Today (April 10) in Beijing feels like a completely different season compared to yesterday. Yesterday brought fine spring drizzle and bursts of chill, with passersby wrapped tightly in their coats. Today, the sun is bright and the air is clear. By afternoon, young men are wearing T‑shirts and slim young girls are in dresses. A taxi driver even joked: Beijing has no spring.

I left the hotel early as scheduled to visit a research institute. However, the senior leaders there suddenly called an urgent meeting, so our 10:00 appointment was moved to 11:30. When we arrived at the client’s gate at 11:30, the meeting ran long and was delayed again until 12:10. I had planned to treat the client to a meal and talk while dining, but in the end, Mr. Yu insisted on treating me to Shaanxi saozi noodles and roujiamo. Though not from Xi’an, the taste was still very good.

The client showed strong interest in the independently controllable MCS products developed by Xi’an Chinastar M&C. Major national institutions have considerable demand for independent and controllable technologies. Our MCS technology still needs further maturity and mass production, but in any case, integration and application are the priorities right now. For wireless transmission technology integrated with pressure sensors, replacement in large national industries is known to be quite difficult and time‑consuming.

After a quick working lunch, I visited Beijing EasySense and met its young founder Mr. Guo. He shared his entrepreneurial experience. His company now produces MEMS acceleration sensors; low‑range products have reached microgram (μg) resolution. Acceleration sensors for general industrial vibration monitoring have also entered mass production and supply customers across various industries. Looking back on my own early entrepreneurship, I really envy the current business environment. For passionate and hands‑on young people, both the business environment and financing conditions are far better than before.

After talking with Mr. Guo for about an hour, I headed to Yanqing District, beyond Badaling, to visit Beijing ConST Instruments Technology Inc., the top manufacturer of pressure controller calibrators in China and ranked fourth in the world. #2026.04.10 22:40 Century Golden Resources Hotel, Beijing#

The trip from Zhongguancun to ConST’s digital factory outside Badaling took more than an hour. The quiet apple blossoms in the factory area were blooming gently, making people feel relaxed and refreshed. Inside the workshop, dozens of machine tools were running quietly in a lights‑out factory with no operators in sight. I sincerely thank Chairman Mr. Jiang of ConST for receiving me personally. We visited pressure controller assembly workshops with different U‑shaped lines, in‑house automated compensation equipment supporting multiple pressure ranges in the same high and low temperature chamber, and a planned hectopascal‑level micro‑pressure production workshop.

I used to only know that ConST produced pressure controllers and calibrators. After the visit, I learned that they also make temperature calibration equipment with output increasing year by year. They also produce humidity calibrators that can calibrate dew point meters. Many companies outsource electronic products and mechanical processing, but ConST fully produces all its mechanical parts in‑house. It runs two lights‑out factories with about 90% intelligent automation. Pressure controllers are not just electronic products; many mechanical parts also require extremely high precision and reliability. For example, one type of solenoid valve they use far exceeds foreign products in accuracy, repeatability and service life.

Currently, ConST’s pressure controllers achieve an accuracy level of 1/10000 across a wide measuring range. Its automatic pressure‑boost portable pressure calibrator is a unique product in the market. Temperature calibrators also support automatic mobile calibration, with large‑scale production and digital management. As a leading listed Chinese company in the instrument and metering field, I believe that without ConST, similar foreign products would dominate the Chinese market. After the visit, we met in the conference room. In 2025, 52% of ConST’s products were exported to developed countries in Europe and the United States, and 48% were sold in China. Overseas, they sell not only products but also services. Its annual global distributor conference brings together dozens of overseas sales team members from Asia, Europe, the Americas and other regions.

One notable management method is an innovation competition every two months, which has become a formal system. Every employee is required to carefully observe and think deeply at their posts each month, and put forward small improvements to enhance product quality, reduce costs and improve efficiency. Winners are highly commended with both spiritual rewards—photos posted on workshop screens—and cash rewards. The company hopes employees work hard with both hands and minds.

As chairman, Mr. Jiang is also a passionate tech enthusiast. When I introduced the MCS pressure sensor technology and products developed by Chinastar M&C over 10 years, he quickly recognized their practical significance. As China’s original and independently controllable technology, it is highly important. Being oil‑free, it has no risk of leakage, so it has great applications in semiconductor equipment, pharmaceuticals and food industries. Oil‑filled pressure sensor cores always carry leakage risks, which can cause incalculable losses.

On the way back from Yanqing to downtown Beijing, Mr. Jiang shared his experience of applying AI technology in all aspects of production and R&D, which is worth learning and practicing. This Beijing visit was unplanned, but the unexpected arrangement brought me huge benefits. I also thank Ms. Lu from ConST; her dedication and persistence made this meaningful visit possible.

My G27 high‑speed train has passed Jinan.

#2026.04.11 19:08 G27 Beijing to Suzhou#