Chapter 889
Surpassing Tsinghua and Peking Universities, I'm Serious About It
Tangdu City naturally provided its full support for such a grand event from the very first moment.
The city's second chief administrator personally took charge and established a "Century Academic Symposium Support Working Group".
It has set up eight specialized groups, including transportation, accommodation, catering, security, medical, translation, volunteer, and emergency response, drawing on the best personnel from all departments in the city to work in shifts around the clock.
The transportation team coordinated the city's public transportation resources and added 20 temporary bus lines, providing direct service from the airport and high-speed rail station to Tangdu Jiaotong University.
The subway operating hours have been extended to 2:00 AM, and the frequency of trains during peak hours has been increased, with the shortest interval shortened to one train every two minutes.
The accommodation team coordinated hotel resources in surrounding cities and opened dedicated transportation routes to ensure that participants could stay at nearby hotels.
They even held a meeting overnight and decided to open up the municipal government guesthouse, party school dormitory, and idle rooms of public institutions as backup accommodations.
The catering team recruited 500 chefs and 2,000 waiters from across the city and set up 20 temporary catering areas on the campus of Tangdu Jiaotong University, offering a variety of choices including Chinese, Western, and vegetarian food to meet the needs of participants from different countries and faiths.
The security team was directly commanded by the official department and consisted of 3,000 "hat uncles" drawn from various places, which, together with the existing security forces, formed a powerful security team.
The campus is under complete lockdown; entry and exit require a valid pass.
Traffic control measures are in place on the surrounding roads, allowing only vehicles with valid permits to enter.
Drones are prohibited from flying, radio signals are monitored, and anti-terrorism and riot control teams are on standby 24 hours a day.
The medical team set up five temporary medical points on campus, equipped with twenty ambulances, and drew two hundred medical staff from major hospitals throughout the city to respond to emergencies at any time.
The translation team recruited 500 professional translators, covering 23 languages including English, Japanese, German, French, Russian, Korean, Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Each sub-venue is equipped with simultaneous interpretation equipment, while the main venue is equipped with simultaneous interpretation in eight languages.
The volunteer team recruited 3,000 student volunteers from various universities in Tangdu and conducted a week-long emergency training program.
The training content includes spoken English, international etiquette, emergency response, and the history and culture of Tang Dynasty.
These volunteers will be stationed in various locations such as airports, high-speed rail stations, hotels, campuses, and conference venues to provide guidance, consultation, translation, and assistance to attendees.
The emergency response team has developed 37 emergency plans, covering various possible scenarios such as fires, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, food poisoning, sudden illnesses, and mass incidents.
The person who started all of this is currently sitting in his office at the headquarters of Galaxy Technology, watching the data stream that Wa updates in real time.
"Sir, the number of applicants has exceeded 23,000 and is still growing at a rate of 300 per hour."
Wa's voice carried a hint of surprise: "At this rate, the number of attendees may exceed 30,000 by the time the conference officially begins."
Wang Donglai nodded.
Can you arrange accommodation?
"Absolutely no problem, all those who receive invitations will be properly accommodated."
What about transportation?
"Traffic control has been implemented around Tangdu Jiaotong University, allowing only vehicles with permits to enter. All attendees will be transported by shuttle bus."
"What about security?"
"Relevant departments have moved in. From now on, all classified areas of Galaxy Technology will be placed under the highest level of alert. Key areas such as the Materials Research Institute, Aerospace R&D Center, and Biological Laboratory will all implement dual identity authentication."
Wang Donglai had no doubt that Tang Dushi couldn't even handle this small matter.
After all, it is the capital city of Qin Province, and it has hosted several international academic conferences before, so it has some experience.
"Wa, how do you think the world will view us after this meeting?"
Wa answered without the slightest hesitation: "Historically speaking, when a country or company makes a disruptive breakthrough in a certain field, it usually elicits three kinds of reactions: the first is admiration and following, the second is jealousy and questioning, and the third is fear and hostility."
"So which one do you think will become the mainstream?"
"It depends on the extent of the breakthrough!"
Wa said, "If it is just general progress, admiration and following will prevail. If it is a disruptive breakthrough, jealousy and doubt will prevail. If it is a comprehensive and systematic lead, fear and hostility will prevail."
"So, which category do you think we belong to?"
"Boss, based on the search and comparison of known information, we have achieved world leadership in at least the following seven areas: artificial intelligence, quantum computing, solid-state batteries, semiconductor manufacturing, aerospace technology, biomedicine, and room temperature superconductivity."
"Among them, artificial intelligence is leading in all aspects, quantum computing is leading in experiments, solid-state batteries are leading in technology and industrialization, semiconductor manufacturing is leading in technological routes, aerospace technology is leading in reliability, biomedicine is leading in single products, and room temperature superconductivity is... a disruptive leading position."
