Hook Shen ｜ 30 years ago, the prize was a 14-inch color TV set for each person.
It has been 12 years since the "Fengyun Zheshang" was held in 2003, and Lu Guanqiu and other Zheshang "big bosses" have stood on the podium. CFP data
On the evening of January 21st, the results of the 2014 "Fengyun Zheshang" selection were announced in Hangzhou.
"Fengyun Zheshang" is the highest honor of Zhejiang businessmen who are "the first business group in China", and its award ceremony has become an annual event of Zhejiang business circles. It has been 12 years since it was held in 2003, and Lu Guanqiu, Zong Qinghou, Nan Cunhui, Ma Yun, Guo Guangchang and Li Shufu have all stood on the podium.
However, this is not the earliest selection of entrepreneurs in Zhejiang. The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) verified that on January 20, 1985, Zhejiang held a prize-giving conference for the selection of factory directors (managers) who were praised by thousands of people, and 15 factory directors (managers) were elected, including Lu Guanqiu, the current chairman of the board of directors of Wanxiang Group and then the director of Hangzhou Universal Joint Factory.
This is not only the first selection of entrepreneurs in Zhejiang, which was also called "business operators" at that time, but also the first similar selection in China, which was three years earlier than the first selection of "China’s outstanding entrepreneurs" sponsored by the former State Economic Commission and left a strong impression in the history of reform and opening up.
"Since then, entrepreneurs, the most outstanding representatives of Zhejiang’s new wealth class, have really come into our field of vision as an increasingly powerful social force, and after more than 10 years, they have gathered to become the unique business culture concept of’ Zheshang’ in China." Hu Hongwei, a famous financial writer, commented on this selection in his book "Model Students in China-A Complete Record of Zhejiang’s 30 Years of Reform and Opening-up".
Today, among the 15 benchmark figures of that year, Lu Guanqiu is still fighting in the front line.
Now it is called "Fengyun Zheshang", and the title at that time was "Ten thousand people praised the factory director"
In December 1984, Zhejiang Enterprise Management Association, Provincial Factory Director Research Association and Zhejiang People’s Broadcasting Station launched the selection of "Ten Thousand People Praise" factory directors (managers) in Zhejiang Province. A total of 63 factory directors and managers participated in the selection.
Different from the various kinds of evaluations now, these factory directors and managers can be described as "real knives and guns". According to Zhang Guizhi, former deputy director of Zhejiang Radio and Television Department and director of Zhejiang People’s Broadcasting Station, 63 people gave a five-minute radio speech on the morning news and newspaper summary and the evening news broadcast of the whole province to introduce the reform experience and plans.
The event received a strong response and received nearly 59,000 votes in less than one month. At that time, the main leaders of the provincial party Committee specifically talked about it at the enlarged meeting of the provincial party Committee plenary session: "Recently, a million people praised the selection of factory directors (managers) held by the provincial radio station, and a large number of factory directors gave speeches. Some of these people have diplomas, and many of them have no diplomas, but they are also talents."
On January 20, 1985, the selection activity held an award-giving conference, and 15 factory directors and managers with more than 10 thousand votes were elected. According to the verification, they are:
Bu Xinsheng, Director of Haiyan Shirt General Factory;
Feng Gensheng, director of Hangzhou No.2 Chinese Medicine Factory;
Lu Guanqiu, director of Hangzhou Universal Joint Factory;
Zhang Siming, director of Hangzhou Iron and Steel Plant;
Tao Defu, director of Hangzhou Rubber Factory;
Luo Qilin, director of Shangyu County Environmental Protection Equipment General Factory;
Lu Xianshun, director of Hangzhou Refinery;
Yin Xiangquan, director of Lanxi Chemical Plant;
Fan Haibo, Deputy Director of Ningbo Water Meter Factory;
Zhang Zhenqi, director of Jiaxing Minfeng Paper Mill;
Wang Siai, director of Pingyang Chemical Plant;
Yu Jianming, manager of Hangzhou Second Light Industry Corporation;
Luo Qi, director of Jiangshan Cement Plant;
Zheng Yangsheng, director of Hangzhou Machine Tool Plant;
Li Xinlong, director of Changxing Cement Plant.
