Flickering boat

Author: Yi Qian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: In the turbulent early 20th century of the old China, the national industry and commerce struggled for survival amidst the stormy seas of chaos and. Driven by the fervent ideal of industrial salvation for the nation, a generation of industrialists poured their hearts and souls into the arduous and desperate efforts, giving rise to a group of successful industrial elites such as the "Flour King," "Cotton Yarn King," "Match King," "Ship King," and "Soda King." However, the feudal social system, the corrupt government, and the prolonged eight-year War of Resistance made their hard-won foundations in various fields of national industry and commerce vanish into thin air, destroyed in a moment. Some match factories remained lit in the west, while many enterprises relocated to the interior, exerting every effort and enduring countless hardships. When the private factories in Shanghai were relocated, the business magnate Liu Hongsheng's enterprise was not included in the relocation list. This astute and capable "Match King" transported the raw materials and finished products from his match factories in Shanghai—Yingchang, Donggou, and Zhonghua—to branch factories in cities such as Zhenjiang, Hangzhou, Jiujiang, and Suzhou. With Shanghai, Liu Hongsheng's Shanghai Cement Factory, China Wharf Company, Yingchang Match Factory, Zhanghua Wool Textile Factory, Huafeng Enamel Factory, and Chichang New Hide Glue Factory were all occupied by Japanese forces. The Japanese military adopted both soft and hard tactics to force Liu Hongsheng to "cooperate." Feeling that Shanghai was no longer tenable, Liu quietly boarded the Canadian steamship "Empress of Russia" in late June 1938 and fled to Hong Kong. The Great China Match Company he established in Hong Kong began production in April 1940. However, he found Hong Kong too small to realize his grand ambitions, so he simultaneously explored the southwestern provinces in the interior to set up factories. In Chongqing, he discovered that the war had turned Sichuan into a key rear base, with a booming population and massive consumption, where demand for various goods, especially matches, far outstripped supply. Only one match factory in Chongqing, Huayeh Match Factory, possessed machinery and equipment, but due to a lack of funds and technical expertise, it was. The matches on the market contained highly toxic yellow phosphorus and were in short supply and expensive. At that time, Japanese forces were advancing toward Jiujiang, and Liu Hongsheng decided to relocate the Jiujiang Yusheng Match Factory of the Great China Match Company. However, due to the urgency of the situation and the scarcity of transportation, the relocation was incomplete, and only the raw materials such as potassium nitrate, red phosphorus, and cowhide glue, which could be used as military supplies, were rushed to Changde, Hunan. Liu transported these materials to Chongqing and immediately negotiated a joint venture with Sun Shupei, the manager of the struggling Huayeh Match Factory. Liu used the match raw materials he transported as capital, and in 1939, Huayeh and Jihe Match Company was established, with Great China holding 60% of the capital and Liu Hongsheng serving as chairman. With his expertise in match production and operations, the business flourished, generating substantial profits and becoming a giant in the match industry in the rear areas. However, match raw materials had always relied on imports, and the war cut off their supply, affecting production. Therefore, Liu Hongsheng30 to jointly invest and establish China Match Raw Materials Factory in Changshou, eastern Sichuan, in May 1940. Great China and Huayeh invested 60% of the capital, and the factory began production in 1941, with demand far exceeding supply. Later, branches were set up in Guiyang and Kunming. Liu Hongsheng was indeed a sharp and capable entrepreneur. While establishing match factories in Chongqing, he also closely monitored the feasibility of developing wool textile industries in the western regions. At that time, many domestic textile factories had suffered heavy losses in the war and were unable to resume operations, with yarn prices soaring. Wool from Leshan, Sichuan, was transported to Chongqing annually in quantities of 20,000 to 50,000 dan, and if imported machinery were used to spin this wool into yarn, the cost per pound would be lower than that of cotton yarn. This unexpected discovery solidified his resolve to establish a wool textile factory in Sichuan. He rented 114 mu of land in Lijialong, Baxian County, and while constructing the factory, also dug a large tunnel for air defense. Indeed, building such a large-scale Chinese Wool Textile Factory in the rear areas during wartime was a significant undertaking, but the twists and turns and hardships Liu Hongsheng endured in creating the wool textile factory were truly unprecedented.