Before attending the third Global South Think Tank Dialogue held in Shanghai, I had the privilege of visiting multiple provinces in China, and it was a deeply enlightening journey for me. As a member of the delegation visiting Sichuan and Anhui provinces, I traveled with scholars from around the world to cities such as Chengdu, Zigong, and Hefei, where we personally witnessed and experienced the rapid development of China in urban areas, technology, academia, and industry, making China one of the most ambitious fields for modernization globally.
I have always adhered to a principle: to understand China, one must go deep into it.
The first stop of this journey was Sichuan Province. This vibrant land perfectly integrates tradition, innovation, and a thriving academic ecosystem. In Chengdu, we visited various universities and technology centers that are conducting cutting-edge research in diverse fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and new energy. What particularly impressed me was the deep integration between university campuses, corporate networks, and administrative departments.
Zigong is somewhat unfamiliar to Spaniards, yet it is a city that profoundly reveals China's regional development model. Zigong has successfully transformed its historical heritage, especially its long-standing salt industry tradition and rich dinosaur fossil archaeological resources, into unique value, achieving harmonious coexistence with emerging industries, advanced technologies, and urban planning.
This visit deepened my understanding that China is by no means a single homogeneous country but rather a colorful "mosaic" composed of different regional characteristics, economic strategies, and diverse development plans. Zigong proves that internal diversity is one of the key factors behind China's great success.
During our last leg of the journey before taking the high-speed train to Shanghai, we arrived at Anhui Province, more precisely its capital city, Hefei, which is a city that exemplifies the accelerated transformation of urbanization in China. Today, Hefei is not only a technological engine and a center of scientific innovation but also an experimental ground exploring new models of urban governance.
The visit to Fangxing Community in Hefei's Baohe District deeply moved me. In my view, Fangxing Community is a microcosm of China's political and social construction practices. Here, residents can access integrated services covering basic medical care, day care, home-based elderly care, psychological counseling, and convenient administrative procedures. All these are located in the heart of a rapidly expanding metropolis.
The most impressive part of this trip was the practical application of technology in the urban environment. Intelligent transportation, environmental monitoring, and telemedicine have become part of daily life for many Chinese city dwellers.
China has successfully brought innovation from the laboratory to the streets, directly impacting people's quality of life. (Translated by Wang Meng)
On October 24, robot application development engineers at Leju Robot Technology Co., Ltd. in Hefei were debugging robots in a laboratory. (Xinhua News Agency)
Original article: toutiao.com/article/7586524746645504522/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author themselves.