Mianyang: Sichuan’s toughness, China’s confidence

What’s amazing is that China’s only officially declared “Science and Technology City” is not in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

In fact, it is in a place many people would not expect - Mianyang, Sichuan .

Please watch in horizontal mode, the Fu River, TV Tower and Yuewang Tower under the sunset in Mianyang | Photographer @何张波

Although its technological strength is not the best among its peers, it is absolutely unmatched in some areas.

Speaking of hard core, China’s “nuclear weapon heart” is here, Asia’s largest “wind tunnel group” is here, and home appliance giant “Changhong” is here.

"Wind tunnel" is a cutting-edge experimental device for studying aerodynamics; the picture below is a schematic diagram of the "wind tunnel" experiment site | Map @冯艺卓/Planet Research Institute

In terms of talent, there are 256,000 professional and technical talents of various types here, and the rate of undergraduate graduates ranks first in the province.

Top 10 cities in terms of R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP in 2021 | Map by @冯艺卓/Planet Research Institute

This western city, with a built-up area of ​​only 200 square kilometers, is so dazzling.

So, how strong is Mianyang's science and technology? Why was it selected as China's science and technology city?

01 Cyber ​​River City

Entering the Sichuan Basin, known as the "Land of Abundance", and tracing upstream along the Fu River , the largest tributary on the right bank of the Jialing River, this legendary land will come into view.

Mianyang location diagram | Map by @Wu Xintian/Planet Research Institute

To the west, the Minshan Mountains, Longmen Mountains and other mountains gradually spread out, with 5,000-meter-high peaks covered in snow and standing tall.

Mianyang snow-capped mountains and the city in the same frame | Image source @Visual China

The clouds and mists in the mountains surged into a sea, and the gurgling clear streams converged down. The moist and misty air nourished the forests that covered more than 50% of the land, and the gorgeous mountains concentrated the warm four seasons.

Please watch in horizontal mode to see the snow scenery of Wushan Mountain | Photographer @邓崇刚

Deep in the dense forest, many lakes are scattered like huge jasper. This "hidden" secret place is just like the "Peach Blossom Land" in northwest Sichuan. Its primitive and magnificent scenery has been fascinating since ancient times.

Panoramic view of Luban Reservoir in Santai, Mianyang | Image source: @Huitu.com

However, in the past hundred years, the rise of a new city has rewritten its temperament. With the name of " Silicon Valley of the West ", it collides with the green waters and green mountains to create a unique urban tension.

Overlooking the bustling Mianyang city | Photographer @琅环

At the Mianyang entrance of the Beijing-Kunming Expressway, the transportation backbone connecting Mianyang and Chengdu, stands a huge modern red sculpture. The hollow part symbolizes the "mushroom cloud" of nuclear weapons testing and also implies the key to unlocking destiny.

Mianyang "Fission" Sculpture | Photographer @Jiang Xiaoyi

At the Puming Interchange, the transportation hub in the west of the city, the "magnetic power" sculpture inspired by the principles of physics carries the hope of attracting scientific and technological talents.

Mianyang "Magnetic Power" Sculpture | Image source @Huitu.com

At the bridgehead of Sanjiang Bridge, the first double-deck "S"-shaped urban landscape cable-stayed bridge in China with separated pedestrians and vehicles, the "turbo engine" full of speed passes through the flight path of a missile.

Mianyang " Vortex " Sculpture | Photographer @Jiang Xiaoyi

In the lobby of Mianyang Science and Technology Museum, one of the largest science and technology museums in the province, stacked rings are used to build a monument of science and technology. The museum also has China's first space entertainment wind tunnel, with a 30-meter-high air inlet that can blow four people up to 6 meters in the air at the same time.

Tourists experiencing the "Entertainment Wind Tunnel" | Photographer @陈冬冬

In addition, the densely packed buildings and bridges, and the airport only about 10 kilometers away from the city center, all house the memory of the city’s upward growth, shortening the distance between local people and the world.

Mianyang "One Belt, One Road" location diagram | Map by @Wu Xintian/Planet Research Institute

Friends from all over the world also flocked to experience the "hardcore power of the East" for themselves.

The Mianyang " Science and Technology Expo ", which has been held for ten sessions since 2013, has become an influential international event. More than 60 countries and regions, nearly 7,000 units, and a total of 25,000 exhibition projects have shined at the conference.

There are crowds of people outside the 4th China Hi-Tech Expo . Please scroll to view the exhibits | Photographer @杨建&廖世龙

Countless "black technologies" made in Mianyang are spreading to the world, bringing the shadow of science fiction into reality and making the city's background more legendary.

And this background actually originated from an earth-shaking mission.

02Heart of National Defense

On October 16, 1964, a huge mushroom cloud suddenly rose in Lop Nur, Xinjiang, thousands of miles away, accompanied by a deafening sound, and boiling cheers were heard in the desert known as the "forbidden zone of life."

This was the first atomic bomb tested by China. Its power was equivalent to the simultaneous explosion of 10,000 tons of TNT. This type of weapon is also the most powerful weapon ever detonated by humans.

