In the past ten years, China's production and life have undergone earth-shaking changes with the help of the deep integration of digital technology. This is not only a victory of technology, but also the real source of ordinary people's sense of gain.
Comprehensive coverage of digital infrastructure
In the past ten years, China has built the largest digital infrastructure network in the world. As of September 2025, the number of 5G base stations in operation across the country has exceeded 4.7 million, and the number of active users of the next-generation Internet IPv6 is close to 870 million. This network with complete coverage has provided solid underlying support for the work, life, and entertainment of more than 1.1 billion netizens.
At the same time, the widespread penetration of the Internet has eliminated the huge gap between urban and rural areas. As of the middle of this year, the national Internet penetration rate is close to 80%, of which the number of Internet users in rural areas exceeds 320 million, and the penetration rate is already close to 70%. What this means is that both white-collar workers in cities and residents in rural areas can access the digital field on an equal footing and share the dividends brought about by development.
Computing power becomes a new type of productivity
Computing power is like the "engine" that drives the digital age and is the key core that drives the operation of all smart applications. In the past five years, the overall scale of China's computing power has grown very rapidly, with the average annual growth rate always maintaining around 30%. By the end of 2024, its overall scale will have reached the forefront of the world. Starting from the data center clusters existing in the eastern coastal areas, and continuing to the "Eastern Data and Western Computing" hubs built in the western region, within this scope, computing resources have achieved the purpose of nationwide deployment, and this deployment has achieved more efficient and greener results.
Breakthroughs and applications of cutting-edge technologies are directly supported by powerful computing power. my country's patent applications in the field of artificial intelligence account for 60% of the world's total. This is inseparable from the support of a huge computing power system. From complex scientific calculations to daily intelligent recommendations, abundant computing power can effectively transform data into value.
Industrial digital transformation deepens
The integration of digital and physical economies is reshaping China's manufacturing competitiveness. During the "14th Five-Year Plan", tens of thousands of smart factories of different levels were built across the country, of which more than 230 have reached the international advanced "Excellence Level" standard. These factories are not only production workshops, but also highly intelligent systems.
The benefits brought by the transformation can be directly seen. In excellent smart factories, the development cycle of new products has been shortened by more than a quarter on average, and production efficiency has been improved by more than 20%. More importantly, the defective rate of products has dropped by more than half on average, and carbon emissions in the production process have also been reduced by more than 20%, achieving the dual goals of improving quality, efficiency and green development.
People’s livelihood services are convenient and inclusive
The warmth of Digital China is reflected in the profound changes in people's livelihood services such as medical care and education. By the end of 2025, the service of direct settlement of hospital expenses for cross-provincial medical treatment in different places has benefited more than 600 million people, completely solving the problem of people having to advance money and run errands to get reimbursed. The telemedicine network covers every city and county in the country, allowing high-quality medical resources to transcend geographical obstacles.
The National Smart Education Public Service Platform has been upgraded in the education field and its resources are continuously updated, which breaks down the barriers to high-quality educational resources. Students from different regions, urban and rural areas, and schools can use this platform to access a wealth of courses and knowledge, which in turn promotes the balanced allocation of educational resources and provides digital solutions for educational equity.
Policy system and ecological construction
The rapid advancement of Digital China is indispensable for the clear guidance of top-level design and institutional guarantees. In recent years, key policies such as the "Overall Layout Plan for the Construction of Digital China" and annual action plans have been introduced one after another, clarifying the development blueprint and implementation path from the national level. Together, many policies have built an institutional system that will be continuously improved, clearing obstacles for digital technology innovation and industrial integration.
Within the scope of such a policy framework, an industrial ecology with benign characteristics, guided by the government, dominated by the market, and participated by society, is being formed at an accelerated pace. Various localities have introduced supporting measures one after another, companies are actively investing in R&D and application fields, and the capital market is paying attention to the digital track. Together, they exert driving force to promote the vigorous development of the digital economy, so that innovation vitality can continue to burst out.
Reshaping future life scenes
Digital technology continues to create new production methods and also creates new lifestyles. In the industrial field, smart mines have achieved "unattended" remote and safe mining. In the consumer field, new applications such as AI robots, digital cultural tourism, and smart charging networks are emerging one after another, continuing to refresh people's experience.
Spread across cities and villages, including factories and homes, the impact of digitalization is everywhere. As an efficiency tool, it is also a new way of organization and interaction. Looking forward to the future, as information technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things further mature, the construction of Digital China will open up more potential possibilities and continue to inject strong impetus into high-quality economic and social development.
In the past ten years, what has been the most profound digital transformation in your life? Has medical treatment become more convenient, or has shopping become more intelligent? Welcome to share your experience in the comment area, and please give a like to support it, so that more people can witness the real progress of Digital China.
