There are more robots working in China than the rest of the world! The New York Times Sounds the Alarm: U.S. Companies, Wake Up! 紐約時報急了：美國企業別躺平了…《紐約時報》記者去中國工廠轉了一圈，看着車間里密密麻麻幹活的機器人，忍不住怒批美國企業太不思進取！
A New York Times reporter visited a Chinese factory and, upon seeing the densely packed robots working in the workshops, couldn’t help but criticize American companies for their lack of ambition!
The September 26 front page presented some hard data: In 2024, the number of robots in Chinese factories exceeded 2 million for the first time, surpassing the combined total of the U.S., Japan, Germany, and South Korea. Additionally, China added 298,000 new robots in a single year, more than the rest of the world combined. In contrast, the U.S. installed only 34,000 robots last year—less than one-ninth of China’s figure—dropping it to third place globally.
Why such a massive gap? Simply put, China has made robots dirt cheap, so companies don’t hesitate to upgrade. Take the most common six-axis robotic arm, for example. Five years ago, an imported one cost 400,000 yuan. Now, domestic companies like Estun and Inovance have driven the price down to 150,000 yuan, and the government offers a 20% subsidy. Factories can recoup the cost in just six months.
A smartphone case factory in Suzhou is a prime example. In 2021, it employed 2,800 workers to produce 4 million units per month. By 2024, after introducing robots for tasks like polishing and spraying, the workforce was reduced to 900, while output surged to 7 million units monthly. The defect rate dropped from 3% to 0.5%. The factory owner put it bluntly: “If you don’t upgrade now, you’re just waiting to be phased out.”
Crucially, robots in China aren’t just replacing jobs—they’re acting as a “employment safety valve.” With young people increasingly unwilling to work in factories, the Yangtze River Delta region faces a persistent 30% labor shortage for general workers. The government subsidizes companies to purchase robots, while former workers are retrained to maintain and program these machines, with salaries rising from 6,000 to 12,000 yuan. These positions are also more stable.
Data released in September by Guangdong’s Department of Human Resources and Social Security shows a shortage of 68,000 industrial robot operators in the province, with an average annual salary of 150,000 yuan—double that of 2019. In essence, robots are taking over the tedious, dirty, and dangerous tasks, shifting human workers to safer control roles and transforming “grunt work” into “skilled positions.”
The trend is accelerating: FANUC’s Shanghai factory is expanding and aims to produce 120,000 robots annually by 2026—equivalent to adding another “Japan” in terms of global production. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, domestic robot production increased by 42% in the first eight months of this year and is expected to reach 500,000 units for the full year, with 70% being used by Chinese factories.
The contrast with the U.S. is even starker. A September survey by the National Association of Manufacturers found that only 18% of U.S. companies plan to increase their use of robots by 2026. It’s not that business owners are unwilling—they face real challenges: a shortage of technicians to maintain robots, financial pressure to purchase equipment, and supply chain bottlenecks. If a robotic arm breaks, they might have to wait a week for parts from Germany, a delay few can afford.
The trajectory is clear: Over the past decade, China has driven down the cost of robots. The next step is to export humanoid robots, AI-powered quality inspection systems, and fully automated “lights-out factories” abroad. Factories newly built in Vietnam and Mexico are already specifying “Made in China” robotic arms in their blueprints. If the U.S. continues to hesitate, it may find itself needing to import even the workers to install robots from China by 2027.
Back in the day, when Guo Jingjing got married, her parents returned a bride price of 11 million RMB and a courtyard home worth 300 million RMB. On the wedding day, her parents did not sit at the main table, which led Hong Kong media to widely mock: “The Huo family looks down on Guo Jingjing’s parents, which is why they are not being treated with importance.” 當年，郭晶晶結婚時，郭父母退回1100萬彩禮，和價值3億的四合院，婚禮當天，郭父母也沒坐上主桌，因此被港媒大肆嘲諷:“霍家瞧不起郭晶晶的父母，才對他們不重視。”
However, that was not the case! All of this was arranged by Guo Jingjing’s parents.
