Chapter 14 Chapter One

How many literary masters have been born in Suzhou, a thousand-year-old paradise?How many gentlemen and beauties have been nurtured by that beautiful scene?Whenever I talk about my hometown, I always feel an unstoppable pride in my heart.The beautiful scenery moistens the beauties, and the beautiful water nurtures the talented.There are too many capitals worth recalling in the history of Suzhou. However, people still lack sufficient understanding of today's Suzhou, which is also very lacking even for a wanderer from Suzhou like me. In today's Suzhou, the most dazzling thing is not only its beautiful scenery.Suzhou's rapid economic development has made Suzhou's beautiful gardens relegated to the second place.I knew that since the reform and opening up, the average annual growth rate of Suzhou's economy has been above 20%, and the average annual growth rate of fiscal revenue has been 17%.Such a rapid increase for more than two decades may be unique in the economic history of China and the world.I also know that Suzhou's current per capita GDP has exceeded US$5,670 according to the current method, ranking first in the country.This level indicates that the economy of Suzhou has entered the intermediate stage of modern industrialization. At the end of 2004, the city's industrial output value reached 1 trillion yuan, and its total GDP has leapt to the top five cities in China, including Shanghai and Beijing.You can't imagine that the charm of Suzhou today is more than beautiful water and beautiful gardens...Suzhou is now the second largest manufacturing city in China, and the US$100 billion customs trade has made her the third largest import and export city in the country!The first city in the country to utilize foreign capital!

Suzhou is amazing!There is another most remarkable thing about Suzhou in recent years: three governors have emerged in just a few years. Liang Baohua, secretary of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee in 1998, is now the governor of Jiangsu Province; Chen Deming, who succeeded Liang Baohua as the secretary of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee in 2000, is now the governor of Shaanxi Province; Has now gone to Jilin Province as governor.In six years, three municipal party committee secretaries were promoted to governors all of them, which is also a unique phenomenon in Chinese political circles.

Suzhou is really glamorous and shining in China. Take another look at the above-mentioned governors who were born as party secretaries of Suzhou, two of whom are economists with doctoral degrees.Even Liang Baohua, the current governor of Jiangsu Province, who majored in journalism at Fudan University, is regarded by Suzhou people as a "secretary of the municipal party committee at the doctoral level." Oh, the mystery of Suzhou's soaring is that they have a large number of high-end experts supporting this ancient and great thriving city building!Pushing the wheels of this fast-growing city!

Oh, in today's Suzhou, besides the beauties Xiushui Garden, there are also a large number of talents and elites who are admired! In fact, the talents of Suzhou have been the glory of the whole country since ancient times.According to data, from the beginning of the imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Suzhou has always been the number one scholar in the country in terms of regions.Among the 202 champions in the Ming and Qing dynasties alone, Suzhou alone accounted for 35 of them.Among them are many good ministers like Wen Zhenmeng and Weng Tonghe, as well as well-known sages like historian Bi Yuan and diplomat Hong Jun.Brother champions, father and son Tanhua, grandparents and grandchildren champions are not rare in Suzhou.In the Tang Dynasty, there were also five champions from the Gui family, known as "the number one champion in the world".No wonder Fan Zhongyan once praised so much: "I am Su, the county is the best county in the world, the learning is the best in the world, and the talent is the best in the world. It is great!" Suzhou is a veritable "hometown of champions".

In contemporary times, outstanding figures in Suzhou are even more famous at home and abroad. For example, Nobel Prize winners Li Zhengdao and Zhu Steven are both Suzhou natives.Architect I.M. Pei, great scientists, China's "two bomb heroes" Qian Sanqiang, Wang Ganchang, Wang Daheng, etc. are all authentic Suzhou people.Among the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, academicians from Suzhou are even more famous, and the proportion of academicians in Suzhou according to the regional population is 35 times higher than that in the whole country. It is an indisputable fact that Suzhou produces talents, and Suzhou's talents support the sustained and rapid development of Suzhou's economy. It is more and more respected by Eastern and Western academic circles.The frequent promotion of the three municipal party committee secretaries to the governorship also shows that the top decision-makers of our party have attached great importance to the "Suzhou model" in another sense.

