Wearing loose pajamas and a shocked expression, Frank P. Palmer opens the door to his home and lets in the METRO reporters who arrived 20 minutes early for their interview.

"Hey, you guys should arrive exactly on time," he said, with a smile.

Twenty minutes later, he is properly dressed, clean-shaven and his craggy face with deep-set eyes and square jaw is immaculate, suggesting Palmer, who is in his 60s, is a conscientious man.

Germans are stereotypically known for their precision and Palmer is no exception.

As a former fashion photographer shooting designer products for Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, Palmer decided in 1992 to go to the Chinese mainland to photograph the country's construction workers, which he calls "China's true heroes".

He shot photos several hours a day for years, braving the summer heat and winter chill, on top of many of China's most famous buildings, in an attempt to show the rest of the world the tears and sweat of construction workers.

"China was known for its factories producing clothes and shoes," he said. "But people in this country could make far more complex things than that."

Even within the country, he said, Chinese people were so busy with their own lives that they didn't notice migrant construction workers' tremendous contribution to China's development.

Palmer, who was based in Beijing, went to Shanghai every two weeks to shoot photos of migrant workers building the International Finance Center.

He also took photos at the iconic new China Central Television (CCTV) tower in Beijing every other day.

With his limited Chinese, he could only communicate with the migrant workers through body language, but says that was never a problem.

"When I said 'hello', they suddenly opened up and were so friendly to me," he said.

Palmer said part of his motivation was helping the workers take pride in what they did by letting them know that people all around the world saw photos of them.

"I thought if they knew people from different countries were interested in what they did that they would feel they are important," he said.

In post-World War II Germany, the five-year-old Palmer and his mother made a living by cleaning bricks along with thousands of other women and children.

He saw firsthand their contribution to Germany's rapid development and says he realized that "small people can do big things".

Last year, a photo by Palmer, China's True Heroes, in which four construction workers stand atop the China World Trade Center with calm and shy smiles, won the grand prize in the Beijing in the "Eyes of Foreigners photo" contest held by the local government.

The award-winning photo, along with many others in the series, later appeared in an exhibition held by the Beijing Cultural Development Center.

Meng Haidong, director of the center, said the photo was truly "sincere, shocking and touching".

"Those people appear rather common," Meng said. "But as they stand atop the great work they have helped build, you can't help thinking they are also great people."

In Palmer's studio, which doubles as his home here in Beijing, rooms are filled with framed photos.

His apartment is not far from the World Trade Center and, from his bedroom window, he has a clear view of the CCTV building.

"It was nice to see the building on a sunny morning after I wake up," he said.

He said he has witnessed the rise of the many buildings in Central Business District area and when he talks about them, it is as if he were talking about watching his own children grow up.

And as the city around him continues to sprout, he says he knows there will be more 'true heroes' to introduce to the world.

China Daily

From top: Palmer's award-winning photo: China's True Heroes; the main protection equipment for workers is a rope; the rest places for construction workers are often narrow and small. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY