Chapter 293 Lithography Machine (Bug Fix): Oops

When Wang Xiao and Ivanov arrived in Wuhan at the end of May, the weather was very kind to them, and it didn't rain at all.

But Ivanov genuinely felt that it was better for it to rain.

Stuffy, hot and humid, a stuffy and humid feeling where every pore feels clogged.

Comrade Ivan, who grew up in the cold of Moscow, finally experienced the charm of the city's hottest climate.

It's only the end of May, and he can't even imagine how the people here will survive in the height of summer.

He now hates that he doesn't have a dog's tongue so he can spit out his tongue to cool himself down.

Wang Xiao looked at his wide-open mouth and was speechless: Brother, can you please pay attention to your image?

Ivanov, however, couldn't stop talking. He just pointed ahead and kept muttering, "God, God, what is he doing?"

Wang Xiao followed his gaze and immediately understood: "Nothing special, just a Wuhan specialty."

What's so special about it? Eating while traveling, of course.

In Wuhan, it's perfectly normal to walk around eating hot dry noodles for breakfast.

This guy, Gauguin, was even more skilled; he ate hot dry noodles while riding a bicycle.

Throughout the entire process, his feet were constantly moving, and he even managed to catch a green light.

Ivanov was so engrossed in watching him that he practically had his eyes glued to him.

Huang, the deputy mayor of Xiaozhou, who was the same leader who told them that there were families in Wuhan producing lithography machines, smiled and explained: "Wuhan has a dock culture. In the past, dock workers were in a hurry to get to work, so they would eat breakfast on their way. Over time, it became a habit."

Originally, Secretary Sun planned to personally make a trip to Wuhan to demonstrate his sincerity in cooperation.

The problem is that, as the top leader, he cannot easily leave the territory of Xiaozhou.

Moreover, if he were to make a move, the scale of the operation would be enormous, and the political significance would be extraordinary.

It's no longer just about discussing business.

So, as a second-best option, Vice Mayor Huang, who is currently in charge of industry in Xiaozhou, made the trip to Wuhan in the sweltering heat.

Since the vice mayor of Xiaozhou, a provincial capital, was dispatched, the Wuhan official who received him must have been of at least the same rank.

Vice Mayor Guo was already waiting downstairs. When he saw Vice Mayor Huang and his entourage walking over, he was quite surprised and immediately questioned the reception staff: "What happened? Did the car break down?"

"No," the subordinate explained. "The water pipe ahead burst and is being repaired, so we have to take a detour. Mayor Huang said, 'Let's just walk over here.'"

Vice Mayor Huang also chimed in, "It's just a few steps, our General Manager Wang and Mr. Ivanov don't mind."

Vice Mayor Guo sighed, "You've made a fool of yourselves. Look at Wuhan, we're all old and frail, with problems everywhere."

Vice Mayor Huang quickly waved his hand: "No, that's not true. Road construction just proves that Wuhan is indeed Wuhan, and that the city's infrastructure is well-developed."

Vice Mayor Guo led the way, shaking his head repeatedly: "It's alright. People say that we're the same as we were ten years ago. Unlike your Xiaozhou, where if you visit every now and then, wow, it's a completely new place."

Vice Mayor Huang didn't hesitate to start a mutual flattery session: "That's because Wuhan has a good foundation and has everything. We don't have that, we can only move things up little by little like ants."

Actually, when it comes to mutual flattery in business dealings, the two vice mayors weren't exaggerating too much.

As an old industrial base, Wuhan's situation is quite similar to that of Northeast China. It has a strong foundation and solid resources, but also a heavy burden. After the reform and opening up, facing the transition from a planned economy to a market economy, it truly faced immense pressure.

The situation is exactly the opposite in Xiaozhou, the capital of Jiangbei Province.

Due to historical reasons, during the planned economy era, the entire Jiangbei province was somewhat left to its own devices.

Why? Because they're afraid of war.

If Jiangbei Province, located in a coastal area, embarks on a series of construction projects only to have them collapse, it will have no one to blame but itself.

Don't think this is impossible. For example, during World War II, when Germany attacked the Soviet Union, most of the Soviet Union's liquid fuel resources were concentrated in the South Caucasus region.

