Daily Photo – Full Steam Ahead!

I love the energy of today’s photo, ‘Full Steam Ahead’. It points to the vibrancy of the Chinese economy back in 1991 and underscores China’s economic ascendency since then.

It also points to one reason why the west could not then and can not now compete. The playing field remains very uneven.

There’s absolutely no way a health and safety organization in the west, even in 1991, would have permitted this work environment. From the twin engines with their exposed belts to the open alternator with it’s wires draped across the deck to the batteries just sitting there, the helmsman’s flip-flops, the tired oil drum, the blocks on the deck, etc.

At the same time, I marvel at the simplicity – the rough linkage tying the two tillers together, the simple gear lever for each engine, the captain’s chair that’s seen better days. There’s not much here to go wrong and, if it does, its all open and accessible for repair.

The engines themselves share a lot of similarities with the one in this photo – a slight difference in the orientation of the components but the same basic principles in action despite the different setting.

But what I like most about this photo is the expression of the helmsman. His eyes are resolutely fixed on what’s ahead of him. He’s single-mindedly driving into the future. He might have to navigate around some obstacles, but you can just sense he knows where he’s going and he’s in a hurry to get there.

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