Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 769 is open to discussion.
July 8th was a particularly lively day in Shenzhen.

There weren't any decorations or anything, just a lot more people.

The weather was bad a few days ago, and apart from going to Shekou for business, Chen Fan and the others didn't go out much.

It just so happened that the sun was shining brightly today, and it hadn't rained for two days, so the ground was dry. I took the opportunity to go shopping while I was on my way to Shekou for the groundbreaking ceremony.

Although no one else understood what was so interesting about the place, no one objected.

Zhou Yali didn't care, but the two sisters completely followed Chen Fan's opinions; whatever he said went.

As for others, they don't even have the right to offer opinions.

"On March 5th, the higher authorities approved the province's application to establish Shenzhen and ZH cities. In fact, from that time on, it should have been called SZ city, but the jurisdiction of the city overlapped with the original Bao'an County, which is just a change of name without any change of substance."

Liao Guangzhi acted as the tour guide, leading Chen Fan and his group of four on a tour of Shenzhen's street scenes, while Wang Jianguo and his group of nine automatically dispersed around them, acting as bodyguards.

Although they knew Chen Fan could take on all of them by himself, they felt they had to act like employees, otherwise they would be letting down the 500 yuan advance that Boss Chen had given them each.

Those who came out with Wang Jianguo were all people whose families were in debt. Now, with this 500 yuan, they could not only pay off their family debts, but also greatly improve their lives. In particular, it would remove the heavy burden on their hearts, and their families would no longer have to live a life of worry and hardship year after year.

God knows what they felt when they went to the post office to send money.

Perhaps the only way to express this is with a quote from Wang Xiao, a "scholar" among his companions: "A scholar will die for one who understands him." From now on, he'll sell his life to Boss Chen.

Well, although their nominal boss is Zhou Yali, everyone knows in their hearts that without Chen Fan, who does Boss Zhou know?!
Not to mention receiving such a large salary right after starting work.

Even Cai Guoqiang, who didn't receive a salary, repeatedly praised Boss Chen's generosity and volunteered to act as a guide.

I can't speak for other places, but in Shenzhen, the Cai family still has some influence, at least enough to resolve some minor troubles.

Although in Liao Guangzhi's eyes, as long as he was there, there would be no trouble, and this Qiangzai was completely superfluous!
However, it's still quite exciting to lead so many people around the streets; it gives off a feeling of a big shot inspecting the area.

Liao Guangzhi sighed inwardly and continued his introduction, "So although SZ City has been established, the locals haven't adapted to the change yet and are still used to calling it Bao'an County or Shenzhen Town. Some road signs haven't been changed yet."

After all, according to the administrative plan, there is only one Bao'an District at present. It's just that Bao'an is listed separately and given the name of Shenzhen.

However, Luohu has turned the tables, bringing the three communes of Futian, Fucheng and Yantian, as well as the two towns of Shenzhen and Shatoujiao under its jurisdiction. So, strictly speaking, Shekou is now also under the administration of Luohu.

There are also significantly more people coming to Shenzhen for inspections…

He pointed to a group of foreigners in front of him and said, "Those people are probably here for an on-site inspection, and they might even go to Shekou later to attend the groundbreaking ceremony."

Chen Fan looked in the direction he pointed and saw several foreigners looking around on the street, accompanied by several officials-looking people.

Hey, when our group came to inspect the area, we only arranged for Liao Guangzhi to be there, while those foreigners had more people accompanying them than the inspection team. Why is that?

At this moment, the person completely forgot his own request to "travel light and simply" and started to fuss over it.

However, he only complained to himself, and after seeing that those people looked like they were from Eastern Europe or South America, he didn't take it to heart anymore.

(The foreigners who visited Shenzhen in 79, they look like they're from Eastern Europe or South America?)
In Chen Fan's memory, Shenzhen didn't have any large companies from Eastern Europe or South America; it ultimately relied on Chinese businessmen to get started.

There's absolutely no need to pay attention to these people.

Zhou Yali had absolutely no interest in foreigners. She whispered to Chen Fan, "You didn't know about Shenzhen becoming a city?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "I was busy in March and April and didn't read the newspaper."

Jiang Lili couldn't help but gently pull his hand, but she didn't say anything, though there was still a hint of lingering fear in her eyes.

Chen Fan glanced back at her, smiled, and squeezed her hand tightly, not letting go.

Jiang Tiantian pursed her lips. Of course, she didn't dare to hold her sister's hand, but she moved a little closer to her sister.

In early March, Chen Fan was fighting in the jungle and was unaware of what was happening outside.

Just thinking about how he was running through gunfire makes their hearts clench.

Zhou Yali was unaware of this matter, and no one would tell her on their own initiative. Seeing Jiang Lili's actions, she felt something was off.