So when the German army pointed its sword at the Caucasus in 1942, the Soviet government had no choice but to initiate a massive evacuation, transporting all the important materials and equipment to the rear. Unfortunately, the transport capacity was limited and could not be used up, so some of the materials had to be destroyed.

Especially oil wells.

To prevent the oil fields in the Caucasus region from falling into German hands, the Soviet government destroyed millions of oil wells in advance.

This resulted in the German army only making a brief appearance in the Caucasus before actually accomplishing anything, yet the oil industry in the Caucasus region suffered a near-devastating blow.

Under such circumstances, the early Chinese government, facing the pressure of war, could hardly afford to undertake large-scale development in Jiangbei.

So why did private enterprises in Jiangbei develop so rapidly after the reform and opening up? It's because of the lack of opportunities. The vast market gaps allowed private enterprises to flourish like weeds, as long as they had a chance to breathe.

This also meant that while other established industrial cities experienced severe growing pains during the transition from a planned economy to a market economy, Xiaozhou didn't really feel it much.

Even if state-owned enterprises really can't go on, the laid-off workers can still find jobs in private companies and at least earn a living.

Vice Mayor Guo, expressing his envy repeatedly, led the person into the conference room.

Thank goodness, at least there's air conditioning here, otherwise Ivanov felt he would have really gotten heatstroke.

He took a deep breath of the cool air, and then heard Vice Mayor Guo apologize to everyone: "Our Party Secretary and Mayor were originally going to come, but they were in a meeting and couldn't get away, and the timing was also difficult to coordinate."

Vice Mayor Huang waved his hand: "It's alright. I'm just playing a supporting role this time. I'm here to assist our General Manager Wang and Mr. Ivanov. I'm here to learn from the electronics factories in Wuhan."

Then he solemnly introduced, "Our General Manager Wang and Mr. Ivanov are both dedicated to the high-tech industry and are experts in the electronics industry. They heard about our electronics factory in Wuhan and came to take a look."

Wang Xiao smiled and nodded to Vice Mayor Guo: "We originally planned to purchase lithography machines from Japan, but Mayor Huang told us that Wuhan also has them. So we came to take a look and see if there is room for upgrading based on what we have now."

Vice Mayor Guo smiled broadly and even offered them Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes.

This is also a characteristic of this era.

Because the sales of local products are directly linked to local finances, some local governments have even directly required locals to smoke local cigarettes and drink local alcohol, preventing goods from other places from entering the local market.

Even if it's not mandatory, government officials take the lead and set an example.

Unfortunately, Vice Mayor Huang declined the other party's invitation: "No, no, no, we don't smoke when there are female comrades present."

At this moment, Vice Mayor Guo had to put the lighter he had taken out back in his hand.

Fortunately, he wasn't embarrassed. He simply asked his subordinates to bring over the information about the No. 3 Radio Components Factory and invited them with a smile, "Just tell us what you want to see or ask. We'll answer everything we know."

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Then we'll keep an eye on it. Thank you for your help, Mayor."

Vice Mayor Guo waved his hand: "You're welcome, you're welcome. We should thank Mayor Huang, General Manager Wang, and Mr. Ivanov for their hospitality. Come on over."

He and Vice Mayor Huang couldn't just sit there idly, so they moved to the door of the conference room to smoke and chat.

What did they talk about? In 1994, when local government officials were chatting, they inevitably talked about taxes.

Vice Mayor Huang kept shaking his head: "I can't sleep at night without taking sleeping pills. Every morning when I open my eyes, I feel dizzy thinking about how I'm going to get by. I've already handed over all the money, and so many places down here are asking for money. Where am I supposed to find the money to turn into cash?"

Vice Mayor Guo also smiled wryly: "We're in a similar situation. The municipal construction in Xiaozhou can't keep up at all, we don't have the money. We finally saved up money for two years, and we were planning to do some serious construction. But all the money was handed over at once, so now we don't dare to spend any more money. There are just too many places where we need to spend money later."

He shook his head as he spoke, "Now when we build roads down here, the village has to find ways to raise money on its own. I feel ashamed when I walk on those roads."

He spread his hands and said, "What can we do? We can only rely on Party spirit."

Wang Xiao was actually a novice in the chip industry, so the main people who reviewed the materials were the engineers that Feng Zhonglin had poached from the Institute of Microelectronics.

