When I was a child, I read *The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, and I have particularly vivid memories of the old monk sweeping the grounds in front of the Shaolin Temple.

To this day, I still hold fast to a lesson: never underestimate anyone, no matter how ragged their clothes or how ordinary they may seem.

And indeed, this is true. China is such a vast country, teeming with extraordinary talents. You might casually point to an elderly man strolling leisurely by the roadside, and he might just demonstrate a form of Wing Chun for you.

People come together to form a city. China is a vast nation with numerous cities; there are many small towns you may have never even heard of.

But being low-key does not mean being weak.

Breaking Through the Stalemate

Through Self-Reliance

Anyone who has studied economics or sociology should be familiar with the term “Matthew Effect.” The strong grow stronger, while the weak grow weaker.

Once upon a time, county towns were the “big world” that rural youths longed for. But as the pace of development has accelerated, mentioning a county town today inevitably casts a gray filter over it.

Weak industries, low technical requirements for jobs, and meager wages. The continuous outflow of population is a vicious cycle that is hard to break.

Breaking this cycle is no easy task, but for county towns, giving up is simply not an option.

China has many small cities that were born out of economic development, but as resources gradually dwindle and environmental pollution worsens, these cities are sinking deeper into the quagmire of “transformation.”

Industrial transformation is urgent, but what if there is no supporting infrastructure or technology?

Then we must rely on our own efforts.

Take Yibin as an example. This fourth-tier city, which primarily relied on coal and baijiu (Chinese liquor) for its economy, began developing a new energy vehicle industry in 2016. Prior to that, Yibin did not even have a single vehicle manufacturing plant.

To establish a production base, Yibin allocated one-tenth of its fiscal revenue in 2017 to acquire a 51% stake in Kaiyi Automobile, a subsidiary of Chery Group, thereby securing its entry into the new energy vehicle market.

At the same time, Yibin vigorously supported local lithium battery-related enterprises while attracting smart device manufacturers with lower scale and technical barriers, all to fill the gaps in the industrial chain.

With a clear understanding that “you can’t eat a whole pig in one bite,” Yibin has established a relatively complete battery industry chain in just a few short years.

In March of this year, CATL’s Yibin plant in Sichuan became the world’s first “carbon-neutral battery factory”; in July, the 2022 World Power Battery Conference was held in Yibin.

From a small fourth-tier city to a contender for the title of “Lithium Capital”—who would have thought that when Yibin’s leaders first went to knock on CATL’s door, they couldn’t even get an audience for the first few times?

San Mao once said, “Apart from saving oneself, no one else can help.” More important than knowing what one possesses is knowing what one lacks. Rather than sitting around waiting for a windfall, it is better to work hard and provide for oneself.

There are many small cities like Yibin that “have nothing but mines.” For them, high-quality development is both a massive challenge and an opportunity to reach a higher level of development.

From the very start of planning and strategizing for transformation, the call to self-reform has already sounded, and every step forward is like walking on thin ice.

No one can avoid hitting walls or falling into pits. But we Chinese have always possessed the courage to be pioneers.

Breaking Through Sanctions

Through an indomitable spirit and cutting-edge technology

But here’s the question: what if a city doesn’t have that many natural resources?

China is home to many small cities that didn’t rise to prominence through large-scale industry.

Steel coils, buttons, toothbrushes, lighters... these small items you might not notice in daily life can be the flagship industries of a small city. Their output accounts for over 50% of China’s total, and in some cases, even over 50% of the world’s total.

Industrial clusters of all sizes are scattered across numerous county towns. Through the flow of supply chains, these “small places”—hard to even find on a map—have quickly connected with the rest of the country and even the world.

Success attracts attention, and to curb China’s dominance in international consumer markets, foreign competitors have pulled out all the stops—not even sparing a one-yuan lighter.

In the 1990s, China’s lighter industry rose to prominence. Compared to the expensive kerosene lighters from Japan and South Korea, Chinese lighters were cheap and practical, selling well overseas—a development that inevitably threatened the interests of established capitalists. Led by the United States, Western countries invoked the CR rule to impose sanctions on Chinese lighters.

The so-called CR regulations refer to child safety regulations.

In Western countries, the protection of minors is taken more seriously than in China, and most products are designed with child safety in mind.

Chinese-made lighters lack the so-called “safety lock,” which cannot guarantee a certain level of safety. There is a price-based regulation stipulating that lighters sold for less than 2 euros must be equipped with this safety lock.

This sanction—compliant with regulations yet unreasonable—once severely impacted China’s lighter industry.

Amid the shadow of the CR regulations, Shaodong City in Hunan Province quietly stepped up its efforts. After undergoing a transition from industrial relocation from Guangdong to independent R&D and automation, it has now established a complete lighter manufacturing industrial chain.

Priced from 1 yuan to 50 yuan, these lighters—featuring various designs and styles—account for 70% of the global market share.

Interestingly, demand for lighters varies significantly from country to country.

For example, due to Indonesia’s humid climate, battery-powered lighters may short-circuit, so Indonesians tend to buy low-cost, moisture-resistant flint lighters; European customers place greater emphasis on safety; Russian buyers prefer lighters with attractive designs... Shaodong tailors products to meet the specific needs of different markets.

It is worth mentioning that Xinhai Group, now a leader in China’s lighter industry, produced the country’s first generation of flint lighters, completely ending reliance on Japanese-made kerosene lighters, and successfully broke through technical barriers to develop lighters with safety locks.

Defeating magic with magic; breaking through technological blockades with technology.

A stubborn temperament and an indomitable spirit—these are the most fascinating aspects of the soul hidden beneath this small town’s unassuming exterior.

The story of this small town has only just begun.

As of the end of 2021, China had a total of 1,472 county-level cities and 394 county-level municipalities.

As the bridge between cities and the countryside, county towns play a pivotal role in advancing new-type urbanization and rural revitalization.

If Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are the face of China, then county towns are its backbone—indispensable and not to be underestimated.

As industries in developed regions gradually spill over and the digital economy rises, the story of small towns has only just begun.

Compared to the open economic model of big cities that pursues scale and comprehensiveness, the path of specialization and refinement taken by small towns will be far more appealing.

Even the toothbrushes we use every day have, after continuous R&D and technological improvements in Hangji Town, found their way into six-star hotels in Dubai.

More and more research institutes are setting up shop in the small town of Hanzhong, stepping away from the hustle and bustle to devote themselves to research amidst nature; more and more young people are returning to their hometowns, contributing their knowledge and passion to their communities.

These unassuming small towns, through self-reliance and technological advancements that break through technical barriers, are meeting the daily needs of the nation and even the world with their distinctive industries.

Like that unassuming monk sweeping the floor—unremarkable in appearance yet full of vigor and possessing formidable skills.

They are content with simplicity, but they refuse to settle for mediocrity.