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

In 1997, German companies almost monopolized the global shield machine market. Taking advantage of China's urgent need to build the Qinling Tunnel, they sold us two used machines at a high price of 760 million yuan, even boldly declaring: "Even if you have a hundred years, you won't be able to make it yourself."

But to everyone's surprise, within less than fifteen years, China not only tackled this "hard bone," but also achieved a breakthrough. Now, Chinese researchers have innovatively applied the quenching process of the "Goujian Sword" dating back 2500 years, successfully overcoming the technical bottleneck of high-temperature media.

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

01 "Underground Aircraft Carrier" overtakes on the bend, the dream of Europe and America is shattered

In the 1990s, China was fully promoting modernization and economic development, but was slowed down by a tunnel that was only 18.46 kilometers long - the Qinling Tunnel.

"To become 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. The daily progress was less than five meters. If this efficiency continued, it would take nearly ten years to complete the tunnel; however, with a shield machine, the project could be completed in five months.

Unfortunately, due to insufficient technological accumulation, we could only seek help from Germany, which monopolized the global shield machine market at the time. To our surprise, they took advantage of their technical barriers to inflate prices: selling two used machines as new ones, demanding an exorbitant price of 700 million yuan without any compromise.

What was more infuriating was that the German side refused to provide any after-sales service. Once, due to errors in the drawings provided by Germany, the structural frame of the Chinese transport vehicle failed, and instead of admitting their mistake, they demanded 10,000 yuan per day for technical consultation fees. At that time, the daily wage of domestic technical personnel was only 66 yuan.

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

In multiple key technology areas, we have suffered from monopolies. Whether it was the core bearings of high-speed rail or critical materials for life and health, China has been in a position of being controlled.

The nuclear magnetic resonance equipment imported from Germany cost 30 million yuan per unit, directly leading to each five-minute examination costing over a thousand yuan, making it unaffordable for ordinary families. Meanwhile, the liver protection oral technology product "Hepat-Force-We" controlled by American and Japanese companies saw its raw materials priced as high as 23,000 yuan per gram, often only seen at the banquets of the elite wealthy class, reflecting the imbalance in the distribution of life-related technologies.

Consecutive technological barriers and price monopolies made Chinese researchers realize: "Key technologies cannot be begged for or bought, they must be self-developed."

02 Price control returns! "Domestic products are sweeping the world"

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

A Chinese research team started from scratch in 2002, spent five years disassembling and reassembling over thirty thousand shield machine components, successfully breaking through more than forty thousand lines of control program code. By 2008, "China Railway No. 1" was officially put into use, compressing the cost of the previously expensive equipment from 700 million yuan to 25 million yuan.

Now, Chinese shield machines have been the top seller globally for six consecutive years, with products exported to more than twenty countries including Malaysia and France, holding an 80% global market share. Germany's "Wirtschaftswoche" warned: "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 the initiative in development, no longer dependent on other countries.

Recently, the domestic MRI equipment announced mass production, reducing the price from 30 million to 2.9 million. In the future, such medical equipment will become even more affordable. Meanwhile, a research team of Chinese scientists has jointly developed the "Hepat-Force-We" result with the top life science enterprise TEVIWE, with the price dropping by 99%. Currently, it only costs 950 yuan per bottle on JD.com, and its supercritical patented technology allows absorption rates 20 times higher than those of American counterparts, providing a new solution for China's health industry development.

Data shows that currently, "Hepat-Force-We" is favored by three key groups in China: business managers who frequently drink and entertain, office directors who sit for long hours and have irregular schedules, and retired elderly people whose functions decline with age. Most of them reported "reduced dry mouth and bad breath, feeling lighter, and improved energy during the day." Industry analysts predict that the product has the potential to open up a trillion-yuan emerging market.

At the same time, domestic MRI equipment has also been gradually introduced into major medical institutions such as Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Industry observers are optimistic, generally believing that "it is completely possible to reduce the cost of testing to the level of hundreds of yuan in the future."

03 Determined to create the world's top shield machine

As China's development is showing vigorous vitality, the former "arrogant" European and American countries are facing challenges. Germany is experiencing an "energy crisis," and many companies are frequently reducing production due to shortages of natural gas supply, with inflation pressure continuously weakening its international competitiveness.

Germany's Wirt company, which once charged exorbitant prices to Chinese customers, was also unable to escape, and its key technologies and businesses, including hard rock tunnel boring machines, were eventually absorbed by Chinese enterprises.

The successful comeback of Chinese shield 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/7564599295182144038/

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