At that time, when Guo Jingjing married, her parents returned the 11 million RMB bride price and the courtyard home worth hundreds of millions. On the wedding day, when they did not sit at the main table, Hong Kong media immediately seized the opportunity to mock: “The Huo family looks down on their in-laws from a modest background, not even letting them sit at the main table!”
What the Hong Kong media didn’t know was that as early as Guo Jingjing and Huo Qigang’s engagement, the Huo family had shown their utmost sincerity: a diamond ring worth tens of millions was first sent to the Guo family, followed by a bride price of 11 million RMB. Later, feeling it still wasn’t enough, they added a courtyard home in Beijing worth hundreds of millions, explicitly stating, “This is a retirement home for the in-laws.”
Others might have seen this as proof of their daughter marrying well, but Guo Jingjing’s parents did not accept it.
The elderly couple privately told their daughter: “Our family may not be as well-off as the Huo family, but one must have dignity. We cannot take these things for nothing. You are marrying into their family to live your life, not to become a ‘recipient of gifts.’ If we accept these, you will have no standing to speak up in the Huo family in the future.”
And so, they repeatedly declined the Huo family’s gifts, only accepting Huo Qigang’s sincere feelings for Guo Jingjing.
On the wedding day, the Guo parents’ “low-profile” behavior exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Traveling from their hometown to Hong Kong, they did not ask the Huo family to arrange transportation. Instead, they bought economy class tickets and, upon arriving in Hong Kong, transferred to a bus, passing through several stops before finally reaching the wedding hotel.
When asked why they didn’t trouble the Huo family, Guo’s father smiled and said, “The wedding is already busy enough for them. We shouldn’t add to their troubles. It’s quite convenient for us to come on our own.”
After the banquet began, sharp-eyed Hong Kong media noticed that Guo Jingjing’s parents were not seated at the main table but at a secondary table near the corner, which only amplified the mocking voices.
What they didn’t know was that this seating arrangement was actually the result of a discussion between the Huo family and Guo’s parents.
The wedding had 1,800 guests, including political dignitaries, business tycoons, entertainment stars, and many international guests. The main table was occupied by the likes of the Hong Kong Chief Executive and foreign princes, making the occasion so grand that it could feel somewhat intimidating.
The Huo family had long considered that Guo’s parents had lived their entire lives in an ordinary household and might be uncomfortable with such high-society socializing. They specifically suggested that the Guo parents sit at a secondary table, surrounded by easy-going relatives, so they could enjoy the meal more comfortably.
Upon hearing this, Guo’s parents immediately agreed: “We are here to see our daughter happy. It doesn’t matter where we sit. There’s no need to join the main table.”
After the wedding, the Huo family still felt uneasy, thinking they had let the in-laws suffer “mistreatment.” The next morning, they sent someone to drive a luxury car worth 6 million RMB to the hotel where Guo’s parents were staying, explaining: “Please keep this car for your use. It will be convenient for your future visits to Hong Kong. If you’d like to stay long-term, we can arrange housing.”
But Guo’s parents shook their heads, not even touching the car, and said, “Thank you for your kindness. We are used to living in our hometown and won’t be staying long. The car is too valuable, and we have no use for it.”
Before the Huo family could persuade them further, the elderly couple packed their luggage, bought return tickets, and quietly returned to their hometown.
Later, when someone asked Guo Jingjing why her parents were so “stubborn,” refusing such wealth, she replied: “What my parents value most in life is dignity. They weren’t just being polite to the Huo family—they did it for my sake. They knew that no matter how good the Huo family’s gifts were, they couldn’t compare to the importance of my having respect in my marital home.”
And this principled stance of her parents truly helped Guo Jingjing gain ample respect in the Huo family.
After marrying into the Huo family, she never put on the airs of a wealthy lady: she often wore 20-RMB sneakers, clothes bought from street stalls for几十 RMB, and hair clips costing just a few RMB.
Huo Qigang not only didn’t mind but admired her down-to-earth nature, often accompanying her to supermarkets and buying affordable clothing.
