Xinhua daily telegraph
Source:Xinhua Daily Telegraph,September 15th
Author:Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Wang Shengzhi,Sun Qingqing,Niu Shaojie,Zhang Haoran
Zhecheng,a small city in the eastern part of Henan Province,has become famous for its diamonds in recent years and is known as the”Capital of Diamonds”.Its annual production and export of diamond powder account for 70%and 50%of the country’s total,with an annual output of6billion carats of diamond single crystals and10billion carats of diamond powder.It cultivates diamond blanks and processes and sells6million carats.
Why did a former agricultural county grow out of nothing and cultivate a high-tech superhard material industry cluster with a complete industrial chain?Faced with a new round of industrial competition,how to innovate and break through and continue to achieve brilliance?With doubts in mind,the reporter recently delved into Zhecheng to explore the development code behind it.
The’artificial diamond’seen under a multiple lens.All pictures in this group were taken by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporters
“Grinding a Diamond for Forty Years”Attracts World Attention
Not long ago,the reporter departed from Zhengzhou and drove over 200 kilometers to Zhecheng County,Shangqiu City.Entering the city,a giant diamond model stands upright in the city square,reflecting the importance of the diamond industry in the city.
“I can’t accompany my wife on Qixi when I’m here on business.I’m going to buy a diamond here and give her a surprise when I go home.”Mr.Wang,who came to Zhecheng from Hefei,Anhui Province on business,said while carefully selecting ornaments.
A live streaming sales team consisting of five young people is filming diamond jewelry in the exhibition hall.”Zhecheng Diamond is becoming more and more famous.We are going to open an account for Tiktok to engage in live broadcast sales,”said Mr.Wang,the team leader.
“Before Qixi,the number of customers from all over the country who came to order diamond jewelry increased significantly.”Zhu Yongchao,the head of Yedafeng,told reporters that compared with natural diamonds,artificial diamonds are like”ice in the river”and”ice in the refrigerator”,with almost no difference.Cultivating affordable and high-quality diamonds is entering the homes of ordinary people.
Zhecheng County Mayor Yu Huamin introduced that there are more than 120 diamond superhard material industry enterprises in Zhecheng County,which have built a complete chain of single crystal,micro powder,cultivated diamonds,and diamond products.Zhecheng participated in the development of the world’s first cultivated diamond product standard.
Zhecheng County,once famous for its chili peppers and beef cattle,is a typical plain agricultural county with no mountains or few mines,and its regional advantages in developing the diamond industry are not obvious.What exactly did it rely on to create the myth of making things out of nothing and growing from small to large?
Move the pointer of time back to the early 1980s.
Zhecheng County Party Committee and County Government have called for talented individuals from outside to return to their hometowns to start businesses.Feng Jinzhang,who was then a polycrystalline diamond research engineer at Zhengzhou Abrasive Grinding Research Institute,was invited to return to Shaoyuan Township,Zhecheng County to participate in the establishment of the first diamond factory in the county-Shaoyuan Diamond Factory.It has been about 20 years since December 6,1963,when China successfully developed the first artificial diamond on a top press.
Feng Jinzhang returned to his hometown to establish a diamond factory only a few years ago when he passed away due to illness.Although Shaoyuan Diamond Factory was a flash in the pan,it has cultivated a group of diamond technology backbone for Zhecheng.They started their business as family workshops and successively established diamond enterprises of all sizes.
Wang Zhanxi,who is now in his early years,was one of the first”crab eaters”back then.He founded the Zhecheng County Diamond Tool Factory in1986 and has continued to this day.At the age of 72,Wang Xuezhu once operated an agricultural machinery repair shop in Shaoyuan Township.Coincidentally,he helped Shaoyuan Diamond Factory install a top press machine.From then on,he became associated with diamond production equipment and became one of the first entrepreneurs of diamond production equipment in Zhecheng County.