In 1964, China's first self-made atomic bomb was successfully detonated in Lop Nur, Xinjiang | Image source @Visual China

Although the success of the experiment brought a certain degree of deterrence, some forces have not stopped provocations amid international doubts. If an enemy attack occurs, the industrial construction concentrated in eastern China will be directly paralyzed.

In the face of the crisis, a major strategic decision was made urgently to move the industrial system to the "rear area". Millions of industry elites left their homes and boarded trains to the west, which was known as the " Third Line Construction ".

The "air-raid shelter" used to defend against enemy attacks is still preserved in Mianyang's "Two Bombs City" | Photographer @titan

China's only top-secret nuclear weapons research and development base, the China Academy of Engineering Physics, also urgently needs to be moved to a safe area.

After inspecting more than 70 cities in the southwest, Mianyang Zitong, located deep in northern Sichuan and with dense mountains, stood out.

Confidential slogans in the "Two Bombs City" in Zitong, Mianyang | Image source @Visual China

Its geographical conditions not only conform to the strategic idea of ​​"relying on mountains, dispersing, and concealing", but it is also rich in minerals and abundant in water energy, and China's first electrified railway passes through the region.

The Baoji-Chengdu Railway began electrification in 1958; the picture below is Mianyang Expressway Traffic | Photographer @胡宇

Twenty thousand anonymous scientific researchers traveled across the mountains and wilderness, building houses, digging caves, and studying nuclear weapons technology.

The successful completion of a total of 22 nuclear tests finally allowed China to straighten its national backbone, made this silent land immortal, and provided escort for more major weapons of great powers.

The " missile formation " at the National Day military parade demonstrates the strength of China's military today | Image source @Visual China

In 1967, the Southwest Institute of Applied Magnetism, the largest comprehensive applied research institution in the field of magnetism in my country, was built in Mianyang.

In 1968, the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center, the "national team for aerodynamics" planned by scientists such as Qian Xuesen, was planned and built in Mianyang.

In 1977, the Southwest Institute of Automation, a military-civilian integration research institute specializing in automation and information technology, was established in Mianyang.

The "Military-Civil Integration" pavilion at the 5th Mianyang Science and Technology Expo remembers that period | Image source @Mianyang Science and Technology Expo official website

In 1990, in order to improve working conditions, scientific research institutes rooted in the mountains designated a special area on the outskirts of Mianyang, and a " Science City " sprang up.

The 18 national research institutes gathered in Mianyang compete at the top level in the field of national defense science and technology, becoming the behind-the-scenes force for China to reach the stars and the sea.

In 2022, the Long March 5 rocket carrying the Mengtian experimental module was launched, in which a number of "Mianyang-made" products such as circulators and isolators were used | Photographer @陈肖

Wind tunnels are cutting-edge experimental devices used to study aerodynamics. They can artificially control airflow, conduct high-altitude simulation experiments on engines, and measure the interference resistance of various aircraft components. This also means that this technology requires accurate simulation of natural forces that are far beyond imagination.

There are dozens of wind tunnels in Mianyang, which is currently the largest wind tunnel group in Asia.

Panoramic diagram of "supersonic wind tunnel" | Image source @Visual China

The cave can not only create "icing wind", "plasma wind" and "burning wind", but also carry out tests from low speed to 24 times hypersonic speed, simulating environments ranging from water surface, underground to 94 kilometers high.

There are many Shenzhou spacecraft and my country's most powerful fighter jet "J-20" coming here for experiments.

The J-20 in flight is covered with colorful clouds | Photographer @邓国晖

The mission of guarding the "heart of national defense" has endowed Mianyang with perseverance and depth, while the openness and vitality of its economy began with a seemingly inconspicuous "dream-building road".

03Dream Road

There is a famous tree-lined avenue in Fucheng District, Mianyang - Yuejin Road . The red brick houses with beige tiles on the roadside have withstood nearly 70 years of wind and rain.

This unique memory of the last century appears particularly clear in the "red slogans" protruding on the wall.

Slogans on the "red brick wall" on Yuejin Road in Mianyang | Photographer @蒋小翼

Looking back at the 1950s, when everything was in ruins, it was urgent to build a modern industrial system. The relatively low-key electronic technology greatly changed the effectiveness of military command at the time, and was hailed as the "nervous system" of the army and one of the key points of industrial layout.

Cities in the hinterland of Sichuan, which have location and resource advantages, have taken over some projects, including Mianyang.

The sycamore trees on both sides of Yuejin Road were all planted by the workers who moved in that year | Photographer @何张波

The only kilometer-long Yuejin Road is where the electronics industries gathered, including the Huafeng Radio Equipment Factory that developed electronic connectors, the Changhong Machinery Factory which was the only airborne fire control radar production base in China at that time, and the Fujiang Machinery Factory which developed flight control radar.

