On April 28, the Beijing Municipal Trade Union Council convened a press conference for the 2026 May Day celebrations. It was announced that Beijing had recommended and seen recognized 9 National May Day Labor Certificates, 43 National May Day Labor Medal recipients, and 35 National Worker Pioneer Teams for 2026. During the event, three National May Day Labor Medal winners shared personal accounts of their dedication and hard work in Beijing.

Zhang Dong, from the Beijing Construction Engineering Civil Engineering Company, is a subway construction specialist with over twenty years of experience working beneath the capital. He described himself as an "underground builder," whose work involves meticulously translating blueprints into reality. Zhang's story begins with a network map. Upon graduating and arriving in Beijing in 2005, his supervisor handed him structural drawings for a section of Line 10 on tracing paper, marked with pencil and bearing the distinct scent of the worksite. His supervisor's advice—that their work was about accurately turning lines on paper into steel and sprawling tunnels underground—stuck with him for two decades. In 2005, Beijing's subway system consisted of just 4 lines spanning 114 kilometers. Over more than twenty years, it has expanded to 30 lines covering 909 kilometers, becoming the world's longest metro network by length, serving millions of passengers daily. Zhang noted the evolution in his own work, from tracing paper to CAD software, from 2D lines to 3D BIM models, and from individual drafting to cloud-based collaborative digital twins. He has participated in the construction of multiple subway lines in Beijing, witnessing the capital's rail transit progress from a cross-shaped skeleton to a grid-like network, and now to a massive ring-radial system. Each advancement, he said, is a source of pride for the builders who transform blueprints into public pathways.

Zhang recalled a particularly challenging project: the city's first large-scale excavation project conducted without dewatering, aimed at preserving Beijing's precious groundwater. For a 1.83-kilometer tunnel, not a single dewatering well was allowed. Working essentially "in water," his team developed a grouting and water-stopping technique based on blocking, combined with drainage and comprehensive management, and pioneered the use of interlocking piles within the station excavation. The route involved 5 top-level and 57 first-level risk sources, passing beneath multiple subway lines and busy commercial streets. Each crossing required millimeter-level settlement control, achieved through painstaking precision. Zhang emphasized that underground engineering involves no grand spectacles, only meticulous attention to detail. For over twenty years, he and his team have dedicated their youth to the development of Beijing's rail transit, finding their greatest reward in making public travel more convenient and comfortable.

Wang Lei transitioned from a university racing club to leading a tech company focused on developing unmanned agricultural machinery, turning his passion for racing into a career serving national strategic goals. This year, he was honored with a National May Day Labor Medal, which he dedicates to his teammates and an era that respects labor, values skill, and encourages innovation. Wang's journey started in a student racing team where members taught themselves design software, simulation analysis, chassis dynamics, and engine calibration from scratch. The team quickly achieved national success, setting records for Chinese university teams in international competitions. This experience instilled in him a commitment to "Chinese creation." After graduation, he served as a team advisor and founded a company in 2020, located in Beijing's Yizhuang area, where supportive talent policies provided significant encouragement. His company translates motorsport expertise into educational models, developing over twenty types of research and teaching platforms focused on core technologies like new energy vehicle powertrains, intelligent connectivity, and smart chassis. These platforms allow students to engage with cutting-edge autonomous driving technology in training labs. Coming from a rural background himself, Wang holds a deep affection for the land. Last year, he shifted strategy to enter the smart agriculture sector, developing unmanned farm machinery. Applying the same rigorous standards used in racing, his team has completed the first generation of unmanned tillers capable of operating on complex terrains like hills and terraced fields. Future plans include developing more adaptable unmanned machinery for various scenarios and exploring AI vision technology for precise identification and eco-friendly operations. Wang believes the ultimate form of "Chinese creation" is when technology makes farming more efficient and respectable, encouraging younger generations to return to agriculture.

Wang Yuanfei, an environmental remediation engineer with Beijing Jinyu Hongshulin Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., was the third speaker. Since joining the Jinyu Group in 2011 and being assigned to a laboratory, he spent his early years mastering the analysis of various samples, developing a method for detecting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil—a pioneering achievement in China. He learned that technology is not merely theoretical but a practical tool for solving problems. Around 2015, with the advancement of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development, the Jinyu Group leveraged its regional cement industry presence to promote environmental upgrades using cement kiln co-processing technology. Wang participated in this cross-regional effort, contributing to process design, equipment debugging, certification applications, and staff training, which collectively increased annual solid waste disposal capacity in the region by nearly 500,000 tons. He emphasized that their work goes beyond waste transport, representing a technological push for regional environmental enhancement under the broader strategy of coordinated development. After the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law took effect in 2019, Wang's focus shifted to soil remediation. He recalled a complex project with severe site constraints where his team innovated by using a "cut-off wall combined with ultra-high-pressure rotary jet grouting" technique to create a sealed ecological space for centralized wastewater treatment and soil remediation without disturbing the surroundings—a first in Beijing's contaminated site remediation. Only when the final load of treated soil was removed and all monitoring indicators remained stable did he feel assured. Recently, with the national push for carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, Wang has been exploring how to advance environmental missions further. Last year, his team achieved a breakthrough by using fully electric heavy-duty trucks and new energy loaders throughout an entire remediation project—from excavation to transport and disposal—creating a zero-carbon, sustainable model. Over 15 years, Wang has acted like a "waste doctor," diagnosing and treating Beijing's soil and water. While honored with the National May Day Labor Medal this year, he finds greater satisfaction in seeing clear waters, green mountains, and the happy smiles of residents.