Chapter 10 1. A "Li-Ning" sailed out of Guangzhou Port

In the 1980s and 1990s, Guangzhou was at the forefront of China's reform and opening up and took the lead. Therefore, it is easy for people to "find food" here.However, in recent years, the situation in Guangzhou has not been as good as before. People who went south went north again in search of a vast world.Throughout the economic and cultural history of Guangzhou, Guangzhou seems to be just a "port", a "port" for those who "enter the sea" to set sail again, a "port" for small businesses to temporarily stop to expand their territory, and a "port" for foreign advanced ideas to land. "port".In the end, I set off from this port to find a wider sky. "Prince of Gymnastics" Li Ning is one of the best among these people.

After retiring sadly, Li Ning also re-transformed from Guangzhou and embarked on the road of doing business. Guangzhou accepted him, but it was not the place where he made him.Therefore, Guangzhou is more like a springboard than a podium. Li Ning became famous in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. "The media and audiences all over the world saw the birth of the Oriental 'Prince of Gymnastics'. In all 7 events, he swept the army, successively taking floor exercises, pommel horses, and rings. , Vault, horizontal bar and individual all-around 6 gold medals in the bag. This time, Li Ning really broke the myth that the Soviet players won the World Cup for five consecutive times. Li Ning' won 6 championships in 7 events in one competition, creating a record It is an unprecedented miracle in the history of gymnastics, and no one has been able to break this record'. The world sports world was a sensation at that time, and no one expected that this magical land in the East gave birth to a 19-year-old gymnastics prodigy."That year, he made the whole of China boil.Since then, Li Ning has been hailed as the "Prince of Gymnastics".The world's sports world was a sensation, and the media from all over the world began to report on this "Chinese ace", "gymnastics king" and "Little Flying Man". In 2010, Li Ning said in an interview with "Manager" magazine, "(After winning the award), when I returned to Guangxi, there was almost a city out there. I was sitting in a convertible, and there were cheering crowds everywhere. I enjoyed it very much. I don’t think there will be a second chance in my life.”

However, at the Seoul Olympic Games 4 years later, he fell off the rings and pommel horse. The "a bit unrelieved" fall and the tasteless smile after that made him from a "hero" to a "sinner" .After returning to China, someone even mailed him the "hanging rope" and "bullets".Li Ning later said, "I like to laugh. This is a kind of character and attitude." But at that time, China had just escaped from the closed state, and there was an urgent need for pride everywhere. "People need champions, not sports." Leaving the arena, the lonely Li Ning sat on the lawn outside the Olympic Village and said: "I will retire in the future, my sports life will end, and I will never be able to make up for this loss." So, where is the future?

Generally speaking, local sports commissions hope that famous local athletes will return to their hometowns to serve as deputy directors of sports commissions after retirement. Guangxi Sports Commission has already invited Li Ning to serve as deputy director.This is a safe and logical choice.There is another old path that is coaching, and there are many retired champion athletes who will choose this path.Foreign countries also hope that Li Ning will serve as the coach of their national team.However, these two options are conservative for Li Ning.For Li Ning, one more choice than other famous athletes when they retire is to join the show business.He is very interested in acting, and he also vaguely hopes that he can develop into an acting career.However, although this choice is happy, it lacks enough intellectual challenges, so it failed to enter Li Ning's field of vision in the end.

He recalled, "At that time, I was most likely to be a head coach or an official, but when I got angry, I slapped my ass and left." Li Ning finally chose to do business, and the guide was his old friend, Jianlibao Group Li Jingwei, former chairman of the board. In 1984, when Li Ning dominated the sports world, it was also when Li Jingwei, the director of the winery, developed an orange-yellow drink based on a piece of drink formula - Jianlibao, which later became popular in China.Li Jingwei suggested to him: "I think you should take a long-term view, think deeper, jump out of the model of athletes who either go abroad or become officials after retirement, redesign a road, and make it a model?"