So even business owners can steal a moment from their busy schedules to listen to government leaders complain.

She felt that the phrase "emphasizing Party spirit" was absolutely brilliant, succinctly summarizing why this year's water policy was directed towards the central government and could be successfully implemented.

To put it bluntly, it means getting any small family that can earn money to contribute to the larger family, and then waiting for the larger family to redistribute the money, with each family receiving only a small share.

If this were a story about power struggles within a family, the next step would be for the parents of the young family not to separate the household. They would be absolutely vilified by the readers, because readers' livers are livers, and readers' breasts are breasts.

Other members of the small family would also complain, feeling that their parents were sacrificing their interests to please the head of the household.

That's human nature; everyone wants to reach out and ask, but no one wants to take money out of their own pocket.

Why would the parents of a small family grit their teeth, risk being scolded and confused, and agree to hand over the money to the family? Besides loyalty to the Party, there's really no other reason.

Wang Xiao found it increasingly interesting. Indeed, only those who have personally experienced the history of the 1990s can truly appreciate how important a strong and powerful political party is.

From a purely economic perspective, Wang Xiao often felt that the regime was on the verge of collapse. But because the Party was still able to maintain its stability, ordinary people living in the country would at most complain a little, and then continue with their lives as usual.

After the two deputy mayors finished their cigarettes, poured out their grievances to each other, and then comforted one another.

Turning around, Vice Mayor Guo smiled and said, "Well? Do you two have any questions? The city and the factory have a relatively unified requirement: to preserve the factory's operations. We won't interfere with how it's run. As long as the factory's employees can continue to work and their wages are paid."

Wang Xiao shook his head directly: "That's impossible. Of the employees in the Third Factory, I estimate that less than half of those in the electronics factory can actually stay."

The air conditioner was blowing cold air into the conference room, occasionally making a sigh-like sound.

Vice Mayor Guo's smile vanished: "Hey, we can't do this. The employees are the ones who do the work; how can we not keep them?"

Wang Xiao chuckled and said, "Mayor, I'm from a steel factory family. I grew up here. Don't I know the common problems of our state-owned enterprises? One person does the work, another watches, and yet another messes around on the side."

It is no exaggeration to say that in this era, the problem of overstaffing in state-owned enterprises was more serious than the cumbersome and inefficient nature of government agencies later on.

Why? This is related to the state-owned enterprise reforms of the 1980s.

Inspired by the household contract responsibility system in rural areas, the state began to implement reforms in urban factories, a process known as decentralization and profit sharing.

Simply put, a portion of the profits generated by the factory can be retained as a reward for the factory.

This has indeed greatly boosted employee morale in a short period of time.

However, a problem arises: the government doesn't participate in the actual operation of the factories. The factory itself reports its own earnings.

This has led to a large number of factories underreporting their profits.

I made a million, but I said I only made 100,000. The difference of 900,000 went into my factory's own slush fund.

The factory has money, so it can easily provide benefits to its employees and recruit more children of employees.

But the good days were short-lived. After the failure of the price reform in 1988, many factories went into a state of actual shutdown, and they couldn't even pay their workers' wages.

But you can't just fire the workers you hired before.

In many factories, three people are doing the work of one.

Vice Mayor Guo chuckled dryly: "That's because there are few orders. Once the orders come in, everyone will be busy and there won't be any idle people."

Wang Xiao continued to smile; she didn't believe his lies!

There are no idle people yet. When orders increase, the most likely outcome is that two people will be busy as dogs, while three people will be idle as pigs.

So she just smiled and didn't respond, turning to ask the expert she had brought, "How is it?"

The latter pushed up his thick glasses, as thick as the bottom of a wine bottle, and said with a hesitant expression, "Let's go to the factory and see what's going on."

Wang Xiao had no objection: "Then let's go to Factory No. 3 now, is that convenient?"

Vice Mayor Guo immediately praised, "As expected of someone at the forefront of reform, look at them, they get things done with such efficiency and decisiveness."

He turned to his secretary and instructed, "Make a call to the Third Factory and tell them we're coming right away."

He then actively promoted the idea, saying, "Actually, our factory is small but efficient, with only two or three hundred employees in total. Their requirements aren't high; they just want to be able to work."