——This is the wealth that a wise man can create an era. In view of this, I would like to introduce this "Suzhou doctor businessman" to readers at home and abroad with great solemnity—— Xu Zhao's name is very strong, which shows that he himself is amazed that the Ph.D. businessman in front of him is an authentic and beautiful Suzhou talent.Xu Zhao was originally a gifted scholar.He was born in a scholarly family, and his father studied in the prestigious "Suzhong", a classmate of Yuan Weimin, and later stayed in the Soviet Union.When he returned to China, the relationship between China and the Soviet Union deteriorated, and he lost his major since then. He settled in Kunshan and founded the famous "Wenwu Middle School" in the local area.Xu Zhao's mother is an outstanding local female cadre who became a member of the Communist Party of China at the age of 18.Under the peculiar historical and political conditions, Xu Zhao’s father believed in communism all his life but was unable to join the Communist Party of China. The old man had written countless applications for joining the party in his life. Xu's father swore: As long as I don't die, I will write it in the party application!In the "Party Member's House" except that his father was not a member of the Communist Party of China, Xu Zhao was moved by his father's unswerving faith and gained great spiritual support from it.Xu Zhao once said: "In my family, my mother, my wife, and my eldest and second sisters are all members of the Communist Party of China. The father of a non-Party person is actually the most like a Communist Party member. Really, his party spirit makes him Those of us who are party members have strengthened our belief in the party and the responsibility of being a party member."

The reason why Xu Zhao is able to become a man today is that the first lesson in life that he has completed best is how to be a person, to be a person who cares for the country and the nation first and then enjoys it.The reason why heroes of all dynasties in Suzhou have come forth in large numbers and have been immortalized forever is that they all have a heart of patriotism, the people, the family, and the neighbors.Xu Zhao is also among them. Xu Zhao studied political science in college.As for why he applied for the major of politics when he won the National Mathematical Olympiad in middle school, Xu Zhao still answered in this way today: "When I was a child, I was studying in Kunshan. At that time, there was a county party secretary named Jiang Deren, who had a high prestige in the local area and the people had difficulties. He went to help. So I thought that if I grow up to be a high-ranking official, wouldn’t I be able to benefit one side better? So I applied for a major in political science..."

But then why started the economy again?I asked. "It was prompted by the times. It was to catch up with this economy-centered era." Xu Zhao said. After graduating from university, Xu Zhao had many opportunities to choose from, but because of his excellence, he was first selected by the Organization Department of the Pingjiang District Committee of Suzhou City.This was the second half of 1990.Xu Zhao's first life experience in the society was when the organization department asked him to take a temporary job as the deputy director of a state-owned tourist hat factory affiliated to the district.Coincidentally, the director of the factory found out that he was sick and needed to be hospitalized, so Xu Zhao directly took over the job.In Suzhou in the 1990s, the degree of reform and opening up was still in its infancy.When the state-owned enterprises under the planned economy were at their lowest ebb, the small tourist hat factory had 170 to 80 employees, but the loss per capita was between 10,000 yuan. The first burden that Xu Zhao, a 25-year-old college graduate, took on was not light.

"The factory doesn't make money, so what do we need us to do? Those who run an enterprise can't support themselves, so what kind of enterprise is it? In a word: If you want to survive, if you want to live like a person, you have to work hard! Make a name for yourself!" Talented Xu Zhao His "inaugural speech" was real, without any bookish spirit, which made the workers feel that "this young man is quite capable".No, Xu Zhao used his skills as the chairman of the student union in the university to clear up the business of the tourist hat factory one by one.He found that the loss in the factory was mainly due to the fact that everyone was used to the big pot of public ownership and did not work hard.The tourist hat factory is an enterprise in the foreign trade system. If there is no work to do, the natural enterprise will only have a dead end.After Xu Zhao took office, he set his sights on receiving orders.Good popularity and strong social skills are his advantages, so as soon as he exerts his strength, the orders are rushed into his hands.

