Building Cars: Starting with a Gas-Powered Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate

Armed with memories of future automotive technology, the protagonist takes over a debt-ridden township carmaker on the verge of bankruptcy in 1995. Starting by solving the vibration problem in three-cylinder engines and launching the “Carp Leaping Through the Dragon Gate” microcar to break into the township market, he leads his team in tackling tough core technologies like CVT transmissions and solid-state batteries, breaking foreign monopolies.

Over the next 40 years, the company grows from a red-brick factory into the world's leading automaker. It breaks through in township markets, expands into the mid-range segment, transitions to new energy vehicles, builds factories overseas, and fights back with patents. Ultimately, it sets global standards for fast-charging cars and autonomous driving, writing an epic underdog story of China's automotive industry rising from the brink of collapse to global dominance.