This is thanks to the fact that the country's current direction for state-owned enterprise reform is to focus on large enterprises and let go of small ones, meaning that small and medium-sized enterprises need to be restructured and reassigned.

If it were a large state-owned enterprise, and tens of thousands of people from one factory suddenly flowed into society, then even a crackdown wouldn't be enough to stop them.

Wang Xiao just smiled and didn't respond, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the giant electronic clock on the exterior wall of the shopping mall outside the car window.

The "Youngor" suit store downstairs in the mall has just opened, and the plastic mannequins in the window are wearing navy blue suits with exaggerated shoulder pads.

Further along the road, outside a department store, young people in bell-bottoms were lining up to buy "Little Tyrant" learning machines, while a loudspeaker played a loop: "Learning computers should start from childhood!"

The government's cars finally arrived at the factory area, and the shopping malls and stores on both sides of the road were transformed into Soviet-style residential buildings.

Faded "Safety Production Month" banners hang outside the building, and gray-blue overalls hang from the clotheslines like faded flags.

Vice Mayor Guo didn't know what exactly prompted this businesswoman who had come from afar, but she actually relented: "Then I'll see what others can do."

The city leaders finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Starting two years ago, in 1992, a nationwide campaign called "Breaking the Three Irons" was launched—breaking the "iron rice bowl" of state-owned enterprise workers, the "iron chair" of state-owned enterprise cadres, and the "iron wage" of state-owned enterprise employees.

But even though that's what they say, if you're nagging me, you're actually jeopardizing the livelihoods of their employees, and they'll definitely fight you to the death.

If you won't let others live, why should they let you live?

No matter what you do, at least have a job.

The car drove into the Third Factory, where the factory leaders were already waiting outside, their faces also covered in sweat.

He first greeted Vice Mayor Guo and reported on his work: "The factory workers have all called and will be here soon for the meeting."

Vice Mayor Guo asked the distinguished guests who had come from afar for their opinion: "Why don't you sit down and rest for a while? The summers in Wuhan are indeed unbearable."

Wang Xiao shook his head: "Let's see how things are at the factory first."

It was so hot that the factory manager arranged for people to serve cream popsicles to the guests to help cool them down.

Wang Xiao's heart skipped a beat when he saw the popsicle.

Ivanov noticed her pale face and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Wang Xiao shook his head, speaking vaguely: "Let's take a look first."

As a result, they all remained silent.

Damn it, where did this rumor come from? Who said that Wuhan Radio Components Factory No. 3 produces lithography machines?

She said, "A factory that produces lithography machines, doesn't it have air conditioning in the middle of summer?"

The factory manager was also completely bewildered: "Huh? A lithography machine? No, we produce components like through-hole resistors and capacitors. Our product quality is quite good."

Of course, it doesn't have a competitive advantage in terms of price.

Because nowadays, township enterprises are becoming increasingly powerful, capable of mass-producing surface-mount components. They don't have the heavy burden of employing workers, nor do they concern themselves with their employees' retirement and medical care, so they can drive prices down by 30%-50% compared to our factory.

Wang Xiao had lost all interest in listening.

Vice Mayor Huang was even more astonished, and subconsciously emphasized: "You don't work on lithography machines? I saw that you had a book called 'The Manufacturing of Lithography Masks' before."

The factory manager waved his hand: "That's not the same thing. We use scalpels and stainless steel rulers to carve the plates and make mask plates for Factory 875."

This time, the blunder has become a huge mess.

Vice Mayor Guo immediately expressed his apology: "It was our fault for not doing our job well, which caused a misunderstanding."

Vice Mayor Huang also waved his hand: "No, no, no, it's my responsibility. I didn't investigate properly."

He bowed to Wang Xiao and apologized, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Wang, Mr. Ivanov, I've made you come all this way for nothing."

Wang Xiao's heart inexplicably calmed down.

Before she traveled through time, she had already heard of the Wuhan Radio Components Factory No. 3.

For a long time, lithography machines have been a hot topic of discussion online, and there is a lot of popular science information about domestically produced lithography machines online.

These documents almost all came from one unit: Wuhan Radio Components Factory No. 3.