"Boss, according to my assessment, the world's reaction to Galaxy Technology will be the third type: fear and hostility."
Wang Donglai raised an eyebrow and said, "Fear and hostility, it seems we are still not strong enough. If we are ahead to a certain extent, fear and hostility will turn into despair. At that time, I'm afraid they will only feel envy and longing, and nothing else."
"The road ahead is long and arduous!"
"This meeting is just a show. It lets the world know that China, besides focusing on development, also looks ahead and considers the future. It makes those who are still watching, hesitating, or waiting to see us fail think carefully about how they should deal with us in the future."
"As for fear and hostility? Let them be fearful, let them be hostile. Once they've had enough fear and hostility, they'll find that there's no other way but cooperation."
Wang Donglai's tone was full of domineering confidence.
……
The next morning, Wang Donglai drove to Tangdu Jiaotong University.
Black and red flags drove through the streets and alleys of Tangdu, heading towards the southern suburbs.
Along the way, billboards advertising the "Century Academic Symposium" can be seen everywhere.
The Tangdu municipal government spared no expense, placing advertisements at major intersections, bus stops, and subway stations throughout the city.
The advertisement features the gate of Tangdu Jiaotong University, accompanied by the words: "Ancient Capital of a Thousand Years, Academy of a Hundred Years, Welcoming the World's Attention."
The car was parked in front of the south gate of Tangdu Jiaotong University.
Wang Donglai got off the car and looked at the familiar school gate.
The school gate is a traditional archway-style building with flying eaves and brackets, vermilion pillars, and the six large characters "Tangdu Jiaotong University" hanging on it, which were inscribed by Mr. Qi Gong.
A huge welcome sign has been erected in the square in front of the gate, which reads in both Chinese and English: "Warmly welcome global experts and scholars to participate in the Century Academic Symposium".
"Mr. Wang." A voice rang out.
Wang Donglai turned around and saw a middle-aged man in his fifties or sixties leading a group of people standing at the school gate.
Wang Qinian, the new president of Tangdu Jiaotong University, is a mechanician and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
He is 61 years old this year and has worked in the higher education system for 43 years.
He was skilled in both academics and management, which is why he was appointed to the position by his superiors after Xu Songyao retired.
"Principal Wang."
Wang Donglai stepped forward and shook the other person's hand.
Wang Qinian's hands were thin, but very strong.
He was wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, exuding the refined and scholarly air of an old-fashioned intellectual.
"Our school has really made a name for itself this time, all thanks to you!" Wang Qinian couldn't hide his smile. He had just taken office and already had such a great achievement. It was hard not to be happy.
“This is my alma mater. As an alumnus, I am honored to be able to help my alma mater,” Wang Donglai nodded and said politely.
"Hahaha, it's no exaggeration to say that we're lucky to have an alumnus like Mr. Wang."
Wang Qinian laughed heartily, his laughter ringing out: "Countless universities in China envy us for having such an outstanding alumnus as Mr. Wang. It's a pity there's only one in the world. My phone has been ringing off the hook these past two days, all asking for invitations."
"Did you give them?" "Give them what? I don't even have many myself."
Wang Qinian shook his head, then feigned a wronged expression and said, "You people from Galaxy Technology said that the invitations will be distributed uniformly, and even as the president, I only have ten slots. What can ten do? We have over thirty academicians, over a thousand professors, and over two thousand associate professors. If they all come to me for these, where am I supposed to get them?"
Wang Donglai laughed, knowing that Wang Qinian was playing the victim to get an invitation.
For the president of a C9 university, who is at least a vice-ministerial level leader, to do this is utterly a loss of face.
However, Wang Qinian's face showed no change whatsoever.
"President Wang, please don't worry. I've prepared separate invitations for the academicians, ensuring everyone receives one. There are also special quotas for professors. Associate professors can apply through their respective colleges. Rest assured, not a single person from our university will be left out."
"Then I thank you on behalf of the school's faculty and staff," Wang Qinian said to Wang Donglai with a smile.
The two walked and talked, while the others followed behind.
Construction is visible everywhere on campus.
The scaffolding on the teaching building has not been completely removed, the exterior walls of the laboratory building are being painted, and the green belts on both sides of the road are being repaved.
The workers were busy at work, and the roar of the machines rose and fell.
"Mr. Wang, I have a question that I really need to ask. I wonder if I can ask you why you insisted on choosing our school?"
After chatting for a while, Wang Qinian changed the subject to this.
"Which of Tsinghua and Peking Universities isn't better than us? Having them there makes us look good."