Chen Fan pulled Jiang Lili's hand and walked forward, while people on the roadside cast strange glances at them from time to time.

Although it is a border town, and people from Hong Kong or foreigners are often seen there, it is still relatively rare to see people holding hands openly in public.

Chen Fan saw their gazes, but did not let go.

It's rare to see this this year, but next year, on this dirt street without even a single stone slab, you'll see plenty of couples holding hands and even hugging each other as they parade through the streets.

What's there to be afraid of?

Although Shenzhen at that time was not a small fishing village and its urban construction was better than many county towns in the interior, it was still just a small border town in the 70s.

In Chen Fan's eyes, Beijing and Shanghai are just so-so now, let alone this place.

After strolling through two streets, seeing that it was almost time, the group returned to the hotel, got into their car, and headed towards the Shekou Industrial Zone.

When the convoy arrived, the park was already bustling with noise.

More than a dozen excavators were waiting on the side, and dozens more large trucks were ready to be loaded with soil and set off.

Dozens of leading cadres gathered not far from the construction site, and many invited guests also gathered in small groups, each engaging in lively discussions.

When the convoy arrived, someone immediately reported to General Manager Yuan.

He immediately gestured to the other two leaders and quickly walked towards the slowly slowing convoy.

Liao Guangzhi drove his Hongqi sedan and parked it steadily in front of President Yuan, while the van carrying Wang Jianguo and others was parked some distance away.

The car door opened, and Chen Fan and Zhou Yali got out first, followed closely by Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian, who stood about two meters behind them.

This distance indicates that they are merely accompanying personnel and do not participate in the work.

When Mr. Yuan saw Zhou Yali and Chen Fan get out of the car, he immediately stepped forward and stretched out his right hand to greet them from a distance, laughing heartily, "Hello Ms. Zhou, hello Writer Chen, please forgive me for not being able to greet you in time."

China Merchants Group is a centrally-administered state-owned enterprise at the vice-ministerial level, and Mr. Yuan is the group's vice chairman, a much higher rank than Vice Chairman Chen.

Chen Fan still needs to make a living in mainland China, so how could he dare to act arrogantly?

He immediately took two quick steps forward, and after Zhou Yali shook hands and greeted him first, he extended both hands and grasped them firmly, smiling, "Mr. Yuan, you're too kind. It's my honor to be invited to witness this historic moment." Upon hearing this, Mr. Yuan's eyes lit up, and he said, "So, Writer Chen and Ms. Zhou have a lot of confidence in our industrial park?"

Although Xiao Gu and Xiao He had both reported on the negotiation progress and indicated that Zhou Yali had a strong willingness to invest, and Liao Guangzhi had also provided updates multiple times, he hadn't heard the opinion of the person in charge, so he felt very uncertain.

This industrial park is the largest project currently undertaken by China Merchants Group, and it embodies the high hopes of both the group itself and its superiors.

Unfortunately, despite his efforts to reach out to many Hong Kong and Macau businessmen who expressed interest in investing and settling here, almost none have come forward.

Having finally caught up with a big American boss, of course we have to hold on tight.

According to the information he collected, the assets of Zhou Yali's companies have reached hundreds of millions of US dollars. One of them, Qianfan Publishing House, holds the copyright to the best-selling book "Legend of the Dragon Knight" which has caused a sensation in Europe and America. This alone has been valued by financial institutions at more than one hundred million US dollars, and the returns are also very considerable.

What's most remarkable is her company, Wanmuchun Technology, which has many pioneering products. The Chinese character card is now sold to Chinese communities around the world and is very popular. The Chinese computer project is also on the verge of being launched and is very likely to set off a Chinese language craze globally.

Not to mention that Wanmuchun Company is the main contracting entity for domestic 10,000-line program-controlled exchanges. Although the equipment is provided by Zhou's International Trading Company, all subsequent installation, debugging and maintenance matters are handled by Wanmuchun Company.

Without a doubt, this company's assets and importance far exceed those of Qianfan Publishing House.

Given the global reputation of these two companies, their presence in the Shekou Industrial Zone would undoubtedly attract a number of entrepreneurs to move in.

Therefore, when facing Zhou Yali, his idea was that everything was negotiable!
Seeing how excited President Yuan was, Chen Fan didn't keep him in suspense. He turned to look at Zhou Yali standing to the side, then turned back and smiled, "My cousin not only has high hopes for this industrial zone, but she's also planning to invest heavily in building six factories within it."

President Yuan's eyes widened. "Six seats?"

Liao Guangzhi didn't report this!
What a surprise! It's an absolute, huge surprise!

He immediately looked at Zhou Yali and asked, "I wonder, Ms. Zhou, which industries are you planning to invest in?"

