Amid unsettling factors like US protectionism, overcapacity and low profits, China's iron and steel industry finds ways to stay afloat

China's iron and steel industry has reached a crossroads after having ridden both the wave of export growth and the boom in domestic housing market for more than two decades.

The industry is facing multiple challenges now. Overcapacity has been a bugbear for a while. Low profit has been a related headache. And angry foreign counterparts, who are struggling to keep their employees in their stations, fill the industry's cup of woes.