Later, Li Ning said, "At that time, I admired him very much." Moreover, there was also a dream hidden in Li Ning's heart, that is: "When I was an athlete, every time I competed abroad, I was often punished for wearing foreign sportswear. I mistakenly thought it was Japanese, Korean, or even Taiwanese and Hong Kong people. At that time, I was thinking about when I could appear in the international arena wearing Chinese sportswear. The idea is very simple, and I don’t know what will happen in the end Therefore, Li Ning took this as his dream and interest, and realized "being a Chinese brand" by Li Jingwei's side.

Of course, Li Jingwei thinks that "Li Ning is young, smart, and good-natured." His attitude towards Li Ning is "throw him in the swimming pool and let him learn by himself. I just watch from the shore and be a lifeguard. When it doesn't work , and stretched out my hand again. Then I let go and watched again. After a few times, Li Ning will swim better than me and surpass me.” In April 1989, in Guangzhou, where spring was getting stronger, Li Ning received the letter of appointment as special assistant to the general manager of Guangdong Jianlibao Group Co., Ltd. from Li Jingwei amidst countless spotlights and the sound of shutters.Li Ning, who first arrived at Jianlibao, is mainly in charge of public relations, marketing planning and other work.With a natural intuition and the vision cultivated by many overseas competitions, Li Ning suggested that Jianlibao should shoot an impactful and sports-inspired advertisement, and he would act in it himself.This proposal, together with the astronomical advertising fee of 600,000 yuan at the time, received full support from Li Jingwei.After the advertisement was broadcast on CCTV, it had a huge effect.This year, Jianlibao's sales increased by 30 million.

Later, Li Ning proposed to Li Jingwei that he wanted to set up a sports clothing factory, and hoped that Jianlibao would invest in it.But perhaps at that time, Li Jingwei had faintly realized that Jianlibao’s own property rights would be unclear and would leave sequelae (due to institutional reasons, although Jianlibao was founded by Li Jingwei alone, its assets still belonged to the state-owned enterprises of the Sanshui Municipal Government), so he tactfully said He suggested: "If you can introduce foreign funds, don't use all of Jianlibao's money." Then, he accompanied Li Ning to find investment. In 1990, a Singaporean company agreed to contribute capital. In this way, the Sino-Singapore (Singapore) joint venture Jianlibao Sportswear Company was established with Li Ning as the general manager.After intense construction, a 5,000-square-meter factory building was completed in Sanshui City in less than eight months.On the roof, a huge signboard composed of three characters is very eye-catching: Li Ning brand.Since then, a Chinese business myth consisting of 6 English letters has begun...

In August 1990, on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the roof of the world, Li Ning, who was wearing a white Li-Ning brand sportswear, solemnly took over the torch of the 11th Beijing Asian Games from the Tibetan girl Dawa Yangzong as the athlete representative.This is a landmark event. The Beijing Asian Games is the first time that China hosts an international large-scale comprehensive competition, and Li Ning is the first local sports brand in China to sponsor an international sports competition.In order to win the right to host the torch relay of the Asian Games, Li Ning offered 2.5 million yuan, but what he got in return was that 200 million people directly participated, and 2.5 billion Chinese and foreign audiences learned about Li Ning brand from the news media.

Since then, Li-Ning brand has developed more and more smoothly, and its annual turnover has grown at a rate of 100%.At the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, Li Ning finally realized his dream. When the Chinese Olympic sports delegation appeared at the opening ceremony wearing Li Ning brand sportswear with a distinctive logo, Li Ning shed tears excitedly. He recalled: "At that moment, I experienced the greatest honor in my life, and that sense of accomplishment surpassed the sum of all the medals I have won before." However, he also clearly understood: "I seized the historical opportunity in 1990, and there has indeed been such a process since then. My influence has driven the competitiveness of the brand. But that is only a stage. After all, my influence Strength is a special product of that era. The spirit of the women's volleyball team and the fighting spirit of our group of athletes did inspire a generation, but those are the glory beyond the competitive sports itself. In the face of future competition, I will definitely not be able to rely on that This kind of influence will help the Li-Ning brand win more."

