It is a process to improve the manufacturing capability

When I was in collegelong time ago, one of our teacher told us a story I remember well.

This teacher was an airplane designer before Culture Revolution.  He participated in designing China's first planes.  However, because of his family background, he was sent to our college as a engineering drawing instructor.  All of our students were amazed by his knowledge and skills.

He told us "China has the airplane designers that can design the best airplanes in the world but we can not produce it because our poor industry base." One example he mentioned was that one plane China sent to Parkistan was broken in air into pieces when it was crossing Himalaya.  My teacher was one of the accident investigator to figure out what went wrong.  They checked everything in design and found no problem.  Then he went to the factory to see how the airplane was produced.  He found one worker pulled one red hot machine part and put in cold water.  Then he told that worker, the cooling should be done in oil not in water.  The worker told him that his boss told him to do that.  We know quick cooling with water can creat high thermal stress and cracks.

On the opposite side, I have worked with one of the largest special large machine manufacturer in the world (producing 98% of one type of machines in US and 80% in the world).  If you look at its factory, it is very simple with five not-so large steel roof workshops. You just do not believe they can build such nice and reliable machines.

I believe that a developing country has to go through the copying part in order to build a good industry base first.  Japan, South Korea did the same before.  By having a good industry base, a country can build what it can design.  Just as an example, everybody criticizes China on the speed trains for copying other people designs and technology.  However, the trains are working well and exporting to developed countries now. In 80's and 90's, we even did not want to buy screew driver made in China because its poor quality.  But you buy TV, PC and other advanced things made in China.  I just found that the new IPad I just ordered was just shipped from Shanghai.

As Chinese, no matter where we are, work on to improve our own ability consistently.  By this way, Chinese can supprising people by their capabilities.  China should encourage new ideas, technology, inventions so that it can sell a product at hundreds, thousand and millions dollars instead of 1$, $5 and $10. But improving the industry base right now is essential too.