Market research: Technology in China

05Oct2012

Centuries ago, China was once the most technologically advanced civilization in the world. However, after the mid-Ming Dynasty, due to the isolation policy of feudal rulers, the development of technology in China came to a sudden stop. Without exposure for foreign technology, the Ming Dynasty lagged behind the rest of the world. The decline of technology in China continued in the 20th century when its technology fell far behind that of the Western world. However, after the foundation of the PRC in 1949, China’s technology began moving forward once again.

Information technology in China

With the development of information technology, the information industry has become one of the pillar industries in China. It has been one of the world’s largest information industries since 2006. China has also achieved several breakthroughs in microelectronic technology. For example, Chinese companies developed CPUs such as the 863Zhongzhi, and the Loongson chip. Loongson performs better than PⅡ CPUs and the Loongson-2E boasts similar capabilities to P4 CPUs. Despite the size and growth of China’s technology industry, it still lags behind the world’s fastest technology in some core technologies.

Chinese high performance computers are attracting a lot of attention among global consumers. Over the first decade of the 21^st century, China made several improvements in this field. Shenwei, Yinhe, Shuguang, and Shenteng are all developed independently in China. The Shuguang 4000A ranked 10^th in the world’s ranking of the top 500 super computers in 2004. China became the third country after America and Japan to manufacture and use super computers for commercial use.

Aeronautics technology in China

The first developing stage of China aeronautics technology was from 1956 to 1970. During this period, China developed its own missiles, satellites, and carrier rockets. The second stage was from 1970 to 2005. In this period, China successfully launched its first man made satellite. In the 1980s, it launched communication satellites and meteorological satellites. In the 1990s, China made the decision to send people into the space. In 2003, Yang Liwei became the first Chinese astronaut to explore space. In 2005, another two astronauts were sent into space.

China’s third stage in aeronautics technology began in 2005. The five major goals of this stage are: developing a new generation of large carrier rockets; stepping forward in manned space flight program; exploring the moon; creating the Beidou satellite navigate guiding position system; and building a high contrast earth observation system. In 2012, ShenzhouⅨ sent three Chinese astronauts into space.

Biotechnology in China

Today, the importance placed on biotechnology is growing throughout the world. In China, the government pays a lot of attention to the development of biotechnology. Currently, China is working on protein engineering, molecular design techniques, stem cells technology and vaccine technology. The Chinese government hopes to develop vaccines and medication to prevent and cure currently incurable diseases by investing in biotechnology.