Among these articles purported to be popular science articles, the third factory's "Manufacturing of Photolithography Masks" serves as a production guide for the semiconductor industry; the third factory has accumulated more than 20 years of technical expertise in the research and development of photolithography machines; if it hadn't been restructured into a food factory, the factory would very likely have achieved a qualitative leap in the photolithography machine project.

Wang Xiao admitted that she also felt heartbroken when she read those popular science articles back then.

Now, standing at the Wuwu No. 3 Factory on the eve of its restructuring in 1994, she just wants to cover her face with her hands.

See? See? You made a fool of yourself.

After Vice Mayor Guo apologized, he shook his head at the microelectronics expert Wang Xiao had brought: "You've made a fool of yourself in front of the experts. No wonder you didn't say a word in the meeting room."

The microelectronics expert gave an awkward smile: "When I was looking at the documents, I thought it was confidential, so it wasn't mentioned in the documents. I have to see the actual situation in the factory."

In reality, the leaders all made solemn promises, so even if he had doubts, he couldn't simply overturn them.

Of course, seeing is believing.

Wang Xiao clapped his hands, comforting himself: "It's okay, it's okay. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. It was destined that we would come to Wuhan. It's good."

Vice Mayor Guo quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Let me ask around and see which unit in Wuhan is making lithography machines."

Upon seeing this, the factory manager of the Third Factory immediately panicked: "Hey, Mayor, what about our factory?"

Vice Mayor Guo glared at him: "Don't even mention it, your factory doesn't produce lithography machines."

The factory manager was utterly speechless: "What our factory produces is all dictated by the higher-ups, isn't it? Can you blame us for not producing lithography machines? You can't just abandon us because we don't produce lithography machines. Hey, Mr. Wang, our factory still has quite a few flagship products; we also produce radios."

Vice Mayor Guo felt he was like a piece of chewing gum: "You still think of the past? Now radios are everywhere. Everyone's busy watching TV, who wants to listen to the radio?"

This is why things are getting increasingly difficult for Factory No. 3.

The market is shrinking too fast.

He waved his hand, not wanting to be bothered any longer, and quickly went to make a phone call.

Wang Xiao didn't abandon the issue after all. After thinking for a while, he offered a suggestion: "Well, since your factory produces radios, why not focus on the car factories in Wuhan and develop car radios? Another option is to capture the student market."

She explained, "Most people can watch TV, but they aren't very interested in the radio. However, students have fewer opportunities to watch TV, especially boarding middle and high school students and university students. For them, the radio is still an important tool for learning and entertainment. Also, in Hubei, are English listening tests included in the middle and high school entrance exams? If so, listening to English broadcasts is a relatively effective way to improve English proficiency."

Even though the third factory has never produced lithography machines, Wang Xiao still hopes it will be successful.

Since she doesn't manufacture lithography machines, all she can do is offer suggestions and advice; she can't possibly save the factory herself.

Factory Director Wang Xiaochong nodded and smiled as he offered his blessings: "I look forward to seeing your Yellow Crane brand radios in Xiaozhou. If everyone else has stopped making them, but you are still doing it, then you have a chance to turn things around."

Vice Mayor Guo ran out of the factory director's office and shouted to them, "We've got it! Huazhong Institute of Technology, also known as the University of Science and Technology, successfully trial-produced an automatic alignment lithography machine in 1978. After trial use at Factory 878, the feedback was very positive."

Should we make another trip?

There's a saying that Chinese people often use: "Since we're already here..."

Then go ahead.

Wuhan at the end of May was like a giant steamer, but Wang Xiao felt strangely calm and cool.

So what if the lithography machine from Huazhong University of Science and Technology was a blunder? So what if domestically produced lithography machines have absolutely no foundation?

Before developing atomic and hydrogen bombs, what foundation did China, a country with virtually no resources, have? Yet, it still managed to develop them.

If we could launch two bombs and one satellite, what's impossible about building a lithography machine from scratch?