Pedestrians on Yuejin Road Today | Photographer @何张波

During the Third Front Construction period, Mianyang's electronics industry became increasingly sophisticated, and the supporting educational resources - Tsinghua University's Radio Department was relocated as a whole, producing more than a thousand electronics talents.

The river flowing beside the school bears witness to that passionate era.

Overlooking Southwest University of Science and Technology , please slide to see more campus logos | Image source @Visual China & Southwest University of Science and Technology

After the reform and opening up, along with the adjustment of national policies, some military-industrial enterprises transformed to the research and development of civilian products. The former Changhong Machinery Factory took the lead, relying on past electronic technology, and chose color TV as its track to break the black-and-white TV market. It actively introduced foreign production lines and became an instant hit in the 1980s.

"Rainbow in the sky, rainbow on earth" was one of the most brainwashing advertising slogans in China at that time.

Old photo of "Changhong" | Map by @Feng Yizhuo/Planetary Research Institute

In 1997, Changhong TV's market share reached an astonishing 35% , which means that one out of every three consumers who bought TVs chose Changhong.

In addition, the vigorous development of related electronic equipment such as washing machines, fax machines, and audio equipment has made Mianyang's electronic industry output value rank first in the province's electronic industry output value, forming a well-known " electronic army " on the road to leap forward.

Please watch in horizontal mode, Mianyang Industrial Park | Photographer @王经蔚

Strength has built a platform of opportunities. The only science and technology city approved by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, China (Mianyang) Science and Technology City, was born at the turn of the new century and has nurtured thousands of high-tech enterprises.

Please watch in horizontal mode, Mianyang Science and Technology Innovation Center | Photographer @王经蔚

Over the past 20 years, this southwestern city has encountered difficulties and overcame setbacks. Although it is not as eye-catching as eastern cities or provincial capitals, it has always silently adhered to its own unique path to pursuing dreams.

There is an advanced electronic control system here that allows the bionic robot to move with pinpoint accuracy.

The " quadruped bionic robot" shows that it can assist soldiers in reconnaissance regardless of whether it is underground, in caves or even in more complex jungles. | Map by Feng Yizhuo/Planet Research Institute

Here we have radionuclide diagnosis and treatment technology that combines nuclear technology with medicine. Charged particles can be accelerated and re-accelerated in the medical "petal accelerator" to accurately attack and destroy cancer cells.

Schematic diagram of the principle of the "petal accelerator". The radiotherapy device developed based on the petal accelerator can reduce the harm to the patient's body | Graphics @冯艺卓/Planet Research Institute

The excellent level of basic education here has enabled countless talents to devote themselves to national defense and scientific research.

Participants at the 3rd National Youth Science and Technology Education Achievement Exhibition Competition held in Mianyang | Image source @Visual China

Changhong, which has experienced the "decline of the giant", has not aged. It has now successfully transformed into a global technology company integrating comprehensive home appliances, IT digital, new energy and other businesses.

Changhong "5G+ workers on the production line" | Image source @Visual Mianyang

Perhaps thanks to the nourishment of its beautiful mountains and rivers, Mianyang has never neglected its investment in ecological protection while accelerating its development.

Recently, Mianyang Changhong and Huawei cooperated to build the first fully liquid-cooled supercharging flagship station , achieving ultra-fast charging, greatly reducing energy waste, and making the city famous as a "green technology city".

Please watch in horizontal mode, the Wudu water diversion project in Mianyang brings clear water and green mountains | Image source @Visual China

Mianyang is changing with each passing day, and there are still many surprises that are unknown. On November 22, the " 11th China (Mianyang) Science and Technology City International Science and Technology Expo " co-organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the People's Government of Sichuan Province will be held. How will Mianyang "physically break the circle"?

From the "heart of national defense" to the "road to building dreams", Mianyang, which shoulders the mission and fights against the times and practices extraordinary martial arts, has already told us the answer with its legendary years. In the technological competition where experts gather, the inextinguishable passion will always be the ultimate weapon of Mianyang people.

This article was created by

Written by : Wukong

Image : Pan Chenxia

Design : Feng Yizhuo

Map : Wu Xintian

Proofreading : Li Moli & Su Nan & Zheng Yi

Cover Photographer : He Zhangbo

【References】

[1] Party History Research Office of Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Party History Research Office of Mianyang Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. Construction of China (Mianyang) Science and Technology City. Chengdu: Sichuan People's Publishing House, 2015.

[2]Du Xiangwan (ed.); Li Lixuan (chief editor). Research on the development strategy of nuclear energy technology. Beijing: Machinery Industry Press, 2021.06.

[3] Propaganda Department of CPC Mianyang Municipal Committee, etc., History of Mianyang. Social Sciences Academic Press, October 2014.

[4] Song Ruiying, Shi Huidong, Zhong Shicai, et al. Optimization design of petal-shaped accelerator accelerating cavity structure [J]. High Power Laser and Particle Beams, 2009.

[5] Rong Lei. Research on high-speed wind tunnel dynamics modeling and control methods[D]. Harbin Institute of Technology, 2022