Sharpening the Blade Against the Red Wall: From Hong Kong to Handong

It was late when Zhou Jin returned to his dormitory. The night in Yan City was exceptionally quiet, with only the occasional bark of a dog outside the window, accompanied by the soft rustling of the wind through the windowpane. Zhou Jin washed his face, dried his hands, and immediately picked up his phone—calling Panpan was a habit he had long since developed.

The moment the call connected, his wife's gentle voice came through the receiver: "Ah Jin, are you done with work?"

"I just dropped President Lin off at her hotel." Zhou Jin sat on the edge of the bed, her tone softening unconsciously. "I have something to report to you. The Lin Group from Hong Kong has invested in Yancheng City and signed two major projects: apple deep processing and red tourism. Tonight, I treated her to a local lamb stew to fulfill my previous promise."

He emphasized that it was "just a work dinner," then paused and added, "She's going back to Hong Kong tomorrow, and a manager will be sent over to coordinate. Our municipal government has also set up a special task force to ensure the project is implemented smoothly."

Panpan laughed on the other end of the phone: "Look how nervous you are, how could I not believe you? It's a good thing that Yan City can attract such a big investment, you have to seize the opportunity."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Zhou Jin felt a warmth in his heart hearing his wife's trust. "I've just been too busy lately and haven't had a chance to call you. Are you and the kids doing alright?"

"Everything's fine. The child just fell asleep and was talking about when his dad would come back to fly kites with him." Panpan's voice was filled with laughter. "Take good care of yourself over there. It's cold in Yan City, so wear more clothes and don't overwork yourself."

"Okay, I'll come back to see you after I'm done with this busy period."

After exchanging a few more casual words, Zhou Jin hung up the phone. The dormitory returned to silence, but Lin Xiaoman's words from that evening echoed clearly in her ears.

He lay in bed, gazing at the dim light on the ceiling, his mind racing. Lin Xiaoman's competence and free spirit, and that phrase, "Since meeting you, I've never seen anyone more outstanding than you," stirred ripples in his heart like a pebble. He had to admit that Lin Xiaoman was an extremely charming woman; if he hadn't met Panpan back then, perhaps things would have truly been different for them.

But life has no "what ifs." Panpan's gentleness and tolerance, and the mutual support they've shared along the way, have long been the most precious foundation of his life. He is a man, but also a husband and a father, carrying responsibilities on his shoulders and his family in his heart. Some feelings are destined to be buried deep in his heart, transforming into a tacit understanding of mutual respect.

Shaking his head, Zhou Jin suppressed these chaotic thoughts and turned to something more important—the stock market that Lin Xiaoman had mentioned, and his memories of the future.

The early years of the 21st century were a crucial period for the third technological revolution to advance in depth, and the upcoming wave of mobile internet and the explosion of artificial intelligence would trigger a disruptive technological transformation, which can be regarded as a continuation and upgrade of the "second technological revolution". However, he clearly remembered that in 2006, China's technology sector still faced many challenges: its dependence on foreign technology was as high as 50%, most of its key equipment relied on imports, and only three ten-thousandths of enterprises possessed core technologies with independent intellectual property rights.

If we fail to seize this opportunity, our country will inevitably fall into a passive position in future technological competition.

Zhou Jin's gaze gradually hardened. He couldn't just think about using his knowledge from his past life to benefit himself; he should do something for the country. His old superior had been kind to him and had always encouraged him to "think more about the country and do more for the people." Perhaps he should write a detailed report and submit it to his old superior.

In his report, he clearly pointed out that the core track of future technology—mobile internet—will reshape people's lifestyles, and smartphones will replace feature phones as the mainstream, just like the iPhone that Apple is about to launch, which will usher in a new era; artificial intelligence is by no means empty talk, and Nvidia's GPUs are laying the foundation for it, and its applications in fields such as healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing will be ubiquitous in the future.

He also reminded the organization that it must increase investment in core technology research and development. Currently, many Chinese companies prioritize importing technology over digesting and absorbing it, resulting in dependence on others for key technologies. Take high-end chips, for example; if we don't plan ahead, we will inevitably be "strangled" in the future. Cloud services and big data, these seemingly distant concepts, will soon become the core infrastructure of the digital economy. Microsoft and Amazon in the United States have already begun to make arrangements, and we cannot fall behind.

More importantly, talent cultivation is crucial. Currently, my country faces a severe shortage of high-level scientific and technological talent, and strategic scientists capable of participating in international competition are extremely rare. The education system needs reform, with a focus on cultivating innovation capabilities and fostering an innovative culture that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, in order to allow talent to emerge.

The more Zhou Jin thought about it, the more urgent her feelings became. This technological revolution was both an opportunity and a challenge. If she seized it, she could achieve a leapfrog development and allow the country to take the initiative in the global technological landscape; if she failed to seize it, she would continue to be subject to others and miss the golden period of development.

He sat bolt upright in bed, grabbed the paper and pen on the table, and began to outline the report in his mind. It needed to be based on the current national situation, while also accurately predicting future trends; it needed to point out problems and provide practical suggestions; he also had to be careful with his wording, not revealing his identity as a time traveler, and could only use "long-term research on international scientific and technological trends" and "combined with the actual situation of domestic development" as excuses.

The wind outside the window gradually subsided, and a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon. Zhou Jin leaned over the table, his handwriting growing clearer and clearer. A blueprint for the nation's technological future was slowly taking shape under his pen. He knew this report might spark controversy, but he had to do it—it was his responsibility as a Party member and a cadre, and it also reflected his deepest love for this land.