78 • AUTOLOCKSMITHS
Q&A with
Mr Li
Nicky from NW Keys
Ltd sent a series of
questions to Mr Li in
China to find out more
about the inventor
and manufacturer of
Mr Li Original pick
and decoder tools…
1. WHAT WAS THE FIRST
JOB YOU EVER DID?
My first job was in carpentry. I attended
a high school in China where there
is strong interest in traditional civil
architecture. I hoped in the future to
become a master craftsman, so I chose a
professional woodworking occupation,
Chinese traditional civil construction.
I was able to make a thorough and
careful study about Chinese ancient
architectural structure, layout, decoration
and production process. Each of these
disciplines has its own unique insights on
the structural characteristics, technical
features and artistic characteristics of the
traditional production process; wooden
building offers rich practical experience,
the accumulated experience and skills
enabled me to achieve success in that
interesting field, and also laid a solid
foundation for the future to engage in
other work.
2. HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED
IN THE AUTO LOCKSMITH INDUSTRY?
When I was young, I was always seeking
to learn as much as possible. The lock is full
of curiosity and mystery and at that time,
there was so much that was unknown. It
was only after many years of hard work that
a chance encounter in an exchange with
professional locksmiths that enabled me to
find out more. When I learned that China
is not known for producing world-class
master locksmiths, I was very surprised!
So I decided to enter this industry, to
become the first Chinese world-class
master locksmith - and to achieve this goal
I have devoted much of my life, overcame
many difficulties and taken on all kinds of
challenges, and finally succeeded to where
I am today – an ambition fulfilled!
3. WHAT HOBBIES AND
INTERESTS DO YOU HAVE?
I usually like fishing with my friends,
biking, or climbing mountains. If I have
time I will go to visit the ancient buildings
in some parts of China, some of which are
the largest in the world – for example, the
Imperial Palace, the largest imperial garden
building in the Summer Palace, the largest
Castle style building in Tibet and Potala
Palace and Shandong Confucian Temple.
I really enjoy the culture, the history and
studying the different architectural styles of
my country.
4. OF ALL THE PLACES IN THE
WORLD THAT YOU HAVE VISITED,
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE?
Very much influenced by my personal
habits and hobbies, I pay special attention
to the architecture, environment,
humanity, diet and culture in every city.
Some cities had a deep impression on
me and some good memories, such as
“the Church of Duomo of Italy, there are
more than 6000 statues! Each pyramid
has the statue of God, the world’s largest
statue of the French Gothic church. Notre
Dame de Paris Cathedral, which took 180
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years to complete, is one of Europe’s is the
European architectural history of the most
majestic, epoch-making symbols. Other
notables include London Westminster
Cathedral, the Cathedral of St. John the
Divine in New York, Barcelona, and the
Cathedral of Cologne.
All these possess their individual
architectural styles, and all share a
solemnity that is and awe inspiring; in
addition, and in my view, exquisite beyond
compare, are the London Strata building
and the Shard building. I love New York’s
The Empire State Building, Times Square,
and the modern buildings of Berlin
central train station, the era of science and
technology, made a strong impression
on me. .During a visit to Stuttgart Auto
Museum, witnessing the 120 year history
of the automobile industry in Germany,
the display of different era car features
and design ideas, was most impressive
and interesting. Given the highest world’s
per capita automobile we all need to
understand about national environmental
protection, which is doing so well in many
countries, and is worth learning. On the
journey from Frankfurt to Bremen, along
the way, I saw many old castles, colourful
style houses and a beautiful environment.
In Mexico, France, Australia, Malaysia for
example, and other countries when dining,
the themes of different design styled
restaurants left me with unforgettable
impressions.