Beyond geopolitical shorthand and benchmark hype, this practitioner's firsthand chronicle traces China's AI evolution. Framed by Soil, representing institutional, talent and infrastructural foundations, and Surge, the wave of rapid model deployment and self‑reliant inference, it delineates five distinct eras: foundational accumulation, exploratory incubation, capability catch‑up, homegrown breakout, and emergent autonomy. Rooted in practical engineering constraints and national research programs, it reveals the underrecognized substrate shaping one of the defining technological transformations of our era.