With the dawn of the market economy,Zhecheng people who dare to think and explore the market everywhere,looking for sales,not only have a broad perspective,but also a strong market awareness.As long as it’s the place where diamonds are produced,there are people from Zhecheng who go to buy raw materials.”Wang Zhanxi recalled the hardships of the early stages of entrepreneurship and still couldn’t help but sigh.In the biting cold winter,he wore a military coat and ran to Beijing to attend an exhibition.He set up a floor stall outside the exhibition hall to sell diamond powder.Due to his love for money,he stayed at a small hotel in the basement.
Wang Zhanxi said that the reason why the diamond industry in Zhecheng emerged from nothing and grew step by step is inseparable from the”determination”of the Zhecheng County Party Committee and County Government to develop the diamond industry.It was only through successive efforts that the golden signboard of the”Capital of Diamonds”was forged.
As early as 2006,Zhecheng County established an industrial park with supporting software and hardware facilities,focusing on the diamond industry and attracting diamond enterprises to enter the park.In 2009,Zhecheng upgraded the industrial park to an industrial agglomeration zone,established a production base for superhard materials in Zhecheng County,increased investment attraction,improved infrastructure,introduced preferential policies,further integrated diamond industry chain enterprises into the park,promoted industrial intensification and clustering development,and gradually reversed the original”small,scattered,and chaotic”workshop production pattern.Some diamond production enterprises actively seize opportunities and continuously develop and grow.
Yu Huamin said that in recent years,in order to further promote the transformation and upgrading of the superhard material industry,Zhecheng County has implemented new development concepts,constructed a new development pattern,established the overall idea of”strengthening single crystals,refining micro powders,optimizing products,and brightening diamonds”focused on extending and supplementing the chain and also planned a”new blueprint”for a diamond industry park of over 5000 acres.Currently some projects have been completed and put into operation.
On August 23rd,workers were working in the workshop.
In the newly built diamond industrial park(Phase I and Phase II)in Zhecheng County,the reporter saw that 12 factories have met the conditions for settlement,and another 12 factories are undergoing main engineering construction.It is understood that the project started construction in January last year,with a total construction area of 630000square meters.At present,the Zhecheng Diamond Industrial Park has signed contracts with Hanxian Technology,Shenzhen Jujing,Central South University Research Institute CVD Diamond Project,Huazhong Micro Diamond Crushing Material,and Micro Powder Project.It is expected that the annual output value will exceed 10 billion yuan.
TodayZhecheng County has established an industrial cluster with an annual output value of over20 billion yuan including diamond raw and auxiliary materials industrial grade diamond single crystals diamond powder gemstone grade diamonds diamond products diamond jewelry and other industries It has been rated as a national high-tech industrialization base for superhard materials and products by the Ministry of Science and Technology and has embarked on a new path for traditional agricultural areas to develop and expand industries without relying on resources In this year’s Zhecheng County Government Work Report Zhecheng County has set a new goal of building a50 billion level diamond superhard material industry cluster.
Zhecheng County supports enterprises in implementing three major transformations,namely production line replacement machine replacement”and equipment core replacement to accelerate the promotion and application of new technologies,processes and equipment,and rebuild new advantages in the industry.Entering the National High tech Industrialization Base for Superhard Materials and Products in Zhecheng County,a new picture of digital,green,and high-end integration of the three modernizations is presented in front of us.
Compared to the old factory area,the micro powder sorting equipment in the new factory area is more intelligent.Previously,it was manual sorting of diamond micro powder,but now it is automated sorting,greatly improving quality and efficiency.Thanks to the new equipment and new technology updates and iterations,the company has achieved industrial mass production of50 nanometer diamond micro powder,solved the technical problem of mass production of20 nanometer level micro powder,and effectively achieved domestic substitution
New features of high-end products.The reporter’s interview found that in the process of transformation and upgrading of the diamond industry in Zhecheng,some new products have filled the domestic gap and maintained a high market share.Sun Ruomei,Director of the Management Committee of the High tech Zone in Zhecheng County,introduced that in terms of diamond micro powder,Zhecheng County accounts for 70%and 50%of the country’s annual production and export volume,respectively.Among them,nanoscale diamond micro powder maintains a high market share in the domestic precision instrument polishing market.
