novelAbuy Chapter 4 Yesterday, steam roared; today, high-speed rail arrives from the east.
Chapter 4 Yesterday, steam roared; today, high-speed rail arrives from the east.
The gentle spring breeze has just carried away the international science and technology conference co-hosted by the phoenix and the giant tortoise.
Bathed in the warm golden autumn sun of Phoenix Kingdom, a sudden gust of wind swept through the forest world.
It wasn't the salty sea breeze, nor the harsh mountain wind, but rather the steam wind that evoked memories of the forest civilization era.
This wind, originating from the giant tortoise's inland laboratory, followed the ocean current, swept past the eagle's workshop, and giraffe's harbor.
Finally, it stopped at the Eagle's Science and Technology Exhibition Hall.
In October 2019, the "Steam Industry Civilization Exhibition," jointly organized by Eagle and Giant Turtle, officially opened at the LD Science Museum.
The familiar faces of the forest world gathered together once again.
The giant tortoise shell is engraved with fine metallic patterns, and its four legs are on steam tracks, each step carrying the weight of the industrial age.
An eagle stands atop the display case, its wings slightly spread, its gaze fixed on the Titanic model in the core exhibition area, a hint of barely perceptible pride on its lips.
The phoenix, dressed in a blue-patterned feathered robe, stroked an old-fashioned steam engine model in the exhibition hall with its fingertips, exuding composure and confidence;
The sculpture, holding a paintbrush, sketched incessantly on the blueprints of a steam locomotive, muttering, "A fusion of romance and mechanics."
The giraffe stretched its neck, staring at the containers at the entrance of the port exhibition area, occasionally tapping the wooden planks with its hooves to calculate the tonnage;
A flock of birds surrounded the steam power exhibition area, chattering about "steam efficiency," but their envy of the advanced technology currently being developed in Taiwan was hard to hide.
In the center of the exhibition hall, in the most prominent position, stands an old-fashioned, modified steam engine.
That was the result of ten years and seven generations of core components developed by the Great Turtle Kingdom in the 19th century.
Today's protagonist is not an eagle or a hawk, but a giant tortoise that personally unveils the glory of the "steam age".
The giant tortoise slowly turned the valve on its shell, and steam began to slowly escape from the pipe.
Carrying a warm scent, it condensed into a thin mist in the air.
It raised its head, its gaze sweeping across the entire room, its voice not loud, yet carrying a power that transcends time and space:
"Ladies and gentlemen, today we won't talk about data or production output, but only about how steam changed our forest world."
As soon as he finished speaking, the electronic screen in the exhibition hall lit up and began playing three old black-and-white video clips:
In the inland region of Eagle Nation in the 18th century, blacksmith Watt stared at a boiling kettle, watching the moment the lid was lifted by the steam.
His fingers flew across the scratch paper, calculating repeatedly, while he shouted, "This machine is all I can think about!"
In 1812, the first steam-powered cargo ship to be commercially operated was launched in the port of Great Tortoise Kingdom.
The crew waved flags and cheered as they watched black smoke billow from the chimney;
On September 27, 1825, the world's first railway opened to traffic. In the Eagle Nation, the first steam railway opened.
The coachman watched the steam locomotive whizz past, his eyes shifting from surprise to awe.
The giant tortoise explained as it watched: "Steam wasn't actually invented by us; it's a natural force that has always existed in the forest world."
Our eagle brother was the first to discover it, and then turned the power of nature into the driving force of production.
Upon hearing this, the eagle couldn't help but speak, its voice tinged with a hint of emotion:
"Brother Turtle, you're right. Back then, during our country's Industrial Revolution..."
It was by being the first to discover steam and invent the steam engine that we were able to build our ironclad warships, and later become powerful and dominate the trade network of the forest world.
The giant tortoise nodded slightly, looked at the eagle, and then swept its gaze across the entire arena:
"Eagle, you're right. In the steam age, the change in our forest world wasn't just about a machine, but a milestone in the history of productivity development in the forest world."
The giant tortoise stretched out its thick hand and pointed to the steam locomotive model next to it:
"Look at this vehicle. Since it was equipped with a steam engine, it can travel 300 li a day, which is ten times faster than the horse-drawn carriages of that time; it can carry 1,000 tons of goods, which is more than a hundred horse-drawn carriages can carry."
In the early 19th century, goods from the forests, transported by water or animal power, took a month to reach another country.
Since the advent of steam railways, the transportation time has been shortened to ten days.
At that time, the transportation range of goods from a port was within a radius of 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers).
Since the invention of steamships, goods could be transported across the entire ocean.
Diao put down his paintbrush and interjected, "But steam also brought problems—pollution, worker strikes, class disparities, and so on."
"Our country's workers once protested at the palace gates because of the noise from the steam engine factory."
The giant tortoise paused for a moment, then tried to make its tone heavy as it spoke:
No technological revolution is perfect. Steam brought pollution, but it also brought urbanization.
It brought about class disparities, but it also brought about universal education;
It brought about competition for resources, but it also brought about the integration of civilizations.
This is the price of social development and progress in civilization, and it is unavoidable.
The phoenix suddenly spoke, its tone gentle: "The great tortoise is right."
In our Phoenix Kingdom, we had water-powered blast furnaces, jacquard looms, and water-powered astronomical clock towers a thousand years ago. These were the early forms of "quasi-steam" technology.
