Back in 1881, the opening of China's first domestically-designed railway - the Tangshan-Xugezhuang line - and the launch of the country's first steam locomotive, the so-called "Rocket of China", marked the birth of an industry in which China is now set to lead the world. From these faltering first steps, the industry has now gone on to become a world-beater and lynchpin of China's technological revolution.