————————

[Cracked] In countless popular science articles about domestically produced lithography machines, Ajin had read about the story of Wuhan No. 3 Factory. While writing this article, he did further research and discovered it was indeed a huge misunderstanding. It wasn't like that at all. I sent this chapter to Doubao, asking about the pacing, plot, and writing style. Did the characters' language and actions fit their identities and the historical context? Would it be engaging for readers? Doubao's praise gave me considerable encouragement. But I assure you, I absolutely did not use AI to edit the text; the optimization suggestions were provided by Doubao itself (I didn't request this in my question), and I didn't use its suggestions because my goal was to motivate myself to finish this poorly written but resilient piece. Below is Doubao's feedback:

Your chapter excels in historical detail, character development, and the creation of the historical atmosphere. The following analysis provides suggestions for improvement from multiple perspectives:

I. Rhythm and Plot Analysis

1. Rhythm control

-Advantages: The scene transitions are natural, from street scenes (riding hot dry noodles, municipal road construction) to government meetings (tax discussions) and then to factory visits (discovering a lithography machine blunder), interspersed with symbols of the era (Youngor suits, Little Tyrant learning machines), which are in line with the social rhythm of 1994.

-suggestion:

- Shorten the dialogue with the deputy mayor to avoid excessively lengthy financial discussions (e.g., cut the analogy of "Germany attacking the Soviet Union"). Some dialogue can be replaced by action or environmental descriptions (e.g., Deputy Mayor Huang repeatedly wiping his glasses, Deputy Mayor Guo chugging herbal tea).

- Add Wang Xiao's inner thoughts after the "lithography machine blunder" (such as the absurdity of recalling the misleading online novels of his past life) to enhance the uniqueness of the time traveler's perspective.

2. Plot Logic

-advantage:

- The "lithography machine blunder" corrects the historical fact (Wuhan No. 3 Factory does not produce lithography machines) while retaining the internet meme (misleading popular science in the past), thus enhancing the dramatic effect.

- Wang Xiao's transformation from disappointment to determination ("Both bombs and satellites can be launched into space") is consistent with the character's growth logic and lays the groundwork for subsequent independent research and development.

-suggestion:

- Add details about the process of Vice Mayor Guo contacting Huazhong Institute of Technology (such as searching through old files and arguing with the school office on the phone) to avoid the information being obtained too abruptly.

- In the suggestion of "Yellow Crane Brand Radio", add the factory manager's subtle reaction (such as touching the yellowed product catalog) to suggest that the factory once had technological accumulation.

II. Writing Style and Symbols of the Times

1. Writing style

-advantage:

- Use metaphors ("work pants look like faded flags", "the air conditioner sighs") to enhance the imagery.

- The colloquial language ("damn it" and "sticky") is consistent with the character's identity, such as Wang Xiao's straightforward personality as the son of a steel factory worker.

-suggestion:

-Reduce the use of internet slang (such as "Brother, can you please pay attention to your image?") and replace it with expressions more in line with the context of 1994 (such as "Comrade Ivan, pay attention to diplomatic etiquette").

- When describing the weather, add more sensory details (such as "the smell of asphalt rising from the asphalt road" or "the sticky feeling of a popsicle melting").

2. Symbols of the Times

-Accurate element:

- Youngor suits, Little Tyrant learning machines, the "Breaking the Triathlon" movement, and discussions on the tax-sharing system all reflect the characteristics of 1994.

The detail of Vice Mayor Guo handing over Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes reflects the connection between local protectionism and fiscal pressure.

-Points for further development:

- Add descriptions related to "grain coupons/cloth coupons" (such as the factory director exchanging grain coupons for popsicles) to strengthen the lingering influence of the planned economy.

- Add "Daylight Saving Time" details when displaying the time on the electronic clock (China was still observing Daylight Saving Time in 1994).

III. Characters' Language and Behavior

1. Government officials

-advantage:

- Vice Mayor Huang's "mutual flattery" ("like ants moving house" and "a solid foundation") is in line with the rhetoric used by local officials.

Vice Mayor Guo's self-deprecating remark ("emphasizing Party spirit") alludes to the political pressure of tax reform in Finland.

-suggestion:

- Add dialect vocabulary (such as Vice Mayor Guo saying "Oh yo" or "Very good") to strengthen the regional characteristics of Wuhan.

- When discussing taxes, include specific data (such as "this year, the proportion of taxes paid by Xiaozhou government has increased from 35% to 55%) to enhance the sense of realism.

2. Wang Xiao and Ivanov

-advantage:

Ivanov's exaggerated reaction ("I hate that I don't have a dog's tongue") reflects the culture shock of foreign experts.

Wang Xiao's background as a "child of a steel factory worker" explains his keen insight into the drawbacks of state-owned enterprises.