From 1991 to 1994, Li Ning continued to take the route of sponsoring sports activities, and began to try a variety of products, such as Li Ning sportswear, Li Ning shoes, even Li Ning belts, Li Ning ties, etc., the products are endless.Although Li Ning Company has made a profit in 1993 and its annual turnover has grown at a rate of nearly 100%, but in Li Ning's heart, there is an eternal knot, that is, "the identity of a child" - Li Ning Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jianlibao , while the controlling shareholder of Jianlibao is the government of Sanshui County, Guangdong Province, which is a state-owned asset.In Li Ning's heart, he hopes that the company will develop towards a modern enterprise model.This was not easy at the time. At least two core issues had to be resolved. One was to transform the company into a shareholding system, and the other was to separate the Li-Ning trademark from Jianlibao. At the beginning of 1994, under the recommendation of a reporter from the Securities News, Li Ning met Liu Jipeng, a professor at Capital University of Economics and Business, known as "the first person in China's shareholding reform".Liu Jipeng has been consulting on the joint-stock system of enterprises since 1988. Judging from his years of experience in focusing on enterprise restructuring, the unclear property rights of Li Ning Company will be fatal to Li Ning's future development. He strongly encouraged Li Ning to leave Jianlibao. Of course, Li Ning knows that Jianlibao is to Li Ning (company) at this time, just like a mother's placenta is to a mature baby, and the value mission has been completed, but in Li Ning's heart, Li Jingwei has the grace of regeneration to him, just like his reborn parents, How could he betray Li Jingwei?Regarding Liu Jipeng's suggestion, Li Ning asked the most frequently: "If I leave Jianlibao, will others say that I am ungrateful?" In Liu Jipeng's view, as a state-owned enterprise, Jianlibao does not belong to Li Jingwei but to the Sanshui Municipal Government. There will inevitably be unimaginable resistance in the division of property rights in the future. Instead of sailing on a ship, it is better to get out and set up your own business now.Therefore, Liu Jipeng repeatedly clarified to Li Ning the interests of unclear property rights, and persuaded him: "You are just leaving Jianlibao, not Li Jingwei. Jianlibao is not exactly equal to Li Jingwei." In the end, the straightforward Liu Jipeng even pulled the chair away. Stand up and say to Li Ning: "If you don't want to lose face, I will talk to Li Jingwei and the Sanshui County Government." At the end of 1994, Li Ning and his clothing company left Jianlibao. The repayment was made in cash three times, and Li Jingwei did not even ask for compensation for the value-added part. The well-known business writer Wu Xiaobo wrote this comment on this separation in a book: "Li Jingwei 'helped him on the horse and sent him off' took his beloved younger friend to a business road that was much smoother than his own. .” Eight years later, Liu Jipeng's conclusion turned out to be a prophecy. On January 15, 2002, the Sanshui Municipal Government, which had a long-standing feud with Li Jingwei, priced Jianlibao at 338 million under the principle of "not selling to Li Jingwei and his team". Yuan was sold to capital speculator Zhang Hai.At that time, Li Jingwei was like an abandoned old horse, sitting silently in a corner of the signing venue, "looking up to the sky with tears in his eyes, without saying a word." Nine days later, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at home, and he is still lying on the sickbed alone and humiliated to this day. If it is said that Li Ning was brought into the business world by Li Jingwei and Liu Jipeng helped organize the company structure, then in early 1996, Li Ning moved the company headquarters from Guangzhou to Beijing and changed its name to Li Ning Sportswear Company. step.Li Ning himself once said with emotion, "If Li Ning Company hadn't moved from Sanshui to Beijing, it wouldn't be what it is today." In 1996, the performance of Li Ning Group reached its peak, achieving the highest sales revenue of 670 million yuan in history.However, the Asian financial turmoil in 1997 swept across, the manufacturing industry shrank extremely, and Li Ning Group was imprisoned. "Deflation" has greatly affected the purchasing power of ordinary people.What should I do if I can't sell it anymore? In 1997, Li Ning Company's two large-scale marketing promotions - "97 Blizzard Series" and "Opportunity" behind it all