By Xu Peiyu

China has cemented its position as the world’s largest new energy vehicle (NEV) market, leading global production and sales for 11 consecutive years. At the heart of this achievement lies a formidable force: the nation’s young engineering talent. What drives China’s remarkable NEV advancement, and how have these professionals propelled its rise?

Seeking answers, a documentary crew from South Korea’s Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) visited BYD’s Shenzhen headquarters in Guangdong province this April.

Their observations revealed a striking contrast: while South Korea’s top students traditionally pursue medicine, China has cultivated deep engineering expertise that now powers cutting-edge technological breakthroughs — moving decisively beyond its former reputation for low-end manufacturing.

Intrigued by what they termed “China speed,” KBS producers expanded their documentary focus from education comparisons to China’s NEV sector. What astonished them most wasn’t just industrial scale, but the youth of China’s engineering corps.

BYD exemplifies this trend with over 120,000 engineers on staff. Between 2023 and 2025, the company recruited over 50,000 fresh university graduates, with nearly 80 percent entering research and development (R&D) positions. About 70 percent hold master’s or doctoral degrees. 

Ye Zi, head of BYD human resources., said the company’s well-developed training system, flexible job assignments and tolerant attitude toward trial and error have helped young recruits transition quickly from graduates into engineers.

At BYD, engineers in their twenties and thirties routinely lead core technical projects. KBS producer Jeong Yong-jae noted his surprise: “When I requested to interview younger engineers, they responded, ‘Everyone here is young.’ Witnessing professionals in their thirties making critical technical decisions would be extraordinary in South Korea.”

“Youth is the greatest source of innovation for China,” Jeong said after visiting schools and companies across the country. In his view, China encourages creativity and exploration from an early stage of education, giving students opportunities to engage with cutting-edge technologies and hands-on innovation projects. That environment, he said, has planted the seeds of innovation early and created a steady pipeline of young talent for industries such as NEVs.

“What people call ‘China speed’ is not a miracle,” he said. “It is the result of talent, education, national strategies and collective determination coming together.”

Near BYD’s headquarters, ultra-fast charging stations showcase this innovation. There, People’s Daily met Qiu Song, who leads BYD’s Pure Electric Platform development. His team pioneered 1,500A ultra-fast charging technology, achieving stable extreme-current transmission through thinner cables. This breakthrough addresses critical consumer pain points: slow charging and excessive wait times.

Qiu joined BYD in 2016 when China’s annual NEV barely surpassed 500,000 units, Qiu has witnessed production surge past 16 million annually — with NEVs now dominating over half of new car sales. For him, the industry’s ethos is clear: “Dare to dream big, act boldly, and experiment fearlessly.”

Cao Zhiyuan, born in 1995, represents a new generation of engineers driving that momentum. A PhD graduate in electrical engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Cao joined BYD in 2023 and now leads development work on overseas ultra-fast charging products.

Much of his daily work revolves around one goal: making charging faster.

Experiments, data analysis, cross-team brainstorming sessions and daily reviews have become routine for him and his colleagues. The challenge they are tackling is one of the core bottlenecks facing the global EV industry: charging speed.

“We want charging an electric vehicle to be as fast as refueling a gasoline car,” Cao said. “That’s the goal we keep working toward every day.”

Inside the laboratory, engineers repeatedly test charging performance under different current levels and temperature conditions. The team operates with a highly open culture: ideas are evaluated by data and verification rather than hierarchy or seniority. That technology-first environment has enabled many young engineers to quickly grow into key contributors capable of leading major projects on their own.

After relentless refinement, BYD’s flash-charging technology can now charge a battery from 10 percent to 97 percent in just nine minutes, placing it among the global leaders in charging speed.

Through hard work and continuous innovation, China’s NEV engineers are giving real meaning to the phrase “China speed,” while injecting sustained momentum into the future development of the industry.

By Dou Hanyang, People’s Daily

The harvest season for branched string lettuce recently wrapped up along Xihu port in Huangbi’ao township, Xiangshan county, Ningbo, east China’s Zhejiang province.

“I earned more than 60,000 yuan ($8,846) harvesting seaweed for the science and technology backyard,” said Baiyu village resident Qiu Yonggao with a broad smile. “I never thought tidal-flat seaweed could bring real income.”

Huangbi’ao township sits along the East China Sea. Stretching across the coastline are vast expanses of high-quality tidal flats where algae such as branched string lettuce, kelp and laver thrive naturally. 

The “science and technology backyard” Qiu referred to is the Xiangshan Seaweed Science and Technology Backyard, jointly established by the local government, universities and leading enterprises. 