Zhou Yali smiled and said, "You should also know about my father's company..."

Seeing Mr. Yuan nod vigorously, she continued, "Therefore, I plan to rely on Zhou's Trading Company to invest in building three light factories for clothing, shoes, and handbags, as well as three large appliance production lines for televisions, refrigerators, and air conditioners."

Upon hearing this, General Manager Yuan was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trust in our investment group, Ms. Zhou. I can assure you that your factory will be the first to be completed!"

First of all, the three light factories far exceeded his expectations.

These three product production lines are undoubtedly the most labor-intensive industries that can absorb the most workers, which will greatly help alleviate the current labor surplus.

Moreover, given Zhou Yali's capabilities, she wouldn't be operating on a small scale like the Luohu handbag factory; her investment would definitely be substantial, potentially employing thousands of workers.

Regardless of the type of processing trade, the larger the factory, the more foreign exchange it earns.

This was a resounding victory!
Not to mention the television, refrigerator and air conditioner production lines that are currently in short supply in China.

Although there are factories producing these three products in China, their technology lags behind international advanced levels, and their production capacity is severely insufficient.

At the end of last year, the vice president visited Xiaobenzi and proposed to learn from their advanced technology and management experience. Unfortunately, although an agreement was reached, it is still unknown when the implementation will take place, and it does not include the complete product lines of these three home appliances.

If I can successfully implement this project, I will not only achieve economic success, but also political success!

Mr. Yuan's mind was racing with thoughts, while Zhou Yali continued, "If it could be like that, it would be perfect."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "I wonder if Deputy Director Gu and the others have clearly conveyed our demands? And how did General Manager Yuan respond to these questions?"

Mr. Yuan's expression turned serious, and he immediately said, "I have discussed this with my superiors. Originally, the superiors approved a land area of ​​2.14 square kilometers, but now they have allowed us to level the land beyond that area, as long as it does not exceed 3 square kilometers."

In fact, when the first phase of the Shekou Industrial Zone was completed, its area exceeded the approved scope, reaching 2.56 square kilometers.

Now that we have the approval of our superiors, it's perfectly legitimate.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yali understood the outcome.

as predicted.

Mr. Yuan continued, “Within the industrial zone, we can ‘lease’ a small plot of land to you, but it will still be nominally under the management of the industrial zone, so as not to affect the overall situation.”

However, we can consider completing the transfer procedures at an appropriate time.

As long as the industrial zone is nominally under the control of China Merchants Group, the details within can be handled flexibly without attracting criticism from certain individuals.

As for the future, we'll talk about it when the opening up policy is expanded. Maybe then we'll be able to trade land directly.

Zhou Yali nodded immediately and said, "Don't worry about that, we only require factory buildings with our own property rights..."

She paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh, "Our Zhou family also has a real estate business, and we deeply understand the role real estate plays in a country's economic development. We are optimistic about the domestic development, and that's why we have a need for real estate."

He spread his hands and said, "We can't just ignore the real estate market, which is about to enter a period of rapid development, even though we know that Shekou is about to enter a period of rapid development."

Upon hearing this, President Yuan suddenly realized what was going on.

No wonder they have such a strong demand for land and real estate; it turns out they are optimistic about the development of Shekou. That makes sense now.

He had also lived in Hong Kong, so he was naturally familiar with commercial real estate. And rightly so, it is indeed quite difficult for real estate developers to ignore a piece of land that is destined to appreciate in value.

This reason made President Yuan even more reassured about Zhou Yali.

Since they've already bet on real estate, it's definitely not a small-scale operation or a trial run that will end after a few days; they're determined to put down roots here.

What they want is to put down roots!

Not only General Manager Yuan, but also the two leaders who came with him, were beaming with joy.

This golden phoenix can't escape!
If even the most crucial land issue can be agreed to, then the other demands are naturally no problem at all.

Do we need to set up our own transportation fleet?
no problem.

The province can place orders directly with FAW and Dongfeng Motor Corporation, offering preferential prices, requiring only 20,000 yuan per vehicle. If payment is made in US dollars, an additional 20% discount can be given!
The freight yard is also easy to arrange; they can simply enclose a 1,000-acre plot of land on the outskirts of the Shekou Industrial Zone to serve as their exclusive warehouse and station.

The land belongs to the state, but it is only lent to the freight company for free.

Meanwhile, all driver training was handled by the provincial government.

As for the qualifications required by the transportation company, especially the cross-border freight permit that allows communication between Hong Kong and mainland China, they readily agreed.

Since it's a free policy, as long as we bring this golden phoenix to the industrial zone, we can negotiate whatever conditions they want.

(End of this chapter)