Outstanding Project Manager Lu Dawei

Lu Dawei is currently Vice President of Zhejiang Xindongyang Construction Group Co., Ltd. and General Manager of its Second Construction Company. For his outstanding contributions to the construction industry, he has been repeatedly honored as a "National Outstanding Project Manager for Key Engineering Construction," a "National Outstanding Project Manager for Construction Engineering," and a "Top Talent of Dongyang City," among other distinctions, and has received the "Special Contribution Award" from the Dongyang Municipal People's Government for eight consecutive years.

Over more than two decades, Lu Dawei has led the construction of more than two million square meters of building projects. He has won 15 Shanghai "Magnolia" Awards for quality projects and 3 Zhejiang "Qianjiang Cup" Awards for quality projects; a number of projects have been recognized as provincial-level civilized standardized construction sites and model sites.

Honors come from diligence and sweat, and behind each trophy are many moving stories.

Eager to Learn and Dedicated to the Profession

Shouldering Responsibility and Delivering Results

In 1990, Lu Dawei was demobilized from the military and returned to Dongyang. At the time, instead of asking the government to arrange a job, he went to a frontline construction site in Shanghai the day after returning to Dongyang, working while studying and taking part in site construction management. With his military background, he brought the fine style of the armed forces with him: he was the first to arrive at the site every day and the last to go to bed. During the day he read drawings and supervised construction on site; at night he studied construction plans, learned relevant professional knowledge, and also reviewed high school subjects for the college entrance examination. His efforts paid off: in 1991, with excellent results, he was admitted to the construction engineering program of a Shanghai university of architectural engineering.

While studying hard at university, Lu Dawei also took part in on-site construction management during holidays. After graduation, he started from frontline positions such as technician, construction supervisor, quality and safety officer, and estimator, and worked his way up to technical director, project director, and project manager, one step at a time, combining theory with practice. After graduation, he took charge of the construction project for the comprehensive office building of the Changning District Real Estate Bureau in Shanghai. When the deputy mayor of Dongyang in charge of the construction industry inspected the Shanghai projects, he was surprised to find that this unremarkable Grade III construction enterprise operating in Shanghai had projects with many highlights and distinctive features, especially in wood decoration, which reflected the characteristics of Dongyang as a hometown of craftsmanship. Through his strong recommendation, the project applied for Shanghai's highest quality award, the "Magnolia" Award for quality projects, which at the time deterred even many Grade I enterprises. After inspection and review, the experts fully affirmed the project's new techniques and highlights, and the project passed the review unanimously, becoming the first case in Zhejiang Province of a Grade III construction enterprise winning Shanghai's highest quality award.

As the construction industry management system improved, project leaders were reclassified as project managers, and he was certified that year by the Ministry of Construction (now the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development) as a Grade I project manager. After becoming a project manager, he created one quality project after another. In 1998 he undertook the Shanghai Lükang Apartment project, which, as one of four projects recommended by the Shanghai Construction Commission, underwent a national quality inspection. The inspection team fully affirmed the construction techniques and high quality of the high-rise residential buildings and podium technical transfer floors, giant beams, columns, and walls, and the project received national commendation. From 1994 to 2003, in nearly ten years, he created 13 "Magnolia" quality projects, 22 individual buildings rated as quality structures in Shanghai, and dozens of Shanghai civilized construction sites and standardized construction sites, making him a leading "quality award winner" in Shanghai and Dongyang. For his outstanding achievements, he was awarded the "Special Contribution Award" by the Dongyang Municipal People's Government for many consecutive years.

Creating the "Yiwu Speed"

Winning the Provincial Quality Project "Qianjiang Cup"

In November 2003, at the invitation of a well-known real estate developer in Yiwu, Lu Dawei undertook the Caifu Building project of the Yiwu International Trade City.

At the time, the project had three special circumstances. First, time was tight. The owner required the civil construction, installation, and interior and exterior decoration of more than 60,000 square meters to be completed within 11 months, and ensured that the building would open before the Yiwu Fair the following year. Second, quality requirements were high. It had to be built as a provincial-level standardized construction site and win the Zhejiang "Qianjiang Cup" quality project award. Third, the difficulty was great. The individual building had a large floor area and a two-story basement, with rock foundations; it was also required that the structure reach ground level (the ±0.00 level) across the board before the Spring Festival, and that the exterior walls be metal curtain walls and the interior decoration meet four-star standards. At the time, many enterprises wanted to take on the project but were scared off by the stringent requirements. After taking on the project, he personally directed operations on site; during the mass concrete pour for the foundation slab, he stood in the foundation pit and worked continuously for 42 hours, day and night, braving severe cold to direct and coordinate construction. Under his strict requirements and management, the impossible became possible: the two-story underground structure was completed in just one month. During this period, the project department gave up the traditional Chinese Spring Festival holiday, and all workers returned to work on time on the second day of the Lunar New Year, earning them the title of "Dongyang Iron Army of Construction" from the owner and relevant departments. During the superstructure construction, by deploying large quantities of formwork, steel pipes, and other周转 materials, the project completed the main structure at a rate of seven floors per month, setting the "Yiwu Speed"; it completed 14 floors of the main structure in two months and achieved full structural topping-out, winning time for subsequent decoration. The project was rated as a Jinhua City quality structure project and a 2004 Zhejiang Province construction safety and civilized construction "standardized" site, was assessed by the Zhejiang "Qianjiang Cup" review team as the only "quality project" in its group, and won that year's Zhejiang Province construction engineering "Qianjiang Cup."

Continuing to Work Hard Without Stopping

Making Further Contributions to the Enterprise

Over the years, thanks to his strict requirements for construction, Lu Dawei has created many quality projects. In construction he has adopted new techniques, new materials, and new technologies, earning praise within the industry and being praised by partner developers as their most trusted construction partner. Lu Dawei and many developers have gone from being Party A and Party B to partners, and then to old friends in cooperation. He makes full use of strong alliances between enterprises, constantly innovating business concepts, jointly developing and investing with original construction parties, cooperating in development and construction, and developing projects independently or jointly, maximizing the economic benefits of the group company to which he belongs. In 2011, the Second Construction Company under his charge completed output value exceeding 600 million yuan; in 2012, it completed output value exceeding 700 million yuan; and in 2013, it is expected to complete output value exceeding 800 million yuan. Lu Dawei said: "My wish for the future is to have good projects and strive to win the 'Luban Prize.'"