Unfortunately, we ultimately failed to transform technology into a driving force for the development of forest civilization.
Phoenix pointed to the ancient water engine model on display next to it and continued to explain:
This is a model of a water-powered spinning machine from over a thousand years ago.
However, at that time we lacked a stable and peaceful environment to promote its application in production.
Not to mention establishing a supporting factory system and forming a mechanism for technology iteration;
Therefore, unity, friendship, harmony, and stability are the foundation for any group, and this is also true for our forest world.
The giant tortoise looked at the phoenix with approval in its eyes:
"Phoenix, you're absolutely right. The development of productivity and technological progress in the forest world has never been an easy path."
The need for continuous research and development based on a stable environment is the result of the combined efforts of various ethnic cultures.
Our Great Tortoise Kingdom was able to be the first to transform the steam engine into industrial and commercial applications, not only because of technological breakthroughs.
Other aspects include patent protection, capital guidance, talent cultivation, and market openness.
These, along with a stable and unified political system, are more important than steam itself.
The eagle sighed, "What a pity. Back then, our Eagle Kingdom was the undisputed ruler of the forests for centuries."
They accumulated capital through colonial plunder in the early stages, obtained labor through the slave trade, and were also the first to invent the steam engine.
Looking back now, I realize I was a bit arrogant and complacent back then.
The lack of sustained investment in technological research and development has allowed Big Turtle to overtake them.
The giant tortoise nodded: "History doesn't have perfect answers, but it always gives us answers."
What we can do is not to deny the past, but to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past in the new era.
The forest world of today no longer needs colonial plunder, the slave trade, or technological competition.
It should be fair, sustainable, and mutually beneficial.
Upon hearing this, Berlin Bear clapped his hands loudly, followed by a round of applause.
As the exhibition continued, representatives from various countries gathered around exhibits of steam equipment, railway models, and steamships, engaging in increasingly lively and engaging discussions.
The giraffe pointed to the container ships in the port exhibition area and said to the crowd:
"In that era, the steamships of the Great Tortoise Kingdom enabled our goods to be transported directly from the inland to the other side of the ocean."
This was a major boon for the port nations at the time.
The birds nodded in agreement: "Yes, steam technology made intra-European trade in the 19th century as quick and convenient as 'visiting neighbors in the forest.'"
The engineers of the Kingdom of Diao gazed at the blueprints for the steam locomotive and exclaimed in admiration:
"Steam technology also allows us to turn romance into reality."
We can build gardens beside the railway, and listen to the wind blowing through the forest amidst the whistles of steam locomotives.
Listening to the laughter and chatter of the various tribes, the phoenix could only nod silently with a smile.
Because the phoenix of the nineteenth century was asleep from top to bottom.
Moreover, we are now in the era of the Second Industrial Revolution, not the First Industrial Revolution.
Phoenix currently holds the top position in the entire forest in terms of high-speed rail technology that uses electricity instead of steam as the power source.
Therefore, there is no need to echo others, much less to show off.
The giant tortoise, true to its reputation as the forest's leader, seemed to see right through the phoenix's thoughts, and looked at the phoenix with admiration, saying:
"Very good, low-key and reserved; low-key and reserved, Good!"
After speaking, the giant tortoise turned to the audience, raising its voice slightly, "Ladies and gentlemen:"
"I'm not standing here today to show off the technology of the Great Tortoise Kingdom."
Instead, I'm here to tell you that the steam age back then wasn't the era of the Great Tortoise Kingdom, but the shared era of the Forest World.
No ethnic group can remain aloof from the development of our forest world and the progress of civilization.
No group should stop its pace of technological research and development. We look back at the era of the First Industrial Revolution so that we can make better use of the Second Industrial Revolution.
We look forward to entering a more advanced and civilized era of the Third and Fourth Industrial Revolutions.
Technological advancements and scientific progress have never been about winning or losing, but rather about working together for the benefit of our shared forest world.
As soon as he finished speaking, Berlin Bear clapped his hands loudly, followed by thunderous applause from the entire audience.
Finally, everyone watched as steam overflowed from the pipes, condensing into golden mist under the lights, like a great tortoise giving a wonderful speech, or even a blessing for the future of the forest world: eternal peace, unity and friendship!
In the millennia-long changes of the forest world, steam is just one microcosm.
What truly changes the world is never a particular technology, but rather the attitude towards technology: respect, innovation, integration, and win-win cooperation.
No country can maintain its hegemony by monopolizing technology, nor can it reject technology and stop its pace of development.
The era of roaring steam engines signified progress in productivity; the arrival of high-speed rail from the east marks the beginning of a close-knit community among forests.
The future of the forest world is never "the era of one country," but "an era created jointly by all countries."
Having finished writing this chapter, "Yesterday's Steam Roar, Today's High-Speed Rail Arrives from the East," I dare say it's the most "heart-wrenching" yet also the most "inspiring" passage:
When writing about the steam age, we do not shy away from the backwardness and scars of the 19th century; when writing about today's glory, we do not fail to live up to the original aspiration of a century of struggle.
Steam billows in the forest world, and the phoenix of the East never stops its journey.
From slumber to awakening, from humiliation to leadership, the story behind it is far more fascinating than what you see.
In later chapters, we will unlock the core foreshadowing of Phoenix's "Electric Rise" and see how Phoenix achieved a leapfrog development in just a century!
Follow me so you don't get lost, let's continue writing!