A steel epic, etched with the secrets behind China’s industrial rise
Steel and flesh and blood amid the tides of an era
From 1979 to 2020, the gears of reform and opening up turned in step with the fate of the ancient Eastern nation.
From the weathered lathes of the Hongxing Machinery Factory in Jiangnan Province to the spotlight of the Global Industrial Expo at the turn of the millennium,
Qi Tiejun led a group of “industrial faithful” chosen by their era.
Caught between the planned economy and the surging market,
they used wrenches, blueprints, and their passion to forge anew the backbone of their nation’s industry.
Literary value: An industrial-upgrade version of Ordinary World, with the technological epic sweep of The Three-Body Problem
Social significance: Fills the gap in reform-and-opening-up stories with a hard-core industrial narrative
International perspective: Deciphers the misunderstandings surrounding “Made in China” and reveals the bloody struggle for technological independence
This book is dedicated to all the Chinese craftspeople who grew old beside their lathes.
Their fingerprints still pulse in the DNA of Made in China.
It feels like there is no beginning, chaos without order. Unattractive
Pure AI rub rub rub rub rub
Messy
I read the first few chapters, and it was very difficult to read. The characters alternated frequently, moving here and there, and I felt surprised.