Whoa, ten thousand hats hi! Our small factory is only a small factory with a cap-making capacity of 3,000 pieces. So many jobs may delay things! The workers talked and looked at the young factory manager. "We can't do it ourselves, what can we do with the help of the surrounding township enterprises!" Xu Zhao seemed to have been prepared. "That can't be done! If you let others do it, sooner or later they will get rid of us by connecting with manufacturers and merchants." Someone raised an objection. Xu Zhao smiled: "Such a large order is a profitable business, and we don't have the ability to do it ourselves, so it's a pity to lose it. So we can only choose to 'subcontract' to others to help. Besides, if it is what you said in the future , that counts as a good deed we have done!"

The people in the factory felt that the young factory manager was thinking "vigorously" and what he said was reasonable, so they all supported his approach. This year, the tourist hat factory reduced its loss by 600,000 yuan.What a bonus! "Mr. Xu, here are 20,000 dozens of electric power spun silk shirts, can you take them?" A friend from Shanghai Home Textiles Import and Export Company called and said. "20,000 dozen? That's... 240,000 pieces!" Xu Zhao was so excited that he wanted to jump up. "Yes, the client is Franco from Italy, a world famous businessman!" "Great! Take it! Let's take it!" For the first time in several years, the small factory had real cheers. "Director Xu, Franco and the others wanted to take a look at your factory." The Shanghai side called again. "They...they want to come to our factory?" While answering the phone, Xu Zhao looked out the window at the dilapidated small factory area, letting out most of his confidence. "Director Xu, what's the matter with you?" The caller was still urging. "No, it's nothing, I have a cold..." Xu Zhao quickly covered it up. "Then Franco and the others will be here tomorrow!" "Ah—I can't..." "Can't what?" Xu Zhao cheered up: "Can't you come later? Or it's better not to come?" "How can it work? They just want to see your factory! Such a big order is given to you, and the foreign businessman just wants to feel at ease! Go tomorrow, get ready!" The Shanghai side's phone number was released, and the Suzhou side became lively! Famous foreign businessmen come to visit this broken factory, and the business must be smashed! what to do?what to do?The whole factory was stomping their feet anxiously, and hundreds of pairs of eyes, which had already shown signs of progress, were staring at the fair, chubby young factory director Xu Zhao, full of the despair before he was gone forever.But no, the tourist hat factory has been losing money for a long time, and it has only been a few days since it came out of the shadows. Taking over a business of 20,000 dozen is a big deal that can create a new world for a small factory. Now that foreign businessmen are coming to visit, once it is smashed, doesn't it mean that this small factory specializing in foreign trade will be cut off from the water of life? "I have a solution!" I saw Xu Zhao calmly and confidently saying to the workers: "Everyone, go ahead and do what you should be busy with. This matter will be handled by me and the factory leaders." The workers dispersed, but several factory cadres approached Xu Zhao with doubts on their faces, and asked eagerly: "Little Director Xu, what do you have to do?" Xu Zhao walked alone to the front of the sign at the factory gate, looked at it, then smiled to himself, turned around and said to his colleagues: "Now there is only one way to save us..." "What way?" Everyone didn't know why. "You help me take off this sign first." Xu Zhao said to a factory cadre, and then walked into his office mysteriously, and started calling on the phone, but because he closed the office door tightly, No one knew who he was calling, let alone what he was talking about. That night, Xu Zhao called several department officials and workers, took the "Suzhou Tourist Hat Factory" sign, and went straight to a shirt factory dozens of miles away on the outskirts of the city. In the night, the director of the shirt factory and others were already waiting there.When they saw Xu Zhao and others coming, they took Xu Zhao's label with a smile, hung it at the gate of their factory, and then put away their label and hid it in the office.Xu Zhao shook hands with Director Lu of the shirt factory and smiled. "Brother, I will hand over the entire factory to you!" Director Lu said. "That's not enough, tomorrow you have to lend me your factory manager for a day." Xu Zhaojin said. "Borrow my black gauze hat for a day? Hahaha, okay! Borrow me for a day!" Director Lu burst out laughing heartily. I see!The people present finally understood a good play directed by Xu Zhao——