Supported by this innovation hub, the local seaweed industry now spans cultivation, processing and domestic and overseas sales. This shift has upgraded the industry from traditional extensive farming to modern intensive production, lifting incomes for more than 180 local households.

At a local production base, workers are testing indoor cultivation of branched string lettuce in a 900-square-meter, state-of-the-art seedling workshop.

“The branched string lettuce produced here is purchased in large quantities by internationally renowned snack companies and used as a food seasoning,” said Zhu Wenrong, head of the production base and chairman of Xiangshan Xuwen Seaweed Development Co., Ltd. “Thanks to the area’s natural ecological advantages, branched string lettuce around Xihu port stands out for its premium quality and rich nutrients.”

Operating under a “company + farmer” model, the base provides growers with free seedlings, technical guidance, and guaranteed minimum prices. During this year’s bumper harvest, more than 100 local villagers participated in harvesting every day, with daily purchases of fresh branched string lettuce reaching more than 40 metric tons at peak times. Some villagers earned up to 1,500 yuan($221) a day solely from harvesting.

Building on the growth cycle of branched string lettuce, the base has also introduced high-quality kelp and laver seedlings, creating what locals call a “marine vegetable garden” in Xihu port. Moving beyond the traditional practice of “depending on the weather,” the farms now use intelligent equipment to monitor seawater temperature and pH levels, enabling precise environmental regulation.

“Look at this kelp — broad leaves and thick flesh. It can sell for around 5 yuan ($0.73) per kilogram,” Zhu said, pointing toward the rows of kelp racks in the sea. Last year, kelp production remained stable at over 2,000 metric tons, most of which was sold to supermarkets and restaurants in Shanghai and Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang.

Remarkably, one kilogram of seedlings yields 1,000 kilograms of mature seaweed. As the algae grow, they absorb nitrogen and capture carbon dioxide. Scientists now quantify sequestered carbon, unlocking new industry potential.

On Feb. 28, 2023, China’s first blue carbon auction deal was finalized in Huangbi’ao township. The annual fishery carbon sink of 2,340.1 tons from Xihu port was traded at 106 yuan($15.63) per ton, with a total transaction value of around 248,000 yuan($36,563).

“Blue carbon trading clarifies pathways to monetize ecological value,” said Yang Yang, deputy director of Xiangshan marine economic development center.

Profit distribution from carbon trading directly benefits villagers. Profit distribution from carbon trading directly benefits villagers. Hugang Village resident He Shichang received 1,200 yuan($176.93) worth of seedlings last year, calling it “income from protecting the ocean.” Local fishers now practice sustainable harvesting and actively safeguard marine ecosystems.

Xiangshan county has incorporated the seaweed industry into its overall marine economic development plan and established multi-party coordination mechanisms to turn the Xiangshan Seaweed Science and Technology Backyard into a key platform for technological breakthroughs and the commercialization of research results.

“In the past, universities often struggled to commercialize research findings. Now, technologies developed in the lab can be tested and promoted directly in the waters of Xihu port,” said Chen Haimin, a researcher from Ningbo University who leads a team studying healthy seaweed cultivation and resource utilization at the science and technology backyard.

According to Chen, new laver varieties developed by the team are now applied in standardized and precise seedling breeding and harvesting demonstrations across laver farming zones in Xiangshan. 

Today, seaweed cultivation in Huangbi’ao township has also become deeply integrated with rural tourism. Visitors can experience sea farming and recreational fishing, enjoy local seafood cuisine, and learn about blue carbon through science exhibitions. 

At the Xiangshan Marine Carbon Sink Comprehensive Exhibition Center, a “digital blue carbon map” provides real-time visualization of carbon sink changes across local waters, making ecological assets visible and tangible.

Meanwhile, researchers at the science and technology backyard are refining an ecological mixed-farming model integrating algae, shellfish and fish. Fish are raised in the upper waters, shellfish in the middle layer, and algae below, forming a circular system that maximizes the use of the same body of water.

From “seaweed” growing on tidal flats to a fully developed industrial chain, and from invisible carbon sinks to tradable ecological assets, the ocean in Huangbi’ao township is steadily becoming a “blue granary” that offers broad prospects for advancing all-around rural revitalization.

By Yao Xueqing, Dou Hao, Li Kaixuan, People’s Daily

Recent advancements in technologies like artificial intelligence(AI), brain-computer interfaces and bionic engineering are offering renewed hope and expanding possibilities for people living with disabilities.

China’s 2025 statistical bulletin on the development of the cause of people with disabilities reported that 1.487 million people with disabilities received basic assistive devices last year.