"Tsinghua University has a century-long history, countless outstanding alumni, and a world-class reputation. Peking University has the May Fourth tradition, a rich cultural heritage, and the best students in the country. No one can find fault with either of them."
"face?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Donglai couldn't help but shake his head, finding it somewhat amusing.
"Principal Wang, do you think I still need these things to save face for me?"
Wang Donglai asked, half seriously and half jokingly, about the matter at hand.
Wang Qinian, however, was suddenly jolted awake.
At Wang Donglai's academic standing, even if he graduated from a private third-tier university, no one could object.
Even among Tsinghua and Peking Universities, there are absolutely no scholars with Wang Donglai's level of achievement.
Because Wang Donglai is not only a top mathematician, but also a scientist who has made great achievements in physics and other disciplines.
With multiple identities and spanning multiple disciplines, Wang Donglai's strength is even more evident.
Therefore, Wang Donglai is the one who brings honor to the school, not the other way around.
"I misunderstood."
After realizing what was happening, Wang Qinian shook his head and gave an embarrassed smile.
"What I really want is for the world to know that there are other universities in China besides Tsinghua and Peking University."
"These universities can also cultivate world-class talents and produce world-class results."
He looked at the familiar teaching buildings, laboratory buildings, and dormitories on campus, a glimmer of memories flashing in his eyes.
"When I was studying here, I thought that one day I would let the whole world come to Tangdu to see this ancient city, this school, and how we Chinese people have come to where we are today."
"I told President Xu before that we don't need to envy Tsinghua and Peking University. We will catch up with them one day, or even surpass them."
"And now, we are already on our way."
Upon hearing Wang Donglai's words, a look of shock flashed across Wang Qinian's eyes.
He genuinely didn't know about it.
Surpassing Tsinghua and Peking University is the dream of countless universities in China.
In reality, let alone surpassing them, even keeping up with the pace of these two universities is extremely difficult.
The reputation of these two brands in China is so well-known that it goes without saying.
Whenever top universities are mentioned, Tsinghua and Peking University are inevitably brought up.
There is a gap in the quality of education between these two schools.
These positions are filled by other universities.
Now, Wang Donglai has made a bold statement saying that he will catch up with, or even surpass, Tsinghua and Peking Universities.
At first glance, one might think Wang Donglai is arrogant and ignorant.
But upon closer examination, it becomes clear that this is not impossible.
So Wang Qinian immediately said, "Mr. Wang, hearing what you said makes me so excited, I wish I were twenty or thirty years younger."
“Principal Wang doesn’t think I’m indulging in wishful thinking and is willing to support me, and that’s enough.”
Wang Donglai didn't take it to heart. They had just met and didn't have much of a relationship before, so he was naturally very polite.
"Mr. Wang, you're too kind. I will naturally give my full support to such a great opportunity."
"If Mr. Wang has any requests or needs any assistance, please feel free to speak up. As before, I guarantee I will provide the greatest support."
Wang Qinian said this with utmost seriousness.
"I naturally believe what Principal Wang says," Wang Donglai said with a smile and a nod.
The two continued walking and arrived at the school's largest stadium.
In the center of the stadium, the massive steel dome is under construction, and interior decoration is also proceeding simultaneously.
The 10,000 seats are arranged according to international conference standards, and each seat is equipped with a simultaneous interpretation headphone jack, a charging socket, and a small table.
On the platform, a huge LED screen is also being installed.
This screen is 30 meters wide and 10 meters high, with a resolution of 8K, and can display real-time translations of eight languages simultaneously.
"This will serve as the main venue, with a capacity of 10,000 people. Is that enough?" Wang Qinian asked Wang Donglai, pointing to the stadium.
"enough."
"The opening ceremony and several important reports can be held here, the branch venues can be set up in the teaching and laboratory buildings of various colleges, the exhibition area can be set up in the gymnasium, the catering area can be set up in the canteen and temporary dining tents, and the accommodation area can be set up in the student dormitories and surrounding hotels. This way, it will be spread out and not too crowded."
"What about security?"
"The relevant authorities have taken over."
"From now on, the school will be under semi-closed management. Entry and exit will be by pass only. During the meeting, the school will be under full closed management. All attendees will undergo background checks, and any suspicious individuals will be refused entry."
At this point, Wang Qinian seemed to say with some emotion, "This academic conference can be said to be the highest-level and most prestigious in the world. Such a grand event will probably leave a significant mark in the history books."
“Every technological breakthrough is making history; I’m just moving a little faster.”
Wang Donglai said this calmly yet domineeringly.
Hearing such domineering words, Wang Qinian was not surprised, as it perfectly matched his understanding of Wang Donglai.
After all, such top-notch scientific talent, and so young, it would be impossible for him not to have a certain domineering presence. (End of Chapter)