The picture shows Lin Guoer was shooting a video of repairing equipment. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Rotating, removing, cleaning, winding, sand-blasting, reassembling... With a smile, the girl in the video was repairing the diesel engine, engine and chain saw. Soon, these “heavy guys” which may be older than her transformed. The girl, named Lin Guoer, is a short video blogger. 

The picture shows Lin Guoer was sandblasting and derusting the equipment. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Lin Guoer earned over 6 million followers and 10 million “likes” on the short video platform with her practical ability. She was called “winding enthusiast”, “mechanic Mulan”, “iron hand”, “Lu Ban(the Chinese master carpenter) of Yunnan”, etc.

“Who is Lin Guoer?” “Where does she come from?” “Did she repair those machine by herself?” With a lot of attention, questions also continue to pouring in.

Aerial photo shows the Yanjin County. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Deep in Wumeng Mountain, the roads were rough and plunging. It took 8 hours, nearly 500 kilometers from Kunming to Lin Guoer’s hometown, Yanjin County of Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. Walking deep down the mountain, a place with a wooden house, a brook and fields came into view. The workbench in the video was a little shabby. Two cameras stood there with paint peeling off. “I rented the yard and built the cabin myself. I want to build a paradise with my hands!”

(Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Lin Guoer wore her trademark, a blue suit, with a simple and neat braid. She chose a yellow sweater inside, “the bright color is more energetic!” There were some wounds and wet paint on her hands, which were the marks of “fighting” with steel.

The picture shows Lin Guoer was repairing the motor of a grinder. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

In 2017, Lin Guoer graduated from Kunming University majoring in Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Engineering and engaged in short video production in 2018. She was first noticed for her accidentally posted video of repairing the generator at the shooting base. After that, she began to help villagers repair various equipment, and her followers from all over the country also sent her some obsolete machinery to repair. 

The picture shows Lin Guoer was winding. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Typically, there are more than 200 shots in a seven to eight minute video, taking more than ten hours a day. If the machine is not work, it has to be disassembled and repaired again or to ask for help while getting stuck. Lin Guoer cost lots of time at the beginning and practiced a lot. 

The picture shows Lin Guoer was removing the wire of the motor of a grinder. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Lin Guoer does not update very often, and her videos are relatively long, but the data of her video is appreciable, and there are many avid followers rush her into updating. Many audiences said that Lin Guoer’s videos made them feel relieved. 

The picture shows Lin Guoer was applying insulating paint to the motor. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Lin Guoer said she didn’t like the life before becoming a blogger. 

The picture shows Lin Guoer was painting the repaired motor. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Now Lin Guoer has become the breadwinner of her family. 

The picture shows Lin Guoer was wiring the centrifugal switch for the motor. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Lin Guoer has a strong nostalgia. After graduation, she decided to return to her hometown and started to build her own creation base. By combining the local character and craft, she built a hometown in her mind through the way of video shooting. “I want to shoot more videos showing my hometown.” Lin Guoer said. 

The picture shows Lin Guoer was assembling the components of the motor. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Lin Guoer is a rare college student in the village. Villagers have great expectations for her. They thought she should stay in the city and do some intellectual work rather than repair the old machines. But she didn’t think so, “I believe that thinking and hardworking can help me to achieve something in my hometown!” 

The picture shows the repaired motor was grinding corn flour successfully. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Lin Guoer got a reputation in her hometown. The villagers also accepted what she did gradually and came to her for help to repair the agricultural equipment. “It’s exciting to welding! And I enjoy the process of assembling parts.” Facing a pile of waste equipment, Lin Guoer was delighted and began to repair immediately. 

The picture shows Lin Guoer sent the repaired motor to a villager. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

The picture shows Lin Guoer was playing with her adopted dog. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

Lin Guoer is full of passion, bouncing with great energy. She becomes more confident through shooting short videos and finding what she really loves. “I’m gratified to see my audience say that I love to laugh more and more in the videos.” 

The picture shows Lin Guoer’s working counter. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

“My hometown is remote and economically backward. Many young people are unwilling to come back. I want to promote my hometown by shooting short videos and selling some agricultural products, so as to make my hometown richer and more lively.” Lin Guoer is full of confidence in the future because she is not afraid of hardship and fatigue.

The picture shows Lin Guoer was walking on the road with her adopted dog. (Xinhua/Ding Ning)

In the eyes of others, this is a story of a young girl returning home to start a business with the trend of short videos, but for Lin Guoer, she found a stage in her hometown and became a more confident and beautiful girl. 

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(Editors: Irene, Christine)