For 51-year-old Xu Min from Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province, technology has done more than improve daily life; it has restored her confidence and sense of possibility.

She still feels emotional recalling her victory in the upper-limb prosthetics category at the Cybathlon, often called the “Olympics for assistive technology.”

Xu lost her right hand and wrist in a workplace accident over thirty years ago. “It felt like my whole world had collapsed,” she recalled, crediting her family’s encouragement for helping her regain the courage to move forward.

In 2019, staff members from the Suzhou Disabled Persons’ Federation contacted Xu about a new project being developed by a research team from Southeast University. The team was developing a prosthetic hand capable of movement and asked whether she would be willing to test it. Xu agreed immediately.

“We use sensors attached closely to the skin to collect myoelectric control signals from the residual limb,” explained Hu Xuhui, a member of the research team. “In simple terms, the signals convey the user’s intended movement to the chip, which then transmits commands to the prosthetic hand, completing the movement loop.”

Xu vividly remembers the first time she saw the prosthetic hand move.

“I cried out in excitement,” she said. Initially, success rates were low, but persistent training steadily improved coordination between Xu and the device.

In early 2024, Hu brought another piece of good news: the Cybathlon competition would soon be held. As Xu prepared for the competition, the research team continued refining the prosthetic device and improving its performance.

At the finals in Switzerland, Xu excelled, completing challenging tasks like hammering and nail removal. She was the sole contestant to master the “tactile bag” challenge, identifying and retrieving specific objects by touch alone using the prosthetic.

“Remarkably, the prosthetic allowed me to perceive my environment with precision. It came very close to the functionality of a real human hand,” Xu stated proudly after her win. “Technology gave me hope again.”

Technology has also helped restore hope to Jin, a resident of Lanxi in Jinhua, east China’s Zhejiang province.

Jin suffered complete paraplegia after a nearly 10-meter fall while repairing his roof in October 2024. Even after four months of rehabilitation, he could not lift his legs or regain normal bladder and bowel control.

At a time when he had nearly lost hope, his daughter, Jin Xiaofang, learned that the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine was recruiting volunteers for a closed-loop spinal neural interface implantation procedure. She immediately took her father there for evaluation.

In March 2025, the medical team successfully implanted spinal stimulation electrodes into Jin’s lumbar spine and placed a wireless, rechargeable stimulation controller (roughly matchbox-sized) in his abdomen.

The domestically developed “neural pacemaker” measures just 51 millimeters in length and weighs only 18 grams. Using Bluetooth technology, it receives instructions from external devices and delivers precise electrical stimulation to damaged areas of the spinal cord. Patients can recharge the device simply by placing a charging coil near the abdomen, with a single charge lasting more than a week.

Fifteen days after surgery, Jin successfully achieved standing and walking movements. One month later, he regained the ability to take steps with the assistance of a walker.

The technology not only improved his motor functions, but also demonstrated potential for repairing neural sensory pathways.

So far, the hospital has used the closed-loop spinal neural interface technology to help more than 10 spinal cord injury patients regain varying degrees of physical function, with several progressing from being bedridden to walking again.

Another beneficiary of technological innovation is Qing Jingwen from Mianzhu, southwest China’s Sichuan province, a survivor of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake.

Trapped beneath rubble for nearly 70 hours during the earthquake, Qing eventually lost her right leg above the knee and suffered severe injuries to her left leg. For years afterward, walking remained one of the greatest challenges in her life.

In spring last year, through a public welfare program supported by the Chengdu Foundation for Disabled Persons, Qing received an intelligent bionic leg developed by BrainCo, a Chinese neurotechnology company that develops brain-computer interface products.

“Ever since I started using the intelligent bionic leg, I haven’t fallen once,” Qing said with a smile.

According to Wang Yong, sales director for intelligent prosthetics at BrainCo, the device integrates gyroscopes, position sensors and multiple other sensors to collect real-time data. The information is processed through algorithms and converted into instructions that control the prosthetic’s hydraulic system, allowing it to adapt instantly to different movements and enabling users to achieve a near-natural gait and walking freedom of movement.

Beyond advanced functionality, this domestically developed intelligent bionic leg is significantly more affordable than comparable imported products. With steadier steps and renewed confidence, Qing has begun exploring new possibilities in life. Last year, she traveled to Yueyang, central China’s Hunan province, to work as a volunteer teacher and even helped her students establish a cultural and creative arts club.

“The warmth of technology has made both my steps and my heart steadier,” Qing said. “I believe my future will become broader and brighter.”