Among them, Bu Xinsheng topped the list with 54,000 votes, and Lu Guanqiu got 43,000 votes. Bu Xinsheng, Feng Gensheng and Lu Guanqiu, which rank in the top three, respectively come from urban collective enterprises, state-owned enterprises and township enterprises.
It has been 30 years since 1985. Let’s take a look: where is the predecessor of Zheshang’s "Big Brother" 30 years ago?
Around 1985, Zong Qinghou was still selling pollen oral liquid for health care products factory-he didn’t set up Wahaha Children’s Food Factory, the predecessor of Wahaha Group, until 1987; Nan Cunhui, who was born as a shoemaker, set up a workshop-style Kai Guanchang in a broken house last year; This autumn, Guo Guangchang, an 18-year-old country boy, took the train for the first time, and his destination was Fudan University. After two failures in the college entrance examination, Ma Yun was admitted to the Foreign Language College of Hangzhou Normal University last year, because the undergraduate course was not full and he was lucky enough to squeeze into the undergraduate course. Li Shufu, who was in his early twenties, didn’t have the idea of "building a car". At that time, he was the director of a refrigerator parts factory in Huangyan County, Taizhou.
The iconic 1984 and former "reform idol" Bu Xinsheng.
Why did Zhejiang hold the "ten thousand people praise" factory director (manager) selection? Due to the long history, The Paper did not find more direct historical materials. However, it is not difficult to understand if it is related to the macro background at that time.
There were several important events in 1984:
At the beginning of the year, Deng Xiaoping visited Shenzhen and Zhuhai, the special economic zones, and the opening pattern of China spread rapidly. In April of that year, the central government decided to open the first batch of 14 coastal cities, including two in Zhejiang: Ningbo and Wenzhou.
On March 24th, the appeal of 55 directors of key state-owned enterprises in Fujian, Please untie us, was published in Fujian Daily, which became the most sensational enterprise event of that year. This is the first time that China entrepreneurs have publicly appealed to the capital side-government departments on the autonomy of operators. Later, March 24th was once named "China Entrepreneur Activity Day". This call soon became a consensus. In May, the State Council issued the Interim Provisions on Further Expanding the Autonomy of State-owned Industrial Enterprises.
In May, the "Seminar on World New Technological Revolution Wave and China Reform" organized by non-governmental organizations was held in Hefei, and Weng Yongxi, secretary of Fengyang County Party Committee at that time, Bu Xinsheng, director of Jiaxing Haiyan Shirt Factory, and Wang Zepu, director of Anshan Seamless Steel Tube Factory were invited. The conference was circulated under a resounding name: "National Reformers Conference".
From September 3 to 10, the first national symposium for young and middle-aged economic scientists was held in Moganshan, Zhejiang Province, known as the "Moganshan Conference". This conference was later called "a groundbreaking event in the history of economic reform thoughts", which provided many important ideas for the reform in the 1980s, the most famous of which was the price dual-track system of "combining release with adjustment".
On October 20th, the Third Plenary Session of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held. The Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Economic System Reform adopted at the meeting broke through the traditional concept of opposing planned economy and commodity economy, and put forward that socialist economy is a planned commodity economy on the basis of public ownership.
A series of major events aimed at breaking the deadlock in reform made 1984 a landmark year in the history of China enterprises, with a special temperament and full of imagination. In the future, many companies were born in this year, including Haier, Vanke and Lenovo. In 1984, it was called "the first year of China Hyundai Company".
