This painting depicts workers smelting steel at the Third Steel Plant in Chuansha during the nationwide steelmaking movement, when “steel was the key link” in China’s industrial development. In this composition, dominated by both color and ink, the addition of blue and purple tones lends the otherwise dim factory interior a sense of transparency and warmth. The fiery glow of the furnace casts red light across the floor, blending with ink and subtle touches of pink and white to create an impressively realistic texture.

The work captures the grandeur of China’s industrial progress after the founding of the People’s Republic, reflecting the social atmosphere, artistic language, and cultural background of that historical period. It holds distinctive historical and spiritual significance. Artistically, it represents Lin Fengmian’s inventive “experiment in color.” While depicting a realistic scene, the painter maintained his pursuit of pure beauty, using simplified figures and harmonized light and color to imbue the work with a strong sense of formal expression.