2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 519 "People Who Look Young Are Never Simple"

P.S.: You might not believe it, but my keyboard broke while I was writing yesterday. I had to buy a new keyboard in the middle of the night. I'll still be updating as usual today, but I'll be typing a bit slower.

The meeting with Zhang Yong was scheduled for the last weekend of February, so as not to interfere with either of our normal work schedules.

Although Zhang Yong works a lot on weekends, it's easy for him to free up a day or two. Tan Jincheng has also had more free time lately.

The capital city was still very cold and the air was very dry at the end of February. Daxing International Airport was not yet open, and Tan Jincheng, who was landing at Beijing Capital International Airport, tightened his down jacket.

The temperature difference between the inside and outside of the cabin is quite significant.

"He's 17 years old, almost ready for university." Tan Jincheng glanced in the direction where Emperor Chongzhen had hanged himself and sighed.

Lai Yiu-fai, who was following behind, was completely bewildered. He didn't understand why his boss suddenly said that. He didn't seem to have any 17-year-olds in his family. He had never heard of insulting a relative who was 17 years old, and it was even more impossible in the capital.

However, the boss often says some strange things that are hard to understand. If you don't understand, you don't understand. Anyway, if it's something important, the boss will remind you again.

Lai Yiu-fai quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly followed.

Being a driver can be easy or difficult, especially since Lai Yiu-fai also acts as a bodyguard. Tan Kam-ching takes him everywhere he goes, spending more time with him than Gu Qing-ching does.

Lai Yiu-fai needed to be very familiar with who his boss was in contact with and what they had told him, in order to avoid any trouble.

BAIC's history is older than Tan Jincheng's father's age. This national enterprise, which has grown up almost alongside the country, has written countless records, including the first motorcycle, the first off-road vehicle, and the first light truck with a ton-class capacity.

As the first Sino-foreign joint venture automobile company to be established, it can be considered a history book of the automobile industry. Zhang Yong belongs to the Foton Motor brand under BAIC Group, and its headquarters are located in Changping District.

The distance from Beijing International Airport to the headquarters of Foton Motor in Changping District is about 45 kilometers. Given Beijing's traffic conditions, it would be good if it could be reached in an hour.

Although most of the staff of Hangxin New Energy's Beijing Technology R&D Department have moved to Ningbo and Luzhou, the Beijing office has been retained. As an international metropolis and a sponsor of the Olympic Games, Shanchi will be visiting Beijing quite often this year.

Besides the timely transmission of information, another advantage of retaining the Beijing office is that it is very convenient when traveling for business.

Before coming to the capital, Zeng Jixiang had already communicated with the capital about Tan Jincheng's itinerary. As soon as Boss Tan's plane landed, a driver was waiting for him and Li Yaohui at the airport.

"Brother Li, do you still remember the first time we came to the capital and took a taxi?"

Tan Jincheng rolled down the car window and looked at the street scene along the way to the capital airport. Although the snow disaster had caused serious impact, the rhythm of the Beijing Olympics was not interrupted.

Starting from the airport in Beijing, Olympic elements can be seen everywhere along the way.

If Mr. Tan were to choose the most successful sporting event ever held in China, it would undoubtedly be the 2008 Olympics, without a doubt. In a year plagued by natural disasters, the successful hosting of the Olympics was truly inspiring.

In addition, we have showcased ourselves to the world through the Olympics, changing the world's perception of us. Our development in the eight years since joining the WTO has been so rapid that it is beyond our comprehension. We are no longer the stereotypical image of being poor and backward.

Whether from the perspective of national pride or business, the 2008 Olympics were a great success. The boost in confidence is not only reflected in patriotism, but also in business.

In this day and age, there is a general sense of inferiority when doing business with foreigners. Long-standing ideas of worshipping foreign things are hard to change in a short period of time. In reality, foreigners are just like everyone else, nothing special.

Our products are of high quality and low price, with excellent value for money. Our relationship is currently in a honeymoon phase, and foreigners are also there to make money. Once you understand this, there's no need to think they're so great.

"How could I not remember?"

Sitting in the passenger seat, Lai Yiu-fai smiled and replied. At that time, he had only been discharged from the military for a short time and didn't really understand many things. In fact, his boss arranged all the travel, and there was very little he could do.

Taxi drivers in the capital city are all quite talkative. At that time, he couldn't even talk as much as his boss, and his sense of alienation from society was very obvious.

The boss was quite tolerant of him, allowing him to grow little by little. Although he was introduced by an acquaintance, the young boss did not show any dissatisfaction with his lack of knowledge during the work process. Instead, he would teach him how to do things step by step.

The driver arranged for us in Beijing was a local, and he was very talkative. Perhaps because he saw that the boss and his driver addressed each other as "brother" in a friendly manner, he also took the initiative to join in the conversation, making the journey quite lively.

