Forging shields with code

Around 7 am, as he does every morning, Wang Ji wheeled himself into his office at the College of Computer Science and Technology of the National University of Defense Technology. For more than four decades, the campus has been where the 57-year-old has devoted himself to advancing software engineering in support of national defense — contributions that led to him being honored as a national"Role Model of the Times" on Wednesday.

His wheelchair has been a constant companion for the past 11 years, ever since he underwent an amputation below the hip. Yet just as no one could count the miles it has carried him, no one could count the keystrokes his fingers have made.

"As long as my mind is clear and my hands can still move, I can keep working," Wang said.

Regarded as a talented student by his professors and peers, Wang entered university before turning 14 in 1983. At that point, he had already made up his mind to dedicate his career to computer science research. The university's campus in Changsha, Hunan province, witnessed his transformation from a student to a researcher, and from a young boy to a military officer.

His given name, Ji, means halberd in Chinese, a traditional weapon that combines a spear and a dagger-axe. Living up to the hopes his parents placed in that name, Wang has spearheaded efforts to make defense software more predictable and reliable, even though his own life has been shaped by unexpected twists and uncertainties.