In terms of diamond single crystals,the special shaped octahedral diamond developed and produced by Power Diamond for ultra precision machining of IC chips has independent intellectual property rights,breaking foreign monopolies and filling multiple domestic technological gaps.The diamond micro powder produced by the company for wire saws is in a leading position in the industry.
Sun Ruomei introduced that currently,the Zhecheng diamond industry has15 provincial-level specialized,refined,and new small and medium-sized enterprises,and2 national specialized,refined,and new little giants enterprises.In the future,Zhecheng will strive to develop the total number of six sided top presses for cultivating diamond production enterprises to5000 units within1-2 years,achieving the first place in the country.At the same time,Zhecheng County will also make efforts to develop and cultivate diamonds and diamond products,support enterprises in innovating technology,develop new products,and promote the expansion of diamonds from traditional grinding,sawing,drilling,and other tools to functional uses such as semiconductors,cutting-edge medical,aerospace,etc.,so as to advance the Zhecheng superhard material industry into the mid to high end.
This is the diamond jewelry taken on August 24th at the exhibition hall of Henan Power Diamond Co.,Ltd.
Accelerating Innovation and Targeting a New Track of Functional Diamond
In June of this year,at the Jewelry Expo held in Las Vegas,USA,Power Diamond showcased a50 carat product,attracting the attention of participating manufacturers.This is a shining business card of independent innovation and technological breakthrough in the diamond industry of Zhecheng County.
At present,the company has achieved mass production of1 to 30carat cultivated diamonds.In recent years,based on the technological accumulation of30 carat cultivated diamonds,the company has strengthened technological innovation and cultivated50carat diamonds under laboratory conditions.This is a milestone for the company,and it will continue to invest in research and development,accelerate technological breakthroughs,and actively compete for a new track of functional diamonds in the future”The person in charge of Power Diamond said.
In the past,diamonds were mostly used for the production of abrasive tools and belong to traditional industries.With the market development of gemstone grade large single crystals in recent years,the industry has nurtured new market space.Some enterprises are targeting fourth generation semiconductors,high-performance heat dissipation materials,optical window materials,and other technology breakthroughs to enter a new track.
Yu Huamin stated that currently,the diamond industry in Zhecheng County is moving forward fromfollowingtocreating vigorously promoting independent innovation,focusing on tackling cutting-edge technologies,and promoting the transformation of the diamond industry from mechanical diamonds to functional diamonds.
In the development of superhard materials,Zhecheng County has explored a new path of school enterprise cooperation that closely integrates production,education,and research.In terms of technology research,achievement transformation,technology consulting,talent introduction,talent training,and project recommendation and settlement,it has cooperated with16 domestic universities and research institutions,And hold a national industry forum every year.
In order to promote the full coverage of RD activities for industrial enterprises above designated size,Zhecheng County encourages enterprises to establish independent R D innovation centers.To this end a30 million yuan Science and Technology Innovation Fund has been established to support key enterprises in building RD platforms such as enterprise technology centers,engineering technology centers,key engineering laboratories,and academician workstations.Enterprises are encouraged to introduce new technologies,strengthen scientific research and development,improve production processes,and improve product grades and added value.
As of now,Zhecheng County has cultivated32 high-tech enterprises for superhard materials,established16 provincial-level engineering technology research centers,established Henan Province Artificial Diamond Quality Supervision and Inspection Center,1 academician workstation for micro and nano diamond powder materials,and2 postdoctoral research and development bases.
Diamonds are eternal,and each one will be passed down forever “De Beers Company,through advertising,links diamonds with love,commitment,and preciousness,creating the myth of diamond jewelry sales.Nowadays,through industrialization,Zhecheng is combining the cultivation of diamonds with new technologies,industries,and forms of business,creating a new landscape for the application of functional diamond industries.