Chapter 2368
East of the River, West of the River
Our country is in a latecomer position, and all technological progress has started with imitation.
From satellites to electronic watches, they're all pretty much the same.
What He Yuzhu is doing now is simply trying to bring the electronics industry to Beijing and gain a first-mover advantage.
In another ten years or so, many of us will likely encounter women who go door-to-door selling calculators and digital watches.
Those people, speaking with a southern accent, enthusiastically told customers how cheap their products were.
Even families that don't need those products sometimes impulsively buy a lot of things they'll only use once or twice a year for no apparent reason.
The women claimed to be from Yiwu and said that the products were all made in their own homes.
That statement is only half true.
Those products were indeed produced in small workshops in Yiwu at the time.
The Yiwu small commodities market initially followed an imitation model, with shops in the front and factories in the back.
Of course, those door-to-door saleswomen were definitely exaggerating.
In fact, families in Yiwu who were able to open factories in the 1990s never had to worry about selling their goods.
For every household, with an annual turnover of hundreds of millions or even millions, that's considered a small, insignificant business.
How could the wife of a business owner like that possibly be out selling goods?
However, those women must be from a place very close to Yiwu, and they might even be related by blood.
Therefore, you can get a cheap price.
Although they were carrying those electronic products, they went door to door smiling and selling them.
But the money they earn in a day might be equivalent to half a month's salary for an average person.
That's why later generations called this era the era of unbridled growth.
In this grand event, the entire northern region seemed to have been lagging behind.
Later generations have suggested it was due to regional factors, or the influence of the administrative system...
In fact, for He Yuzhu, who has been through it all, it is a case of being born in hardship and dying in comfort.
To put it bluntly, it's simply because people in the North were able to make ends meet at that time.
Every city has its own industry.
It can ensure that the residents of this city, while not living a life of ease and wealth, at least have food to eat.
That's why I wouldn't think about going out and taking a gamble.
As for people like Yiwu Jimao, if they don't work hard, they really won't have anything to eat.
It's that simple.
Later generations also analyzed why the area outside the Great Wall fell behind.
The pressure is too great, and there's no policy support or anything...
In fact, for He Yuzhu, all of that was just empty talk.
As the saying goes, if you lose your drive where you started, you'll find the burden too heavy and you can't keep up when you try to catch up later.
Just like steel rolling mills today.
The steel rolling mill still has more than 10,000 formal workers, but there are at least two or three thousand retired workers like Ma San.
Of the 10,000 workers currently employed, at least several thousand were hired through job transfers and have no technical skills whatsoever.
It's important to know that when Ma San first joined the steel rolling mill, he didn't know many words, let alone understand the mathematical machining formulas.
But back then, his wife, Hua Ni, took a sewing needle and pricked his leg with it, gritting her teeth as he memorized it.
Back then, even with those conditions, people could still pass the exam to become a third-level worker.
Many young people who have been working in factories for a few years have never even considered learning this skill.
He was just thinking of using connections to get a good position.
They deliberately targeted popular positions like drivers and purchasing agents.
Nobody seems inclined to settle down and study quietly. It would be a miracle if a factory like this could possibly succeed.
Most of the factories that existed when the People's Republic of China was founded were in similar situations.
……
He Yuzhu wasn't just relying on small business owners like Xu Damao.
In fact, he also consulted many important figures.
For example, Old Niu.
Lao Niu's position suggests he's the one who understands best the gap between us and the outside world.
"...How much do you know about the electronic watch industry and the quartz watch industry?" He Yuzhu sat in Lao Niu's office, feeling quite intrigued.
After all, even city leaders are not qualified to enter this place unless they are specially invited.
"..." Old Niu opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out.
In his position, it's instinctive to be cautious in speech and action before understanding the other party's intentions.
Even if the person opposite him is a friend with whom he can drink and get drunk.
"I visited various stores in Beijing and found that the price of a small electronic watch is now over 200 yuan."
Those over 150 from Hong Kong Island.
Quartz watches are priced at five or six hundred, with the cheapest at around four hundred and the most expensive at eight hundred!
"A senior technician's annual salary." He Yuzhu didn't expect Lao Niu to give him any answer, but instead poured out some of what he wanted to say.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Old Niu couldn't help but ask.
"Over there, the cost of an electronic watch movement is a little over $3, which is about five yuan here."
The cost of a quartz watch movement is a little over ten yuan.
Do you think this is reasonable?
"Don't you have any ideas?" He Yuzhu looked indignant, as if these problems only arose because Lao Niu didn't care.
"Hmm..." Old Niu must have suffered internal injuries, he groaned, but still took out a cigarette, lit one for himself, and then tossed the whole pack to He Yuzhu.
Having been friends for so many years, he knows He Yuzhu very well.
If he doesn't throw the whole bag over, He Yuzhu will still take matters into his own hands and touch him later.
It's okay for friends to do these little things in private.
But this is working time, and he is a leader, so it would be really embarrassing if his subordinates saw this.
"My point is very clear: several watch factories in Shanghai and other places are willing to spend money to import inferior movements from outside, then assemble them and sell them at high prices."
"Didn't you ever think about developing your own?" He Yuzhu didn't stand on ceremony, catching the white cigarettes tossed to him with both hands and stuffing them into his pocket with a smooth motion.
In the past two years, he has been buying alcohol with his own money.
He never bought cigarettes himself; he always got them from friends or through internal suppliers.
Having gotten used to smoking plain cigarettes, he couldn't stand buying a pack from the supply and marketing cooperative, even one from the same factory.
It always feels fake.
"Hey bro, it's all about the technology, the technology..."
"It's not that easy!" Old Niu rolled his eyes several times, feeling that He Yuzhu was talking too lightly.
But when he thought of what He Yuzhu had done in the past, he immediately shut his mouth. After all, He Yuzhu had often turned the impossible into the possible in the past.
Putting everything else aside, the television factory was started by Lao Niu and He Yuzhu together.
Thinking of this, Lao Niu became excited. He got up, walked to He Yuzhu's side, grabbed He Yuzhu's arm, and asked, "Lao He, do you have an idea?"
Now it was He Yuzhu's turn to roll his eyes. He slowly took out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and pretended to fumble for a lighter.
Old Niu quickly took out a match from his pocket, lit it, and held it up to He Yuzhu's cigarette.
"Hmph..." He Yuzhu ruthlessly extinguished the old ox's eagerness. (End of Chapter)