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Uncovering the hidden ambition behind the names of Chinese tech firms and scientific projects

  • Despite the global ambition of China and its tech giants, some of their most important companies and projects are still named in Chinese and spelled in pinyin

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Chang’e is a Moon goddess in Chinese legend, a central character in the annual Mid-Autumn or Moon festival. Her companion is Yutu, the Jade Rabbit. Photo: Undated Handout.

If Chinese scientists, engineers and most importantly politicians have their way, here is what the future would look like.

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Groceries will be delivered to your doorstep by an autonomous car powered by Baidu’s (百度) system. Your smartphone, unlocked by a face scan, will run on a Pingtouge (平头哥) chip.

A ride on the Fuxing (复兴) bullet train will transport you to a neighbouring state or country at 350 kilometres per hour. Instead of using GPS, you will be able to pinpoint your location via Beidou (北斗), China’s home-grown satellite navigation system, wherever you are in the world.

A super fast internet connection courtesy of equipment from Huawei Technologies (华为) will ensure you can watch 8K television. Surfing news online, you will find the latest discoveries from the moon are sent back to earth thanks to the Chang’e 4 lander (嫦娥) and Yutu rover (玉兔).

FILE - In this June 18, 2012, file image released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese astronauts, from left, Liu Wang, Liu Yang and Jing Haipeng wave while aboard the orbiting Tiangong-1 space station. Photo: Xinhua
FILE - In this June 18, 2012, file image released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese astronauts, from left, Liu Wang, Liu Yang and Jing Haipeng wave while aboard the orbiting Tiangong-1 space station. Photo: Xinhua
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Despite the global ambition of China and its tech giants, some of their most strategically important products and projects are still named in Chinese and spelled in pinyin, the romanisation of Chinese characters. The pronunciation of the names has already brought challenges for some Westerners, let alone the meaning behind the names.

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