Mianyang City of southwest China's Sichuan Province, the only science and technology city approved by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, is vigorously promoting innovation and advancing future technology, and has achieved significant milestones.
In 2023, Mianyang ranked the 17th among the top 50 cities for sci-tech innovation competitiveness in the country, climbing 24 places in two years. It has also earned the recognition as one of the top 10 Chinese cities with the highest potential for sci-tech innovation.
The electronic display industry in the city has been experiencing swift growth.
In a smart factory of Changhong, a leading consumer electronics company based in the city, one liquid crystal display (LCD) rolls off the production line every six seconds.
"LCD TV displays images by controlling the arrangement and combination of liquid crystal molecules and voltage levels. We use 10-bit LCD panel packaging technology, and the screen resolution has achieved 7,680 by 4,320," said Fang Lianhui, senior manager of the product research and development center of Changhong's smart display division.
Today, LCD flat-panel TVs have been successfully "slimmed down", with panels consisting of over 10 layers measuring only one centimeter in thickness. Changhong has established itself as a leader in the realm of ultra-high-definition video.
The Fucheng No. 1 low-orbit satellite, developed by another company in Mianyang, orbits the Earth 15 times daily, providing real-time monitoring of surface conditions and transmitting valuable information back to Earth.
"[The low-orbit satellite] operates at an orbit of over 500 kilometers above the Earth. Using microwave remote sensing imaging technology, it can penetrate clouds and detect subsidence at the millimeter level, so as to provide information for emergency rescue operations and pre-disaster warnings," said Du Zhigui, general manager of the company.
In 2021, a local company made breakthroughs in key technologies related to the medical cyclotron in the field of nuclear medicine.
"The primary purpose of this equipment is to accelerate charged particles to strike various targets and generate a range of radioactive isotopes. It is mainly used in the diagnosis and treatment of tumors and other significant diseases in clinical settings," said Zhu Zhicheng, deputy general manager of the company.
Mianyang is also demonstrating great potential and vitality in the development of the drone industry. A fixed-wing twin-engine drone developed by a local company, equipped with the latest flight control technology, excels in applications such as maritime monitoring.
"Our fixed-wing twin-engine drone has high structural rigidity and strength and can operate effectively in wind of up to level 10," said Zhu Baojun, deputy general manager of the company.
Mianyang has gathered over 30 enterprises spanning the industrial chains in research and development, manufacturing, operational services and airspace resources, forming a strategic industry cluster for the development of the entire drone industry chain.
The city has also made significant strides in the development of artificial intelligence-powered robots. These robots possess the ability of autonomous obstacle avoidance, agile movement and good climbing skills, allowing them to operate effectively in challenging tasks, such as detecting toxic gases, searching for dangerous or explosive materials, and extracting physical evidence from easily collapsed areas, thereby ensuring the safety of human beings.
Southwest China city vigorously promotes innovation, advances future technology