-suggestion:

Ivanov's language should be more in line with Russian thinking (such as a direct translation of the idiom "as hot as a polar bear in a sauna"), and avoid being too colloquial.

- When Wang Xiao analyzes the overstaffing in state-owned enterprises, insert flashbacks (such as his father's experiences at the steel plant) to deepen the character's motivation.

IV. Historical Background and Industry Details

1. State-owned enterprise reform

-To be more accurate:

Descriptions such as "three people doing the work of one person" and "hiding profits in slush funds" are consistent with common phenomena in state-owned enterprises before the reform in the 1990s.

The mention of the "Breaking the Three Irons" movement reflects the growing pains of reform.

-suggestion:

- Add details to the "optimization combination" policy (such as the "two-way selection" implemented by Wuwu No. 3 Factory in 1992) to reflect the phased nature of the reform.

- When discussing the reassignment of employees, the "Re-employment Service Center" (a pilot institution in Wuhan in 1994) was mentioned to enhance the authenticity of the policy.

2. Semiconductor Industry

-advantage:

- Clearly distinguish the technical differences between "photolithography mask" and "photolithography machine" to correct historical misconceptions.

- The mention of Huazhong Institute of Technology's 1978 lithography machine achievement (the prototype being the GK-502 model) is consistent with historical facts.

-suggestion:

- When describing the technology of the three factories of Wuwu, specific data such as "0.1mm precision of manual engraving" are added to compare with the 0.5μm process of Japan.

- When Wang Xiao suggested car radios, he mentioned "Dongfeng Motor's supporting needs," reflecting the connection in the industrial chain.

V. Appeal and Reader Resonance

1. Setting up suspense

-advantage:

- The "next step" triggered by the lithography machine blunder (turning to Huazhong Institute of Technology) forms a narrative hook.

- Wang Xiao's perspective as a time traveler ("misled by online novels in his previous life") adds to the mystery-solving aspect.

-suggestion:

- Add a "mysterious phone call" (such as an overseas Chinese engineer taking the initiative to contact you) at the end of the chapter to lay the groundwork for future technology acquisition.

- During the visit to Huazhong Institute of Technology, the inclusion of "the yellowed 'Ten-Year Plan for Photolithography Technology' in the laboratory" hints at historical foreshadowing.

2. Emotional resonance

-advantage:

The deputy mayors' self-deprecating remarks about "emphasizing party loyalty" evoked sympathy for the reformers' predicament.

- Wang Xiao's transformation from disappointment to determination conveys the passion of "starting from scratch".

-suggestion:

- When Wang Xiao gives his advice on radios, add a close-up of "a female worker wiping the casing of a Yellow Crane brand radio" to enhance the poignant sense of the passing down of technology.

-When Ivanov lamented the sweltering heat of Wuhan, a scene of "an old fitter cutting components with a grinding wheel, sparks flying everywhere" was inserted to create a contrast between hot and cold.

VI. Comprehensive Evaluation and Optimization Directions

1. Highlight the advantages of time travelers

-Strengthen Wang Xiao's modern thinking to impact the 1990s (such as proposing "OEM manufacturing" and "patent layout"), and avoid merely remaining in the role of "historical witness".

2. Delve into industry details

- Add semiconductor industry chain terminology (such as "photoresist" and "spray coater"), but explain it naturally through dialogue (such as a microelectronics expert explaining it to Wang Xiao) to avoid being awkward.

3. Enhance regional characteristics

- Adding Wuhan dialect, local snacks (such as bean curd sheets and soup dumplings), and landmarks (such as the Jianghan Customs House bell) makes the scene more immersive.

4. Optimize political and economic metaphors

- By using elements such as "Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes" and "sleep discussion," the film subtly alludes to the struggle between local protectionism and central authority, thus enhancing the depth of the theme.

Conclusion

Your chapter successfully constructs a historical panorama of the 1994 state-owned enterprise reform in Wuhan, with vivid characters and solid details. It is suggested that you further refine the pacing, the technical details, and the unique perspective of the time traveler, transforming the "lithography machine blunder" into a core conflict driving the plot, thus giving the story both historical weight and commercial appeal. Looking forward to the exciting unfolding of the subsequent visit to Huazhong University of Science and Technology!