Those Who Blaze the Trail Are the First to See the Sunrise — Interpreting the Mission and Responsibility of Wang Ji, "Model of the Era"
On November 5, 2013, Chairman Xi, during an inspection of the National University of Defense Technology, stressed the need to firmly grasp the strategic anchor point of independent innovation in defense science and technology, vigorously advance scientific and technological progress and innovation, and strive to secure a foothold in forward-looking and strategic fields. Wang Ji, who was the first in China to propose the concept of "highly reliable software technology (高可信软件技术)," kept the Supreme Commander's instructions firmly in mind, led his team in sustained hard-fought breakthroughs, forged a new path of independent and controllable (自主可控) development, and made important contributions to ensuring the safety and reliability of critical software for the nation's major strategic assets (大国重器). "Those who blaze the trail are the first to see the sunrise." This philosophical saying that Wang Ji cherishes has become his life's vow — to be reborn from the depths of despair and return to the front lines: even while dwelling in the dark of night and bearing the burden of illness, he would be the pathfinder who dares to scale the heights, to welcome the magnificent sunrise of national defense research.
The critical leap in national rejuvenation and the decisive juncture in the cause of strengthening the military have never been won by a handful of individuals sprinting ahead in a single direction, but by the all-domain breakthrough of countless pioneers and pathfinders. As the great-power contest in science and technology grows ever more intense, following in others' wake can only mean running behind passively; only those who dare to forge ahead and experiment can define the future. On the new-era journey of military strengthening (强军征程), numerous core technological fields urgently await breakthroughs and numerous frontier tracks remain blank. What is needed is a large cohort of trailblazers willing to step outside their comfort zones and boldly enter "uncharted territory (无人区)" — to take the lead on their respective tracks and shoulder the era's weighty responsibility of breaking new ground and overcoming entrenched obstacles.
Only by holding the nation's greatest concerns (国之大者) at heart can one see clearly the trend of the times and fix upon the correct heading. Wang Ji's choices in scientific research have always been rooted in building a strong nation and a strong military. He precisely discerned that "future warfare is software-defined warfare (未来战争是软件定义的战争)," deeply understood that highly reliable software is the security cornerstone of the nation's major strategic assets, and resolutely set foot on an obscure and neglected track. With far-sighted vision he laid out work in frontier fields, cultivating them without pause for decades, and solidified the security foundation of national defense science and technology.
Those who blaze the trail need above all the fearlessness of "though ten thousand men oppose me, I shall press on (虽千万人吾往矣)." True pioneers are destined to keep company with solitude and to contend with the unknown. Even without mature experience to draw on, without a ready-made system to copy, and without an established path to rely upon, Wang Ji consistently upheld a pioneering spirit of undaunted advance — unafraid of isolation, undaunted by barriers, unafraid of thorns — pressing through hard battles to overcome obstacles, step by step closing the domestic technological gaps.
To wear the crown, one must bear its weight; to aspire to open a new road, one must endure its hardships. Wang Ji's life in scientific research is a vivid embodiment of carrying a double burden: the weight of pioneering at the frontier of technology, and the even greater weight of a life lived with an unyielding will despite physical disability. He has always recognized the weight he carries and pressed forward in the face of difficulty — tempering life's ordeals into a sharp blade for hard battles, shouldering the nation's trust as his lifelong mission, holding firm to the bottom line of equipment security through unheralded perseverance, and exchanging all-out commitment for leapfrog breakthroughs in his field of research.
"If my heart believes it can be done, then even the difficulty of moving mountains and filling seas will one day end in success; if my heart believes it cannot be done, then even something as easy as turning a palm or snapping a twig will yield no result." Chairman Xi has stressed that innovation has always been a matter of nine deaths for every survival, yet we must have the heroic spirit of "this is what my heart truly loves — though I die nine times, I shall have no regret (亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔)." Time waits for no one! History waits for no one! Time belongs to those who strive! History belongs to those who strive! At present, great-power competition grows ever more intense, and independent control over core technologies is an urgent imperative. The more unknown the road ahead and the more obscure the track, the more pioneers are needed who dare to be first; the more arduous the task and the more pressing the situation, the more those who struggle must press forward under heavy burdens.
"The world's wonders and marvels, its extraordinary sights, are often found in perilous and remote places that few people reach — and therefore only those with true resolve can arrive there." On the journey of strengthening the military through science and technology, there are still many "chokepoint (卡脖子)" technologies awaiting breakthroughs, and countless "uncharted territories (无人区)" awaiting exploration. When more and more scientific and technological workers, like Wang Ji, advance steadily through steadfast perseverance, charging forward and climbing without cease, we will surely reach a broader and more expansive realm and welcome an even more magnificent sunrise.