The hour or so journey passed quickly amidst lively conversation. Upon arrival, the driver was still eager to continue the conversation: "Boss, after you've finished talking, I'll take you to eat authentic Beijing cuisine. I can tell you know this place quite well, so I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"Haha, I'm not picky about food, except for douzhi (fermented mung bean juice), I really can't stand that stuff." Tan Jincheng didn't mind chatting with the driver.

Driving in a listless manner while frequently on business trips can actually compromise driving safety. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Tan Jincheng instructed Li Yaohui, "By the way, Brother Li, have Uncle Lü take you to the nearest Daoxiangcun to buy some pastries. Jinyue really likes them."

"No problem, boss, please go ahead. I'll definitely get you the most authentic one." Before Li Yaohui could reply, the driver agreed enthusiastically.

He had some connections to get a job as a driver at the FlashDrive Beijing office. He was a distant relative of Lü Ruifeng, 45 years old this year, and used to drive a taxi. He said he would take Boss Tan to eat authentic Beijing cuisine, and he wasn't exaggerating.

As for Tan Jinyue liking Daoxiangcun pastries, that was just something Tan made up; it was actually something he thought of when he got off the plane earlier.

I arranged to meet Zhang Yong at a teahouse near the headquarters of Foton Motor. The environment was quite elegant and quiet.

Tan Jincheng went into the reserved private room alone and waited for Zhang Yong to arrive.

People born in the 2000s may not have heard of Foton Motor, but in reality, it is very powerful in this era. It became the leading light truck manufacturer in China in just four years.

In addition, this truck manufacturing company has a very peculiar record: in 2000, they dethroned the harvester market leader, which had remained unchallenged for ten years, and became the leader in the agricultural harvester market.

The prototype is Shandong Provincial Motor Vehicle Factory, a small state-owned enterprise located in a small city. After cooperating with BAIC, it not only became the leader in the domestic light truck market, but also "strayed from its main business" and became the leader in the agricultural harvester market.

This year marks the 14th anniversary of Foton's establishment. In addition to its light truck and agricultural harvester businesses, Foton's heavy trucks have also entered the first tier, allowing it to compete with large state-owned enterprises such as FAW and Dongfeng.

In 2007, Foton sold more than 40 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 16.9%, making it the world's second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer after Mercedes-Benz.

Zhang Yong, as the sales manager, played a significant role in this.

In the future, during the construction of the country, the demand for light and heavy trucks will further increase. But unfortunately, for some reason, this amazing company has fallen to the point of near bankruptcy in the years that followed.

BAIC seems to be in the same boat. With a glorious history, after Hyundai failed, only Mercedes-Benz barely supported the market. They have almost no brands of their own. It seems that Lei Jun's future car manufacturing will be in cooperation with BAIC.

Before a pot of tea could be brewed, Tan Jincheng saw Chen Jinwen push open the door and enter, followed by a middle-aged man in a blue down jacket who looked very young.

If you didn't know his real age, you would definitely think he was under 30.

It is said that men who look much younger than their actual age are not simple, and this seems to be true for Zhang Yong. To be honest, Tan Jincheng had only heard of his name, but could not remember what he looked like.

This name is too common. There's someone with the same name on Taobao. The reason why this guy is the CEO of San Tai Zi might be largely due to his name.

When people hear this name, the first celebrity that comes to mind is that person from Taobao. By the way, the position that this person is now taking over is the one left behind by Sun Tongyu. Ali has already officially announced it.

"Mr. Zhang, this is Mr. Tan, the boss of our Shanchi; Mr. Tan, this is Mr. Zhang, the sales manager of Beiqi Foton."

Chen Jinwen introduced the two to each other.

Tan Jincheng stood up with a smile and extended his hand: "Happy New Year, Mr. Zhang. Our General Manager Chen is sorry to trouble you during the New Year."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yong smiled helplessly. Today is the seventeenth day of the first lunar month. Starting from the eighth day of the first lunar month, Chen Jinwen has been pestering him for a full ten days. During these ten days, Chen Jinwen will not bother him during his work hours, but he can always find him, either at the entrance of his residential area or during a break when he meets with customers.

It's like they've planted a spy next to him; they can always find him and have a chat with him. It's impossible that this doesn't affect his life.

However, after ten days, Zhang Yong seemed to have gotten used to it. If he didn't see Chen Jinwen for a day, he would feel a little uneasy.

That's life. If you can't fight it, just enjoy it.

This is probably Zhang Yong's personality. Tan Jincheng dared to instruct Chen Jinwen to pester him in this way, which is also largely due to his personality.

In my past life, I had seen some short videos and interviews. The Red Cannon had some shares in the Third Prince and would often stand up to Zhang Yong and give him instructions on how to build cars.

This guy is also very submissive.

If it were Tan Jincheng instead, that would be a disaster. You're an investor, so it's fine to give me some advice, but instead you're always lecturing me on how to do my job.

If you're so great, why don't you do it yourself?

(End of this chapter)