy, Wang Yongmei actively organized workmates to donate money and delivered the donations to Ma Li in the hospital ward in time, helping her build confidence to overcome the illness together. When female workers Lei Hong and Zhang Xu became pregnant, she personally shared knowledge about pregnant women's diet, taboos, precautions, prenatal education, and exercise. Although these actions were small, they warmed the female workers' hearts, and they all praised her as their "family member."