In August, Zhan Chunlan returned to school ahead of schedule. On the one hand, she had a heavy workload and needed to return to school early; on the other hand, the school had assigned tasks to students majoring in international trade and economics. This was both a learning opportunity and an opportunity to showcase themselves, and every student who got this opportunity did not want to give it up.

The 45th Canton Fair in the spring of 1979 will be held from April 15 to May 15. Many regions have submitted applications to participate. What is different this time is that some places that have no prior experience are also allowed to participate. This requires someone to help them select products that can attract the interest of foreign merchants at the fair.

Based on the list of exhibitors, these students will provide targeted assistance to some relatively remote areas that have not participated in many exhibitions before. They will choose the areas they are responsible for, go to the local areas, find the export potential products "hidden in the mountains, hidden in the markets, and hidden in the ethnic minority villages", register them, take photos and samples, compile them into a "Regional Export Commodity Recommendation Table", and be responsible for bringing these "zero-experience" manufacturers and products from the place of origin all the way to the Canton Fair exhibition hall.

This is the "first ice-breaking lesson" that Zhan Chunlan and her classmates are going to complete. If they wait until next year, it will definitely be too late, so Zhan Chunlan and her classmates set off this October.

Zhan Chunlan was going to Gutian County, Hongcheng, accompanied by a teacher and four students, two boys and two girls.

On the bus, Xia Yi, the teacher leading the group, was still explaining the information he had collected to the students: "The Gutian County we are going to is reported by the local authorities as having bamboo weaving products, specifically bamboo baskets, bamboo crates, bamboo boxes, bamboo hampers, bamboo hats, and other daily necessities. Such products are not very attractive to foreign businessmen. During your time on the road these next few days, you can think more about how to help them improve or even redesign some new products that foreign businessmen will immediately like and appreciate."

Chen Yi is a 20-year-old girl. She graduated from high school the year the college entrance examination was reinstated, so her life can be considered quite smooth.

People who have never experienced setbacks are always braver than others. Therefore, as soon as the teacher finished asking the question, she raised her hand to answer: "I've heard people say that foreigners are capitalists and love to enjoy themselves. They always like things that look good but are useless. So as long as we think in this direction, we're guaranteed to have no problems."

Listening to a lively young girl speak is a pleasure. Everyone watched her with smiles, and Teacher Xia even nodded to signal her to continue.

"I personally prefer small and compact things, like little flower baskets, small sewing baskets, small tables and chairs, etc. I think girls abroad would like them too, right?"

Xia Yi nodded, then looked at the two boys: "What about you? What are your thoughts on bamboo weaving?"

Liao Yuanshan looked mature and steady, and was also quite tall and imposing. When Zhan Chunlan first met him, she almost called him "uncle." It was only after chatting that she learned that he was the same age as her, only 23 years old, but he had a three-year-old daughter.

Therefore, he somewhat agreed with Chen Yi's suggestion. It seems that young girls like those things, but for him, he preferred: "I have seen bamboo-carved screens, which are both practical and aesthetically pleasing. They can be seen as soon as you enter the house, which I feel is more in line with their flamboyant personality."

As for "them," it goes without saying who they are.

“Oh, that’s a good idea. The local bamboo weaving is quite famous, which means that there is a lot of bamboo. So there must be other crafts related to bamboo. Therefore, when we brainstorm, we don’t have to limit ourselves to bamboo weaving. Everyone can do what Liao Yuanshan did, step outside of bamboo weaving and broaden their thinking.”

Xia Yi fully affirmed Liao Yuanshan's proposal, noting that both students had very good ideas and that they were both feasible.

Only Zhan Chunlan and another male classmate, Yu Kai, remained.

Yu Kai is 25 years old this year. He is tall and thin, but not in a weak way. He is lean and wiry. One thing that Zhan Chunlan admires about him is that he was a sent-down youth for six years. During that time when no one could see the future, he did not just drift along. On the premise of completing the commune's tasks every day, he also persisted in studying, which made him the only student in the local sent-down youth group to be admitted to university.

The two exchanged glances, each gesturing for the other to speak first. Yu Kai assumed Zhan Chunlan hadn't decided yet, so he didn't refuse and said directly, "Perhaps we could combine bamboo weaving with other things, like our thermos flasks, some of which have bamboo woven shells. So, could we combine bamboo weaving with ceramics, for example, a vase? We could design a bamboo woven vase. Don't they like nature? I feel that would suit their tastes perfectly."

After he finished speaking, everyone's eyes lit up, and they applauded and praised him, making him feel embarrassed.

Zhan Chunlan admired her even more. She had actually thought of this point as well, but she was able to think of it because she had seen it or had possessed it.

In her past life, her father had a set of gaiwan teacups, half of which were wrapped with thin bamboo strips. She really liked this set and wanted her father to give it to her. But her father liked it too and wouldn't let her touch it, so she secretly took one and hid it in her room.

Yu Kai's idea of ​​combining bamboo thermos flasks with ceramics and vases is truly remarkable, simply because he had used them before.

Zhan Chunlan immediately added, "I've seen bamboo weaving combined with tea sets. We can also see if we can combine it with more items in the future."

"I think Yu Kai's idea is really creative. We can see if there are any ceramic factories in the area. If not, we can perhaps combine it with places around the area that have such resources." While the students were still imagining, Teacher Xia Yi had already started thinking about how to implement it.

Zhan Chunlan also shared her thoughts: "Actually, many of our old items are made of bamboo, such as bamboo cricket cages, bamboo mats, and bamboo curtains. We can make some changes to these traditional items, retaining the bamboo material and traditional elements, but adapting them to their liking. For example, they may not like cricket fighting, so we can improve the cricket cages, making them bigger and turning them into birdcages? I heard they like to keep cats and dogs, so we can also weave them into nice cat and dog houses."

"This is also a good idea, and everyone's ideas are quite good." Xia Yi stood up to summarize, "Next, you can think about how to implement your ideas. Chen Yi's 'small' – how should we take this 'small' to the extreme? Liao Yuanshan's bamboo carving screen – how should we reflect our Chinese culture? Yu Kai's bamboo weaving and porcelain – are there any other combinations? Zhan Chunlan's pet house – how can we attract their attention?"

Everyone got busy. They were all a bit carsick, but after this discussion, they completely forgot about it. Stimulated by everyone's ideas, a lot of inspiration came to mind, one after another, and they couldn't stop.