Perched in the 46-meter-high mostly glass cab, Zhang Yan, a tower crane operator, uses cables and his judgment to hoist multi-ton containers from cargo ships, and then stack them up on the ground carefully and firmly.

It is a muscular and a delicate job and has been Zhang's routine for 12 years in Shanghai Shengdong International Container Terminal.

Along with the views, the 34-year-old also has accumulated various accolades, such as a national model worker and an excellent member of the Communist Party of China, and he has set and reset the world record as the most efficient tower crane operator seven times within four years.