In Zhejiang, in order to implement the central government’s decision on economic system reform, "two reforms and two opening-ups" have been identified as the main tasks of economic work, that is, economic system reform and technological transformation, as well as opening up to the outside world and developing marine and human resources. According to the report of Zhejiang Daily on December 30, 1984, when the provincial leaders listened to the report of the provincial planning work conference, they said that in the economic system reform, we should firmly grasp the center of enhancing the vitality of enterprises, "not only township enterprises, collective enterprises and small state-owned enterprises should be further invigorated, but also large and medium-sized enterprises for the whole people." He also said that respecting knowledge and talents is the key to doing a good job in economic construction. "We should fully develop human resources and boldly use a group of talents with knowledge, management and pioneering spirit."
Bu Xinsheng was born around 1984, which should also be an important reason for Zhejiang to hold the selection of factory directors (managers) who were praised by thousands of people.
Bu Xinsheng, director of Haiyan Shirt General Factory, was the most famous "reform director" and "reform idol" in China in the early 1980s. He became popular in 1983. In 1984, the "Bu Xinsheng fever" reached its climax. From March 9 to April 15, Xinhua News Agency alone broadcast 27 articles about him, accounting for more than 30,000 words. Mu Qing, then president of Xinhua News Agency, said afterwards that the breadth and intensity of Bu Xinsheng’s nationwide publicity was second only to that of Jiao Yulu and Lei Feng. Bu Xinsheng was elected as the "Special Invited Committee Member" by Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and the cloth cutting scissors he used were included in the Museum of Chinese History. The pilgrims coming from all over the country almost blocked the narrow sand road leading to Haiyan County, with a maximum of tens of thousands of people a day. It is even stipulated that only cadres at or above the bureau level can meet Bu Xinsheng, and others can listen to the recording.
At that time, one year later, Lu Guanqiu, who was on the list at the same time as Bu Xinsheng, was also "dwarfed" compared with the former. In May, 1984, Lu Guanqiu got into the van and went to Haiyan Shirt Factory to "visit and study".
Hu Hongwei wrote in "China Model Student": The factory gate was crowded with visitors who were anxious to be interviewed, and Lu Guanqiu’s van was naturally stopped by the guard: "The factory director is very busy today." After several negotiations, the guard let go: "Otherwise, you can drive around the factory and breathe the air here, which is considered to be a study."
Fortunately, a reporter from Zhejiang Daily, who is familiar with Lu Guanqiu, walked out of the factory. Under the introduction, Bu Xinsheng waved his hand: "Then meet."
Shake hands and sit down. Bu Xinsheng said, "Reform is needed. Now, state-owned enterprises, such as pigs, have to be fed by others; Our collective enterprises are like chickens. When it’s good, someone scatters rice for you, and when it’s bad, you have to find your own food. Your township enterprises, like dogs, have always been born to raise … "
Lu Guanqiu was "liked" by the supreme leader: always leading the trend.
Many years later, Lu Guanqiu and Feng Gensheng, who were among the top three directors (managers) who were praised by thousands of people, still remember this selection vividly.
In July 2002, Hangzhou held a conference to revitalize the city through industry. Lu Guanqiu, Feng Gensheng and Zong Qinghou were awarded 3 million yuan by the municipal government. At the end of the year, three people and Mao Linsheng, the then mayor, attended the "Dialogue" program of CCTV Economic Channel.
In the program, Lu Guanqiu took the initiative to talk about the selection in 1985. He said that among the awards he won over the years, he was most impressed twice: once, he was awarded 87,000 yuan for contracting in 1983. "At that time, I didn’t dare to take it, and I took 10% and 8,700 yuan. The excess part is handed over to the school, and the school is run "; The other time was the 14-inch color TV awarded by the director (manager) of "Ten Thousand People Praise".
Lu Guanqiu revealed that he didn’t take the color TV home, but sent it to the dormitory of college students in the factory. "On the one hand, I didn’t dare to take it home because I didn’t have this ability at that time; Second, college students must have a good environment if they want to stay. "
Feng Gensheng did take the color TV home, but according to him, the 14-inch color TV was very rare at that time. "I can’t bear to use it when I take it home, but I want to use it when my children get married." Because I was afraid of being stolen, I hid the TV under the bed.