meant to clear inventory at ultra-low prices.In the next few years, Li Ning's sales revenue has always hovered around 700 million.The capacity of the sporting goods market has been enlarged, but the market position of Li Ning Company is declining.For this reason, the company's top management had to start thinking about the overall layout from manufacturing first to brand first.At a meeting, Li Ning said: "We are not a company that makes shoes and clothing, we want to be a company that promotes the development of sports culture, because no consumer likes a sport because of a brand, it is because they like it. A certain sport but a certain brand.” Therefore, in 1997, Li Ning, who was in trouble, had a strong impulse to go public.This time, Li Ning is targeting Hong Kong.In preparation for listing, Li Ning moved the group headquarters to Shanghai.At this time, the group's major shareholders became four, including Liuzhou Li Ning Enterprise Development Co., Ltd. (registered capital of 8 million) with Li Ning as the general manager, Li Ning Sports Industry Co., Ltd. (registered capital of 30 million), Beijing Guangjian East Trading Co., Ltd., Guangdong Li-Ning Sports Goods Co., Ltd. In December 1998, in order to package and list the best assets of Li Ning, Shanghai Li Ning Sports Goods Holdings Co., Ltd. was registered and established in Pudong New Area, which is affectionately called "parent company" within the Li Ning Group, and its main functions are capital operation and capital management . At the beginning of 2000, Li Ning met Wang Yafei (Deputy General Manager of Haiwen Consulting Company, teacher of EMBA training class of Guanghua School of Management). The first time they met, Wang Yafei said to Li Ning, "You should go public!" As a result, a drastic adjustment has also begun. In June 2001, Beijing Li-Ning Sporting Goods Co., Ltd., the core part of the operation of the entire Li-Ning Group, underwent a split that was more in line with international trends. The distribution and retail departments of 12 local branches and 304 specialty stores were cut off, and "Shanghai Yidong Sports Development Co., Ltd." was established, not only representing the "LI-NING" brand.Beijing Li-Ning Sporting Goods Co., Ltd. mainly operates the "Li-Ning Brand" brand part ("Global Entrepreneur"). On June 28, 2004, Li Ning Group, already the most well-known and largest domestic sporting goods company in China, was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.On the opening day, the opening price rose by 8%. The number of subscriptions for the public offering in Hong Kong was 132.2 times the total number of tentatively offered shares, and the international placement was also oversubscribed by about 11 times.The Li Ning family controls 46% of the company's shares and is worth as much as 1.6 billion yuan.That day, he said lightly to the media: "I am not a star idol, I am just an entrepreneur and a businessman with more than ten years of business history." On the road to the international market, Li Ning has taken another big step. After going public, he has accelerated his pace. In 2004, he signed with the Spanish National Basketball Team, the champion of the World Championships. In early 2005, he signed with the NBA and became an official partner of the NBA. At the beginning of 2006, he successfully signed with NBA Cleveland Cavaliers guard Damon Jones, and then signed with Shaquille O'Neal. Li Ning's brand The logo began to appear frequently in the NBA arena.However, the territory of Li Ning's cooperation is still expanding. In 2007, it was agreed with the Argentine Basketball Federation that in the next 6 years, the Argentine national basketball team, the champion of the Athens Olympic Games, will wear the Li Ning jersey to compete in the international arena; in 2008, "Li Ning" again Become the official partner of the Swedish Olympic Committee, design and manufacture various equipment for the delegation to participate in the Beijing Olympic Games... "In terms of promotion strategies in the international market, Li Ning has become increasingly stable and mature." In the article "The Most Competitive Chinese Local Company" in "Fortune" magazine, a business commentator described it this way. In 2008, the opening ceremony reached a suffocating climax when Li Ning ran in mid-air holding the torch and lighting the main Olympic torch. 