1. I Am an Air Conditioning Worker
In 2003, during the SARS pandemic, Zhang Feng learned how to install air conditioning at the largest home appliance store in Dongguan. For 11 years, his safety equipment consisted of a chest belt and a cotton rope — the most commonly used gear for Chinese air conditioning workers at the time.
In June 2014, while repairing an outdoor unit on the 11th floor, he was hit by a blind window falling from above. He fell to the 9th floor and was bounced back to the 10th floor. Miraculously, he was not injured. But he knew that if he kept doing this, he would eventually fall and die. Over the past decade, more than 30 workers from the same group had lost one person, one became a vegetable, and 5-6 were injured or disabled.
2. Enlightenment of Rope Technique
After the accident, Zhang Feng searched for safer solutions. In July 2014, while searching for “Ascender,” he discovered introductory teaching videos on Single Rope Technique from the Chongqing Cave Exploration Team. He learned from the popular 8264 outdoor BBS forum, which brought him to the world of rope technique.
3. The AWAH WeChat Group
In 2016, colleagues willing to learn rope technique joined Zhang Feng’s WeChat group. He believed: “China does not lack craftsmen, but lacks innovative artisans.” Since they worked at heights, he named the group “Artisans Working At Heights.” Group members were among the earliest Chinese air conditioning workers to use the Double Rope Technique. People who joined but didn’t make progress in three months would be removed, keeping the group at sixty to seventy dedicated members.
4. Team Development and Growth
The group became a place to discuss accidents at heights as warnings to colleagues. Rope technique enthusiasts, coaches, and safety management experts joined. Over the COVID-19 years, AWAH grew from one small group to several groups of four to five hundred people, forming a learning atmosphere and business ecology.
5. Commercial Operations
- 2022: Artisans Working At Heights Co., Ltd. registered in Guangdong Province with a registered trademark.
- 2023: AWAH Z2 Multi-Functional Pulley released — a lifting device driven by an electric drill. It was sought after by domestic workers and became popular in Taiwan, Thailand, USA, Norway, France, Russia, and more.
- 2024: AWAH-Z3 developed — a new type of Power Ascender & Manual Descender nicknamed “knight-errant.” In September, Yangzhou AWAH Industrial Technology Co., Ltd. was established in Jiangsu Province for product production.
6. Future Vision
AWAH is the abbreviation of Artisans Working At Heights. But the original meaning of Artisan is a craftsman with unique skills — more akin to an artist. The goal is not just to become craftsmen, but Artists Working At Heights.
