In less than eight decades, China has undergone significant changes: a country that previously faced food shortages and limited production capacity has transformed into a major global trading power, a significant player in technological innovation, and an increasingly important participant in the global shift towards a 'green' economy.
Nevertheless, Chinese leaders continue to characterize the country's modernization process as a long and complex journey, comparing it to the 'New Great Expedition.' This raises the question: how much more difficulty does the country still have to overcome despite achieving so much?
Historically, the Great Expedition of 1934–1936 was a strategic retreat by the Chinese Red Army to avoid encirclement by Kuomintang forces. The troops, suffering from a severe lack of weapons and supplies, crossed snowy mountains and remote steppes, enduring numerous military clashes. This extremely arduous transition came at a huge human cost.
Modern China faces a different set of challenges. As a country with a population of over 1.4 billion people, it must continue to reduce the development gap between urban and rural areas, strengthen domestic technological capabilities, transition to a more ecological economy, modernize industry, and improve the standard of living for its population.
Of course, the circumstances are fundamentally different from those of the original Great Expedition, but modernization remains an ambitious and prolonged undertaking. Past achievements only launch the next stage, not complete the entire journey.
Reducing the Gap Between Urban and Rural Development
China declared the eradication of extreme poverty in 2020. The next task is to consolidate these successes and find sustainable methods to improve life in rural areas. For many villages, this means developing industries capable of providing a stable income, which proves more difficult than it seems.
The area around Duanting village in Shanxi Province, located in northern China, with its riverine and plain landscape, is ideal for rice cultivation. However, for many years, rice was not a reliable source of income for local farmers. The traditional rice variety was vulnerable to diseases, and the region's relatively cool climate created additional difficulties.
In 1997, villagers abandoned rice farming and switched primarily to corn—a safer crop, but less profitable in terms of increasing product value.
In 2021, a new village administrator arrived. Zhao Jibin, a local resident who worked in a larger city, returned to the village to run for this position. After winning the election, he began revitalizing the local economy, starting with the industry that once supported the village—rice farming.
He firmly believed that rice could bring farmers greater profits than corn. He justified this by the favorable terrain and access to river water but felt that simply returning to the old variety would not solve the problem. The village needed rice better adapted to Shanxi conditions and more resistant to diseases.
After learning about the development of a variety suitable for Shanxi conditions, Zhao began testing it on a small plot. Positive results prompted him to gradually expand the planting area. Zhao stated: 'In the first year, we planted two hectares. Then the area increased to over 13.3 hectares in 2025.' He added that the planting volume now depends on how much seedlings the nursery can provide.
However, expanding production brought its own problems. The village required proper facilities and equipment to protect the harvest. In 2023, the village's old, insufficiently spacious warehouse could no longer adequately store the rice harvest, leading to spoilage of some products and losses.
That same year, the village applied for $100,000 in funding to build a new warehouse and purchase modern agricultural equipment. This helped move rice farming into a more promising position.
Zhao also sought ways to generate income beyond rice cultivation. In 2024, the village introduced integrated rice and crab farming, raising crabs in the rice fields. These two elements complement each other: crabs feed on certain pests and weeds, and the rice plants serve as their shelter.
Creating this new system required additional investment. The village requested about $15,000 for field preparation, including digging canals for the crabs, installing barriers to prevent escape, and building tanks for feeding and disinfection.
This unconventional approach surprised some villagers, especially the elderly. One farmer noted: 'I never thought rice and crabs could grow in the same fields. Seeing 40,000 crabs released into the ponds truly opened my eyes.'
Zhao's efforts extended beyond the field. To attract visitors, the village tidied up the coastline and set up a campsite where families could enjoy the rural scenery, catch crabs in the rice fields, and spend time outdoors.
The village also registered a trademark for its rice, promoting it as a local product grown using water from a nearby river. By combining agriculture with tourism, the village hopes to attract more visitors and stimulate demand for local products. Zhao stated that the new activities have created more opportunities for villagers to earn money at home.
The experience of Duanting reflects a broader issue facing rural China: how to create industries capable of generating stable and sustainable income. As young people move to large cities, many villages face labor shortages. Limited resources, short supply chains, and uncertain profitability also hinder the development of businesses capable of withstanding market risks.
Nevertheless, across rural China, village leaders like Zhao, together with experts and other local figures, are exploring new ways to turn local resources into long-term sources of income. The work continues, but creating viable rural industries requires time, continuous investment, and sustained effort.
Developing a New Way to Return Rockets
Technological innovation is critical for the country's long-term development, but breakthroughs in key areas require not only the implementation of existing technologies. They depend on building expertise, developing technical competencies, and finding solutions to complex problems. China's efforts to develop reusable rockets illustrate such a process.
A rocket's journey does not necessarily end after the first stage separates from the rest of the vehicle. In July 2026, China's Long March-10B rocket made its first flight, successfully delivering the payload to orbit, after which the first stage—the section providing thrust during launch—was successfully returned to the sea.
This achievement made China the second country, after the United States, to successfully recover an orbital-class booster. The goal is to recover, repair, and reuse the booster instead of discarding it after one flight, which could potentially lower launch costs by eliminating the need to build a new rocket for every mission.
Lu Luliang, the project's chief designer, emphasized the technical complexities. Lu said: 'Recovering the first stage and landing it precisely for reuse is a challenge upon a challenge. The recovery process takes about five minutes, during which the booster must slow down from about 2 kilometers per second to a complete stop, which is quite difficult.'
China has developed its own approach to recovering rocket boosters. Rapid recovery and reuse of orbital-class boosters were first implemented by America's SpaceX. Their Falcon 9 boosters reignite engines to slow down before landing on deployable legs, either on land or on a sea platform.
China's Long March-10B rocket, in contrast, is designed to use four hooks on the booster to connect with tensioned cables suspended above a rescue vessel. This hook and cable system will allow the returning booster to be secured without landing legs and may allow for some tolerance in its final position.
This also offers a potential weight advantage. The absence of landing legs allows the rocket to carry less extra equipment, leaving more payload capacity.
The concept may seem simple, but its implementation requires precision at every stage. The booster must control its descent and reach the recovery zone in the correct position and speed. Meanwhile, the vessel must maintain its position against wind, waves, and currents, and the hooks and cables must work together to capture and secure the rocket. A failure at any stage could jeopardize the recovery, as well as the possibility of reusing expensive equipment.
Ma Jianzhou, one of the project designers, noted that the period from the start of the project to the first recovery was the shortest for the team. The tight deadlines reflect the pressure associated with transforming an engineering concept into a working system.
When the booster was successfully captured by the recovery system on July 10 of this year, about 100 team members watching the operation from the control center cried and shouted: 'We did it!' The joy of the breakthrough, and sometimes the tears that accompany it, hold a meaning that only those who worked tirelessly to achieve this goal can fully understand.
Breakthroughs rarely happen easily. Each one is built on years of effort, repeated experiments, and the determination to overcome failures. Behind the country's technological progress are teams of people who dream big and continue to seek solutions, even when success remains uncertain.
The Road Ahead: The New Great Expedition
China's modernization remains a complex endeavor, and there are still many tasks ahead. Chinese leaders have compared this process to the 'New Great Expedition.' The revitalization of rural communities and the development of new technologies are just two facets of this broader effort.
Today's challenges differ from those faced in the past, but moving forward still requires many of the same qualities: resilience in the face of setbacks, diligent work in pursuit of complex goals, hope for a better future, and cooperation to bring common aspirations to reality.
These efforts are not only shaping China's future but also creating opportunities for knowledge exchange, technological advancement, and solving problems that transcend national borders.