The No 1 blast furnace of a giant iron and steel complex owned by Baosteel Group on Donghai Island in Zhanjiang went into operation on Sept 25, marking the birth of Zhanjiang Baosteel Base.

Standing in front of the No 1 blast furnace at the base, one can hardly imagine that back in 2009, what is now an iron and steel production facility was a tropical island surrounded by blue sea.

In July 2009, through the hard work of thousands of workers, the land was transformed into flat ground.

In 2013, the Baosteel Zhanjiang project started construction, and by 2014 plants near the No 1 blast furnace were completed.

In 2015, project construction sped up, leading to the successful blast furnace launch on September 25.

Photo taken in 2009 shows the location of Zhanjiang Baosteel Base before construction [Photo/gdzjdaily.com.cn]

Photo taken in July, 2009 shows workers starting construction at Zhanjiang Baosteel Base. [Photo by Li Bo/gdzjdaily.com.cn]