Chapter 729 - 703 Research Meeting

"The condition is a bit primitive, but for now, it should meet your requirements."

Jin Rong looked apologetically at the line of people behind him before leading the way through the gate.

Following closely behind was Yang Zhongkai, who looked up at the obviously faded door frame and roughly judged that the place still bore traces of the 1990s.

It was a small cluster of buildings in the grasslands on the outskirts of Beijing, where most of the red paint on the walls had peeled off, and one could still vaguely make out numerous slogans.

"It’s okay, it’s very quiet here, which is good."

"Haha, research indeed is good... Don’t worry. Sometimes this place is used as an event venue, the water and electricity are very reliable, and there’s no need for cleanup. Just adding a few things and it can be immediately put to use," Jin Rong said, assessing the unremarkable researchers while pondering what the Space Strategy Research Society really did.

The day before yesterday, an urgent notice was sent from above, requesting that an organization called the "Space Strategy Research Society" be affiliated with the Academy of Social Sciences, nominally under the Academy but in fact directly under the control of the State Council.

Simply put, the council was small in scale but had access to the highest levels, hence its status was considerably high.

The higher-ups also requested that they find a relatively remote and spacious office for the society, which led Jin Rong to ultimately choose this place.

This old architectural complex on the outskirts of Beijing was actually quite impressive in design. It used to be a small electromechanical factory complex but for various reasons ended up in the hands of the Academy of Social Sciences. Its geographic location wasn’t suitable for industrial or commercial use, so it had been left idle.

Because the exterior walls were once entirely red, it was also referred to as the "Red Mansion."

Jin Rong couldn’t see clearly the backgrounds of the people requisitioning the Red Mansion; the leader seemed to be just a university professor, and he didn’t recognize most of the others. Only one or two think tank fellows seemed familiar, perhaps seen at some major conference.

Jin Rong took the group of about a dozen people on a tour around the Red Mansion and then tactfully left, leaving behind the members of the research society.

Yang Zhongkai pragmatically organized everyone to quickly clean up an activity room and then carried out a blackboard from the storeroom to set up. To him, this was now the perfect research venue.

The Space Strategy Research Society had a simple name, complex members, and classified content because it was an organization established in response to the crisis of alien civilizations.

Beyond the present individuals, virtually everyone aware of the alien civilization was also a member of the society, indicating its significance.

Yang Zhongkai, serving as the president, merely played a role in coordinating activities. Research on alien civilizations wasn’t about technology; it wasn’t possible for a single genius to support the whole organization. What was needed was a team with talents from various fields to analyze rigorously, hypothesize boldly, and calibrate cautiously.

The Space Strategy Research Society projected the need for a hundred resident researchers, including talents from all fields, and also required cooperation from multiple departments, thus necessitating a large territory.

Being under the umbrella of the Academy of Social Sciences was also a means to fly under the radar since all sorts of strange research institutes existed nowadays, and this society would likely go unnoticed by the public.

Yang Zhongkai was very satisfied with the location of the Red Mansion. Seeing that the activity room was tidied up and the time was not yet three o’clock in the afternoon, he decided to immediately convene the first formal meeting of the Space Strategy Research Society.

He turned around, picked up a piece of chalk, and the "swoosh swoosh" sound of writing filled the room, abruptly followed by the sound of the chalk breaking and being thrown to the floor.

"On the impact of technological development on social formations: What did the first industrial revolution change?"

The researchers seated below remained calm, undisturbed by the topic at hand.

The society’s research was not solely focused on alien civilizations, but rather on their existence and the impact on the entirety of human society—a tremendous and complicated subject.

"Technology has transformed human civilization. From the spinning jenny to the steam engine, trains, internal combustion engines, electricity, and so forth, each technological innovation has subverted ideologies.

The spinning jenny destroyed the traditional handloom textile system, and the power of the steam engine forced farmers to relinquish their land, turning them into a massive group of bankrupt individuals. This directly led to the birth of a new social class.

A single loom could shatter the era dominated by subsistence farmers, a single railway could forge a solid common identity among people from different regions, and the telegraph bound isolated information islands together.

Without technological progress, current ideologies wouldn’t exist, nor would the subsequent intellectual revolutions have occurred, and the face of human society and mainstream thoughts would be entirely different.

Therefore, we always start with technology, judging the advancement of a civilization by the level of its technology, the social science system by the trajectory of technological development, and the inevitable law of civilization development by entropy reduction, whether it is an alien or Earth civilization.

...

Yang Zhongkai spoke eloquently; his biggest gain during his time at the base for most of a year was the considerable understanding he had acquired of scientific development and his gradual acceptance of the absolute dominant role of science.

In truth, not much research could be done on alien civilizations, especially with the wealth of evidence from two planets awaiting exploration. The society’s current focus remained on Earth.

The magnitude of the impact alien civilizations could have on humanity, how to transform these anomalies into opportunities, and how to achieve their goals to the greatest extent—these were the pressing concerns of the authorities.

Of course, the society’s research is directed toward major trends and changes at least 5 years from now, and maybe 10, 20, or even 50 years ahead. The specifics are impossible to predict.

At the moment, the theme of the society’s research was the vast amount of advanced technology from New Yuan, which would significantly elevate the domestic level of science and technology but would surely also bring about considerable changes.

...

"Welcome, Robert Lightfoot."

"Thank you, I appreciate your invitation."

Amidst a throng of cameras and continuous flashes, the heads of the space agencies of the two countries firmly clasped each other’s hands.

It was June 24th, and Robert, the current head of NACA, following Xu Rang’s lead and at the invitation of China’s National Space Administration, discussed topics related to deep cooperation on the Skylight project—at least that was the official story.

The two men showed no signs of the opposition reflected in the situation; instead, they were friendly, as if they were long-lost friends.

Among the modest entourage accompanying Robert was an aide named David Ussnor.

Robert’s visit, of course, was not simple; beyond the official agenda, it was also a preparation for John’s upcoming visit, and an opportunity to exchange some bottom lines in advance.

The meeting time for high-level leaders wouldn’t be lengthy; John’s stay in China would not exceed three days. Adding the time required for attending public events, the chance for confidential discussions might only amount to two or three hours.

Therefore, it was crucial to understand each other’s intentions as much as possible in advance, to the point that David was even brought to China.

The two parties had no private contact on the first day until the second day after Xu Rang completed his duties, when someone from above secretly summoned Robert and David.