Competitors in Tianjin for the 19th Chinese Bridge‑Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students tour the BYD Di‑Space New‑Energy Vehicle Science Museum over the weekend. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Walking through exhibits tracing the automotive power evolution from steam engines to electric motors, the multinational group paused before a displayed letter from the late scientist Qian Xuesen. They read Qian's words, transcribed on the wall, aloud. It was a quote from his decades‑old vision that China's auto industry should skip the gasoline and diesel phases in favor of moving directly toward NEVs.