But this color TV didn’t come in handy in the end. "After three or four years, the 14-inch color TV was eliminated-our country has changed too much. Up to now, this color TV reduction box has been kept as a souvenir. " He said.
Bu Xinsheng, Feng Gensheng and Lu Guanqiu have different experiences after being praised by thousands of people.
As "the most famous director of reform in China", Bu Xinsheng started the "Great Leap Forward" and set up a "one-stop clothing production trust". But behind the glory are endless troubles: the project of the suit factory has been delayed for a long time, a large number of ties are overstocked, and the capital chain is broken. It seems that the reform experience that has been brilliantly preached in countless reports is not effective. In 1988, due to the blind expansion of scale and insolvency of enterprises, Bu Xinsheng was removed from office.
After the "myth" was shattered, Bu Xinsheng still tried to prove himself. One month after he was removed from office, he left his hometown without saying goodbye to anyone. Start a business in Shanghai first; Then go north and contract a loss-making clothing factory in Beijing; Then go out to Panjin, Liaoning, and even drift to Russia. Since then, this faded "reform idol" has gradually become a historical term that sometimes evokes people’s memories. The former Haiyan Shirt Factory has now become a residential area.
In 2001, Bu Xinsheng was diagnosed with kidney cancer, had his kidney and spleen removed, and retired from business. He chose Shanghai as his residence, not Haiyan, because it would remind him of too many past events.
But in 2014, he changed his mind and decided to return to his hometown to settle down. In June this year, the 80-year-old man was filled with emotion at the related ceremony held in his hometown: As the saying goes, a tree soars, and its leaves fall to its roots …
Feng Gensheng was elected as the first "National Outstanding Entrepreneur" in 1988. After that, it has repeatedly become the focus of news: in 1991, in the face of numerous examinations for factory directors of state-owned enterprises, it announced a "strike", which set off a "strike storm" that shocked the whole country; In 1992, suffering from the difficulties of the mechanism, he established China Qingchunbao Group, introduced Thailand Zhengda Group, and established Zhengda Qingchunbao Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. with Hangzhou No.2 Chinese Medicine Factory as a joint venture, with foreign capital holding, which was a "foreign dress incident" for the bees. In 1998, Qingchunbao took the lead in promoting employee stock ownership. Feng Gensheng had to hold 2% of the shares, which was converted into RMB 3 million. However, his income could not afford it at all, which led to the "Feng Gensheng problem" of "whether 3 million individual shares should be held".
In 2010, Feng Gensheng retired at the age of 76. He has been in charge of the enterprise for nearly 40 years, and is the longest-serving leader of state-owned enterprises in China, winning the reputation of "evergreen tree". At the annual award ceremony of "Fengyun Zheshang" in January of the following year, he was awarded "Meritorious Zheshang".
Of the three people, only Lu Guanqiu is still active in shopping malls, and Wanxiang Group founded by him has developed into a multinational enterprise with more than 30,000 employees.
Lu Guanqiu, who is 70 years old, is not strong enough. He is aiming at new energy, especially the field of new energy vehicles. In July last year, Lu Guanqiu said at a meeting celebrating the 45th anniversary of Wanxiang’s pioneering work, "We must concentrate our efforts, give full play to our full potential, increase investment and speed up, and build a stronger technological advantage and an international industrial platform on the basis of traditional manufacturing capabilities, so as to truly form the rising trend of clean energy and occupy the commanding heights of industrial development."
On the eve of May 1, 2013, the Supreme Leader mentioned Lu Guanqiu at the National Forum of Model Workers: "Comrade Lu Guanqiu is our first batch of township enterprise reformers, and he is still at the forefront of reform. Forty years have passed, and many people have come along with him like this, and it is also a big wave to wash sand. Now look, how many people were there in that period? I have worked in Zhejiang, and Comrade Lu Guanqiu is reasonable in accordance with the law, modest and prudent, and has always kept a pragmatic low profile and kept pace with the times. He has always pondered Wanxiang, and until now, Wanxiang has always been in a leading position. "