In truth, many who marry into wealthy families rely on bride prices and gifts from in-laws to boost their status, but Guo Jingjing’s parents did the exact opposite.
They refused the 11 million RMB bride price, the courtyard home worth hundreds of millions, and the 6 million RMB luxury car not because they didn’t appreciate them, but because they feared these things would become “shackles” for their daughter.
In their eyes, their daughter’s happiness was never built on superficial fame and profit but on her own confidence and the respect from her in-laws.
Through their actions, they showed the Huo family: Guo Jingjing did not marry “above her status”; she has her own pride, and the Guo family has its dignity.
Today, Guo Jingjing and Huo Qigang have been married for many years, and their relationship remains strong. The entire Huo family respects her deeply, which is inseparable from her parents’ “clarity of mind” back then.
With such sensible and dignified parents, Guo Jingjing can live freely and confidently in a wealthy family, without having to please others or compromise for material possessions.
In the end, truly loving one’s daughter is never about demanding a bride price but about teaching her how to stand firm on her own and live with dignity—this is the best dowry Guo’s parents gave their daughter.
Somewhere in the dark waters of the South China Sea, a massive Chinese submarine sits in total silence. The crew inside knows they hold the power to erase an entire continent. They don’t need to surface. They don’t need to warn anyone. With just one turn of a key and a launch sequence lasting minutes, they could send a missile arcing high above the clouds… one missile that carries enough nuclear firepower to wipe out multiple American cities, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, at the same time.
That missile is the JL-3, China’s newest submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile. And in the 2025 Beijing Victory Day Parade, China showed the world for the first time what this nightmare looks like.
Eleven years ago today marked the beginning of the “Occupy Central Movement,” and also the beginning of the complete failure of Hong Kong’s democratic movement.
Eleven years ago today, the traditional democratic camp—already weakened due to its own rigidity and complacency—finally lost the support of the young radicals. Tragically, instead of realizing that death was approaching and striving to revive themselves, the democratic leaders tried to cling to their positions by chasing after the radicals, hoping to preserve their own leadership status.
The democratic leaders failed to understand, or simply could not see, that to deny the Basic Law was equivalent to rejecting “One Country, Two Systems,” and that such a democratic movement in Hong Kong was doomed to fail. They did not understand, nor could they see, that without the soil of “One Country, Two Systems,” democracy in Hong Kong had no ground on which to grow.
Looking back, I was, in fact, the only legislator among the democrats who refused to stand on stage for Occupy Central. I knew many moderate democrats were angry at Occupy Central but dared not speak out; unwilling and afraid of being labeled, they chose to go along with the tide, becoming marginal figures in Occupy. In doing so, they destroyed Hong Kong’s democratic movement.
Only in America: The US Secretary of Defense was only a major in the military. He planned to lectured 1 – 4 stars general. It’s a joke to the world. It is like a janitor lecture the executive team of the company! He gets to educate and direct defense strategies to 1-4 stars Generals. I guess these days US Generals comes a dime a dozen. 美國國防部長在軍隊裡不過是個少校。他居然給美國最高將軍們說教. 簡直是天大的笑話。這就像個看門人教訓公司高階主管團隊一樣！只有在美國才能對高級將領進行教育和指導國防戰略。我猜這年頭將軍多如牛毛, 不植一文!
SCMP: China is “nanoseconds behind” the US, “so we’ve got to go compete”, Jensen Huang said, highlighting China’s progress in chipmaking and its manufacturing potential is planning Nvidia-free. He pointed to the country’s deep pool of talent, hustling work culture and internal competition across its provinces. 南華早報：黃仁勳表示，中國“落後美國幾納秒”，”所以我們必須參與競爭”。他強調，中國在晶片製造領域的進步及其製造潛力正在推動「無英偉達」的計畫。他指出，中國擁有雄厚的人才儲備、充滿活力的工作文化以及跨省的內部競爭 https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3327138/china-nanoseconds-behind-us-chips-says-nvidias-jensen-huang?
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