Look at the Wenzhou people - how can they not be rich if they are so good at doing business?

Author: Li Jie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Discarding the "iron rice bowl," the rapid development of Wenzhou's economy can be attributed to many factors. Chief among them is the eight words: "innovative thinking, daring to take the lead." Daring to do what? Daring to "jump into the sea," liberating and developing themselves. They were not attached to official positions, status, or power; they dared to break the boat and cut off their retreat—discarding the "iron rice bowl," confident in relying on their own abilities and wisdom to achieve something. While people in other places were struggling to secure an "iron rice bowl," Wenzhou people had already begun to abandon their prominent public service roles to work for others or start their own businesses. As early as 1990, Xue Linhua, then a prosecutor in Wenzhou, resolutely quit his government job and "jumped into the sea" to do business. Discarding the "iron rice bowl" might seem a pity, but the hardworking and open-minded people of Wenzhou didn’t see it that way. In late 1980, after completing his four-year military service, Xue Linhua returned to his hometown in Wenzhou. Two years later, he joined the city prosecutor's office and became a prosecutor. He stayed in that role for eight years. During this time, he secretly longed to "roam the world" and realize his own unique value. Xue Linhua's first stop after "jumping into the sea" was Shenzhen. He found a job as an advertising account executive at an advertising company. However, having once been a "government official," Xue Linhua couldn’t let go of his "official demeanor," and his vanity kept getting in the way. In just two months, he failed to close a single advertising deal. Unable to let go of his "official demeanor," Xue Linhua left the advertising company and spent 50,000 yuan to "buy" a manager’s position by contracting a department of a trading company. He hadn’t been in the role for long and lacked experience, so he lost 300,000 yuan in a single business deal. Unable to bear the loss, the trading company covered it, and Xue Linhua only managed to repay this expensive "tuition" years later. The trading company didn’t last more than a year. After leaving the trading company, Xue Linhua also worked at an audio-visual company, where he served as a producer and filmed television dramas, but it didn’t last. He then joined a real estate company and continued to work as a clerk. During this time, he acquired a wealth of knowledge, engaging in client negotiations, drafting agreements, and coordinating relationships, while also coming into contact with many overseas investors. These experiences laid a solid foundation for Xue Linhua’s future in real estate investment. Although his work was fulfilling, his monthly salary was very low, making it nearly impossible to sustain himself. He had to rely on his mother in Wenzhou to send him money every month. He quit again. Despite having nothing to show for it, Xue Linhua’s desire to achieve something never waned, nor did his reflections on the future stop. He couldn’t accept the idea of being in his thirties and still unable to support himself, relying on his mother’s remittances to get by. His career as a government official had instilled in him the habit of paying attention to national affairs, and he possessed a keen "political sense." While working at the real estate company, before Deng Xiaoping’s "Southern Tour," he had already deeply recognized the potential of Shenzhen as a hotbed for investment and development. In June 1992, Xue Linhua acquired an 80% stake in the 80% of the solar development company under the Yuehai Group, becoming the company’s largest shareholder. The registered capital was also increased from the original 1 million yuan to 10 million yuan. The company continued to focus on solar development as its core business. After taking over, Xue Linhua led several major projects, including solar heating for hospitals and warehouses. In 1994, Xue Linhua returned to Shenzhen and began investing in real estate. However, this business required a large investment and carried significant risks, with both gains and losses. After several years of experience, he founded an investment consulting company. Faced with his current success, Xue Linhua remained calm and had no excessive regrets, merely feeling that he had seized the opportunities he should have. His most frequently spoken phrase was, "Everyone comes into this world with empty hands; opportunities are the same for everyone—it just depends on how you seize them." There was once a joke: A group of Chinese people from all over the country gathered to chat, discussing the moon. Everyone was interested in what was fun to do on the moon, but suddenly a Wenzhou person asked, "What business opportunities are there on the moon?" The group burst into laughter. The joke, from a absurd perspective, illustrated how Wenzhou people’s minds were always focused on business. People’s actions are always guided by their thoughts, and the Wenzhou people’s courage to discard the "iron rice bowl" to start their own businesses and succeed came from their entrepreneurial spirit. Their entrepreneurial goals were actually very practical: to make money! Jia Tai Industrial Company Chairman Li Pinhua, when asked about the motivation behind his successful entrepreneurship, replied simply: "It was just to make money and live a better life." P2-4