In recent years, China has made remarkable progress in a wide range of scientific fields – especially in 5G and quantum communications technologies. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China has built 718-thouand 5G base stations, making up 70 percent of the world's total. But how and why has China achieved such feats? To find answers to these questions, we have spoken to two young Chinese researchers working at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation.