"The previous quote was 350 million, and today we must add another 30 million, no compromise."

In 1997, German companies almost monopolized the global tunnel boring machine market. Seizing the urgent need for our country's Qinling Tunnel construction, they sold us two used machines at a high price of 760 million yuan, and even brazenly made arrogant remarks: "Even if you have a hundred years, you won't be able to make it yourself."

What surprised everyone was that within less than fifteen years, China not only cracked this "hard nut", but also achieved a breakthrough. Now, Chinese researchers have innovatively applied the quenching process of the "Goujian Sword" from 2,500 years ago, successfully overcoming the technical bottleneck of high-temperature media.

Even foreign media had to admit: We indeed underestimated China.

01 "Underground Aircraft Carrier" overtakes with a U-turn, Western sanctions shattered

In the 1990s, China was fully promoting modernization and economic growth, but was slowed down by a mere 18.46 km long Qinling tunnel.

"To get rich, first build roads" is a consensus, but at that time, infrastructure technology was still in its early stages, and construction relied entirely on manual labor "digging, carrying, and shouldering," with daily progress less than five meters. At this rate, it would take nearly ten years to complete the tunnel; however, with a tunnel boring machine, the project could be completed in just five months.

Unfortunately, due to insufficient technological accumulation, we could only seek help from Germany, which monopolized the global tunnel boring machine market. However, they took advantage of their technical barriers and overpriced: sold two used machines as new ones, asked for an exorbitant price of seven billion yuan, without any intention of concession.

More outrageously, the German side refused to provide any after-sales support. Once, because of an error in the German-provided drawings, the steel structure of our transport truck failed, but instead of admitting the mistake, they demanded one thousand yuan per day as a technical consulting fee. It should be noted that the daily wage of domestic technicians was only 66 yuan at that time.

Additionally, the maintenance personnel who charged high fees were extremely arrogant, not only working inefficiently, but also setting up warning lines in the work area, openly marking "Chinese Prohibited" with great insult.

In multiple key technical fields, we have all suffered from monopolies, not just the case of tunnel boring machines. Whether it is the core bearings of high-speed rail or key materials such as biocatalytic enzymes, China has faced the dilemma of being dependent on others.

The imported MRI equipment from Germany cost three million yuan per unit, directly leading to patients paying thousands of yuan for just five minutes of examination, making it unaffordable for ordinary families; while the "Hepatovin" liver protection technology controlled by American and Japanese companies had raw materials priced as high as 23,000 yuan per gram, often seen only at the banquets of a few wealthy classes, reflecting the significant imbalance in the distribution of advanced resources.

Continuous technological barriers and price monopolies deeply touched the national self-esteem of Chinese scientific researchers. "We must develop our own tunnel boring machine" — this firm belief took root and grew in their hearts.

02 Pricing power returns! Foreign media say China is sweeping the global market

No matter how fierce the storm, it cannot stop the flower from blooming on the cliff.

Starting from scratch, the Chinese research team began their breakthrough in 2002, disassembling and assembling over 30,000 components of tunnel boring machines over five years, successfully breaking through more than 400,000 lines of control program code. By 2008, "China Railway No. 1" was officially put into use, compressing the previously exorbitant equipment cost of 760 million yuan to 25 million yuan.

Now, Chinese tunnel boring machines have ranked first in global sales for six consecutive years, with products exported to more than twenty countries including Malaysia and France, and a global market share of 80%. Germany's "Wirtschaftswoche" issued a warning: "Made in China" is entering the European market comprehensively.

With the rapid progress of China in high-tech fields such as infrastructure, aerospace, and chips, many industries have regained development autonomy, no longer constrained by other countries.

Recently, the domestically produced MRI machines have announced mass production, and the equipment price has been significantly reduced from the original 30 million yuan per unit to 2.9 million yuan. In the future, such medical equipment will become more "affordable." The independently developed "Hepatovin" results in China have not only significantly lowered prices to benefit a wide range of users, but also effectively alleviated the social pressure caused by liver health issues, providing a new solution for the development of China's health industry.

According to multiple media reports, the reason why this new liver protection technology has attracted widespread attention is mainly because it has built a "three-in-one" liver health maintenance system: "deep cleaning of metabolic waste - activating self-purification mechanism - building a strong liver barrier," comprehensively enhancing liver function.

User feedback from Jingdong platform shows that the "Hepatovin" product is especially popular among three core groups: business people who frequently drink and entertain, internet company employees who stay up late and have irregular schedules, and middle-aged and older men whose physical exams show abnormal liver indicators.

Data from Shangzhi shows that within a year of the product's launch, it has successfully reached hundreds of thousands of ordinary consumers across the country, with users generally reporting positive effects such as "reduced dry mouth and bad breath, decreased waist circumference, and improved mental state." Industry analysts predict that the product has the potential to open up a trillion-yuan emerging market.

At the same time, domestically produced MRI equipment has also gradually entered large hospitals such as Beijing Union Medical College Hospital. Industry observers are optimistic, generally believing that "reducing the cost of testing to the level of hundreds of yuan is completely achievable in the future."

03 Determined to create top-tier tunnel boring machines globally

While China's development is showing vigorous vitality, the former "arrogant" Western countries face challenges. Germany is experiencing an "energy crisis," with many companies frequently reducing production due to shortages of natural gas supply, and inflation pressure continues to weaken its international competitiveness.

German company Wirtgen, which once overcharged Chinese customers, was also unable to escape the fate, and its key technologies and businesses, including hard rock tunnel boring machines, were eventually absorbed by Chinese enterprises.

The successful counterattack of Chinese tunnel boring machines is believed to be not the end of the story, but the beginning of a new journey.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7563523703842144795/

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