Four new inventions

Untrue 2017 Chinese propaganda slogan

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The term Four new inventions (Chinese: 新四大发明; pinyin: xīn sì dà fāmíng) is a slogan promoted by Chinese state media, drawing inspiration from the Four Great Inventions of ancient China. In 2017, Chinese state media began asserting that mainland China "invented" high-speed rail, mobile payment, e-commerce, and bike-sharing.[1][2][3] However, none of these "four new inventions" were originally invented in mainland China.[4]

## High-speed rail

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High-speed rail is a type of rail transport that operates significantly faster than traditional rail systems, utilizing an integrated system of specialized rolling stock and dedicated tracks. The European Union defines "high-speed" as a minimum of 250 km/h on new tracks and 200 km/h on older tracks.[4] The world's first high-speed train, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in Japan, began service in 1964 with a maximum speed of 210 km/h.[4][5][6]

In mainland China, "high-speed" is defined as a design speed of at least 250 km/h, with a minimum operational speed of 200 km/h during initial service.[7] In 2008, the first Chinese high-speed railway, the Beijing–Tianjin intercity railway, began operations.[8] By 2016, China claimed to have the largest high-speed rail system in the world.[9]

## E-commerce

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E-commerce was invented in 1979 by Michael Aldrich.[10] The first online store, NetMarket, was launched in 1994.[11][12]

E-commerce in mainland China began in 1999 with platforms like Dangdang and Joyo.com (now Amazon China).[13] In 2003, Jack Ma founded Taobao, followed by the establishment of 360buy (now JD.com) in 2004.[14]

## Mobile payment

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Mobile payment generally refers to payment services that are operated under financial regulations and conducted using a mobile device. The concept originated in Finland in 1997.[15]

In mainland China, mobile payments began in the early 21st century, with Alipay and WeChat Pay being the most prominent platforms.[16][17][18] According to statistics, the market penetration of mobile payments is 77% in mainland China, compared to 48% in the United States and 27% in Japan.[19][20]

## Bike-sharing

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A bike-sharing system is a service that provides bicycles for short-term use at a fee.[21] The first bike-sharing system, known as the "White Bicycle Plan," was introduced in Amsterdam in 1965.[22]

In mainland China, the bike-sharing system began with Ofo in 2014,[23] followed by Mobike in 2015.[24]

## References

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1. ^ ""新四大发明"亮个相！". Xinhuanet (in Simplified Chinese). 27 October 2017. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
2. ^ Yang Yi, ed. (19 December 2017). "Pic story: China's "four great new inventions" in modern times". Xinhuanet. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018.
3. ^ An, ed. (8 August 2017). "Spotlight: China's "four great new inventions" in modern times". Xinhuanet. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018.
4. ^ a b c Pratik Jakhar (3 April 2018). "Who really came up with China's 'four new inventions'?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
5. ^ "Tokaido Shinkansen (1964)". Landmarks. ASME. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017.
6. ^ "Milestones:Tokaido Shinkansen (Bullet Train), 1964". IEEE Global History Network. IEEE. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018.
7. ^ "铁路主要技术政策（铁道部令第34号）". The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China (in Simplified Chinese). 20 February 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
8. ^ "科技部、铁道部联合签署《中国高速列车自主创新联合行动计划合作协议》". Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (in Simplified Chinese). 27 February 2008. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017.
9. ^ 于京一, ed. (26 October 2017). "中国建成世界最大高铁网 变身高铁技术引领者". 中国网 (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 23 May 2018.
10. ^ Denise Winterman; Jon Kelly (16 September 2013). "Online shopping: The pensioner who pioneered a home shopping revolution". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017.
11. ^ "E-commerce turns 10". CNET. 11 August 2004. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017.
12. ^ "Shop Direct celebrates 20 years of online shopping". Shopdirect.com. 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018.
13. ^ Hackstetter, Tatjana (2013). "CHINA – THE RISING DRAGON IN E-COMMERCE : What Foreign Companies Should be Aware of When Entering the Chinese Online Shopping Market" [中国——电子商务的崛起之龙：外国公司进入中国网购市场应注意的问题]. www.theseus.fi. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
14. ^ Chan, Allan KK; Huanyong Chen, Caleb; Zhao, Long (1 January 2018). "JD.com: leveraging the edge of e-business". Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies. 8 (3): 1–30\. doi:10.1108/EEMCS-06-2016-0109. ISSN 2045-0621.
15. ^ "Osta ja maksa kännykällä". Verkkouutiset (in Finnish). 14 November 1997. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018.
16. ^ "支付宝和微信支付，有什么不同？". 普惠家 (in Simplified Chinese). 11 September 2017. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
17. ^ "支付宝和微信支付的海外战争". QQ.com (in Simplified Chinese). 27 April 2018. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018.
18. ^ "在香港，支付宝和微信支付多了一个对手". 虎嗅网 (in Simplified Chinese). 19 March 2018. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018.
19. ^ "9月6日科技早间新闻：我国移动支付普及率77%全球第一". 中国科技 (in Simplified Chinese). 6 September 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017.
20. ^ "我国移动支付普及率77%全球第一 美国仅48%日本27%". QQ.com (in Simplified Chinese). 5 September 2017. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017.
21. ^ Ricci, Miriam (1 June 2015). "Bike sharing: A review of evidence on impacts and processes of implementation and operation". Research in Transportation Business & Management. Managing the Business of Cycling. 15: 28–38\. doi:10.1016/j.rtbm.2015.03.003. ISSN 2210-5395.
22. ^ "Provo". The British Library. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017.
23. ^ Lulu Yilun Chen (1 March 2017). "One Startup Builds $1 Billion Business Out of 15-Cent Bike Rides". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017.
24. ^ "摩拜创始人：未来百车大战如果只剩一家，是我们". 界面新闻 (in Simplified Chinese). 29 November 2016. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017.