48 hours after the 3-minute ignition, Thomas Reuters data showed that the company's book wealth held by Li Ning had increased by 16,542 Hong Kong dollars (144 million yuan). Although Li Ning once emphasized his individual identity, as can be seen from the following events, in fact, the individual and brand identity of "Li Ning" have been intertwined from the very beginning. He said that once, when Wang Shi was traveling in Xi'an, a peddler shouted: "I know you." Wang Shi was very happy.The peddler called again: "You are Wang Shi, the boss of China Mobile." Wang Shi was even happier: "I just like Vanke to leave me and exist independently." cards, but don't know me at all, that's what I need most." Now, Li Ning has established a new headquarters in the suburbs of Beijing covering an area of ​​100 mu and costing as much as 150 million.This office park designed by COX, a famous Australian sports architectural design company, looks like a sports theme park. Four three-storey office buildings run through with red runways; through a huge glass curtain wall, you can see the rippling blue waves Swimming pools; basketball courts, badminton courts, football fields, and climbing walls can be seen everywhere like landscapes.As Li Ning CEO Zhang Zhiyong said, "The new Li Ning headquarters means a new starting point for Li Ning Company."Li Ning said: "Because I am a person who doesn't like to be bound, I hope that my employees can be in a state of freedom and relaxation at any time." Therefore, this place was rated as "the most internationalized hotel in China" by a business magazine. Workspace".In Zhang Zhiyong's view, it is responsible for "the corporate image of Li Ning Company as China's No. 1 sports brand and the world's top five brands in the future."In my opinion, this will complete the evolution of Li Ning Company to the international market, because in this new headquarters, the two largest departments are marketing and research and development. Li Ning and "Li Ning brand" started from Guangzhou and finally started their internationalization in Beijing. This process can not help but make people wonder why enterprises and celebrities can be born in Guangzhou, but they cannot be retained.Just like the "headquarters economy" advocated by Guangzhou, nowadays, the headquarters of these giants have also moved north. Compared with the capital Beijing, Guangzhou always has the regret of "getting up early and catching up late". Procter & Gamble, one of the world's top 500 companies that first entered China, also chose to "leave Guangzhou".As one of the earliest multinational companies investing in China with a huge amount of investment, Procter & Gamble’s newly established R&D center in Beijing in 2010 has a registered capital of US$70 million, a total investment of US$80 million, and more than 500 employees from 16 countries. staff. "When I joined P&G, I worked in the R&D center in Guangzhou." Looking back on the past, Zhu Jianwen, president of the Beijing R&D center, said, "Actually, the R&D center moved to Beijing in 1998." ("Yangcheng Evening News") Although the headquarters is still in Guangzhou, the core of P&G has already arrived in Beijing. "We chose to move to the north mainly because of three considerations." Zhu Jianwen said frankly, "First, Beijing is the center of Chinese culture, education, and technology. There are many universities and strong scientific research capabilities here. We can recruit talents here. And multinational partners; second, here is the capital, we can understand the regulations of R & D innovation faster, and can maintain a closer relationship with the Chinese government; third, in terms of our talents, there are many R & D centers Workers from abroad, and Beijing is the city where the most foreign talents settle, and the profound culture and history attract them to stay here.” Such an analysis undoubtedly reveals that Beijing is already the best choice for Procter & Gamble. Similarly, in March 2009, NetEase, a well-known Internet company born in Guangzhou, was also rumored to be moving north to Beijing.The northward relocation plan takes Netease Science and Technology Channel as an example, that is, one reporter will be stationed in Guangzhou and one in Shanghai, and all other editors from the Guangzhou headquarters will be moved to Beijing.Half a year later, there was another rumor in the industry that NetEase's game division would move to Hangzhou, Zhejiang, because NetEase, which is in charge of Blizzard's World of Warcraft operation, was in Shanghai, so the rumors were not without reason.In this regard, Netease CEO Ding Lei clarified that the game department will not move out of Guangzhou.However, Ding Lei said that the tax paid by NetEase to Guangzhou in 2009 was higher than that in 2008.It is not known how much tax was paid.