China is building a factory so big that when it's done, it will be able to accommodate the construction of four submarines at once-out of sight from military enthusiasts¹ and spy satellites alike.

中国正在建造的这个工厂是如此之大，一旦完成，可以同时建造四艘潜艇——军迷和间谍卫星都看不到。

According to Popular Science, Bohai Shipbuilding Heavy Industrial Corporation is building the plant in Huludao, Liaoning Province. The place will have two parallel assembly lines. The gigantic hall reportedly is where China will begin construction on is latest attack submarine, the Type 095.

根据大众科学网站报道，渤海造船重工集团正在辽宁葫芦岛建造这个工厂。该工厂将有两条平行的组装线。据报道中国将在这里建造其最新型的攻击潜艇095型。

Despite having control over its Internet and press, the Chinese government has had enduring problems with military enthusiasts sneaking² pictures of new ships and aircraft under development or construction. While some of this is useful to telegraph China's broader intentions and give a hint³ of its capabilities⁴, the rest of it is considered a nuisance. Building an indoor submarine factory keeps sensitive subjects such as the hull⁵ shape of a submarine or even the propeller⁶ design a secret.

尽管控制着网络和媒体，中国政府依然无法阻止军迷偷拍建造中的新舰艇和飞机。虽然其中有些可以用来宣传中国更广泛的意图和宣示自己的实力，但是其余的那些则被认为是令人讨厌的泄密行为。所以建造一个室内的工厂就可以保守秘密，比如潜艇的外壳形状或者螺旋桨的设计样式。

This does not necessarily mean China now has a submarine-building edge over the U.S. The U.S. Navy commissions about two submarines a year, each of which takes about three years to build. That puts U.S. submarine construction at about six at a time, ahead of this factory's four. Of course, China builds submarines at other locations too, and may even build them a little faster.

这并不意味着现在中国在潜艇制造上对美国有优势。美国海军每年大约服役两艘新潜艇，每艘三年时间制造。也就是说美国一次建造6艘潜艇，领先于中国这个工厂的4艘。当然，中国也在其他地点建造潜艇，而且建造的速度可能会更快点。

Speed isn't everything. Even if China ends up capable of building more submarines per year than the United States can, there's the question of quality. The Type 095 is expected to be quieter that the second tranche of Los Angeles-class attack submarines that were built in the late 1980s, and Russian Victor III or Akula-class submarines built in the early 1980s.

但速度并非一切。即使中国每年的潜艇建造量多于美国，质量上不一定好。这款095潜艇预计比80年代末期建造的第二批洛杉矶级攻击潜艇以及80年代初期建造的俄罗斯阿库拉级潜艇更安静。

In other words, China is approximately 30 years behind the United States in submarine quieting technology. Chinese submarines in the 1980s were about as quiet as American submarines from the 1950s, while modern American submarines such as the Seawolf orVirginia-class boats are so quiet they're described as "quieter at 25 knots than the Los Angeles class at pierside." This is not a field where China has been able to close the gap.

换言之，中国在潜艇静音技术上几乎落后美国30年。80年代中国潜艇和50年代美国潜艇一样安静，而现代美国潜艇比如海狼和佛吉尼亚非常之安静，被形容为“25节速度航行时都比在码头区的洛杉矶级潜艇安静。”在这一领域中国还无法缩小差距。