Chapter 265 Our Marketization Hasn't Even Begun Yet (Bug Fix): Who's Lagging Behind?
The hinges of the iron gate creaked again.
The factory director of the machinery plant, who was already furious with President Zhou's evasive attitude, rushed to the door as if he had heard a bugle call to charge. His whole body was like a mountain, completely covering Wang Xiao's head.
He ignored the person in the wheelchair and looked expectantly at the Singaporean tycoon: "Mr. Zhao?"
He refused to believe it; one by one, they were all fooled by this middleman.
Mr. Zhao couldn't take his eyes off their old factory site; how could he bear to let it go?
However, Mr. Zhao, who had been so enthusiastic towards him before, only gave him a polite nod this time, then lowered his gaze and smiled at Wang Xiao: "Mr. Wang, would you do me the honor of inviting you to dinner?"
Wang Xiao, as if he couldn't see the factory manager standing in front of him, shook his head at Boss Zhao, his voice full of regret: "It won't work, I have an appointment with a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to see about my leg—"
She lowered her eyes to look at the cashmere blanket on her lap. "I can't really spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair."
Mr. Zhao immediately said understandingly, "That's a big deal. Don't worry, Mr. Wang, you look like a man of good fortune, I'm sure your legs will soon be able to walk like the wind again."
Wang Xiao let out a soft laugh, as if ice shards were shattering under the warmth of a heater: "Then I'll take your kind words."
The factory manager finally realized something was wrong and hurriedly tried to call out to his ideal buyer: "General Manager Zhao."
Unfortunately, the Singaporean tycoon only gave him a polite smile before quickly putting on his hat and gloves. Finally, as he took his leave, he said goodbye to Wang Xiao, "Mr. Wang, I'll be going now."
The icicles under the eaves suddenly broke, hitting the cement ground with a crisp sound, startling the factory's big yellow guard dog, who loved to wander around when it was free, and it barked incessantly.
Amidst the incessant barking of dogs, the factory manager felt as if an icicle had pierced his back, and suddenly felt a jolt throughout his body, his eyes widening in disbelief.
As if he had finally remembered there was someone else, his eyes darted around to the middleman in the wheelchair: "You?!"
However, he is probably destined to receive no response this time.
The workers who were waiting outside for news were also awakened by the barking of dogs and rushed over eagerly for information.
There were so many people, easily over a thousand, packed tightly together. In the dead of winter, the chill was biting, and their breath blurred the mottled slogan wall of the machinery factory—only half of the stubborn "two" remained of the character "干" in "大工快进" (go all out and move forward quickly).
In a thick white fog, everyone's faces were blurred into similar white blobs, as if they had vanished, leaving only their voices shouting: "Boss Wang, when can we finally leave the country?"
The big yellow dog wanted to bark a couple more times to show its frightened anger, but under such overwhelming shouts, it could only tuck its tail between its legs and slink away.
Wang Xiao raised his hand upwards and then pressed it downwards.
As the noise subsided, Yang Tao quickly called out to everyone, "Let's all go to the auditorium to sign. After you sign, you can go directly to register and tell them about going abroad."
Wow! The entire factory erupted in excitement. Everyone rushed towards the auditorium.
Mr. Zhou popped his head out with a grin and started getting things done: "Alright, alright, everyone line up to sign, don't push, don't push."
As if joining in the fun, the factory's loudspeaker, under the last rays of the setting sun, began playing "The Ballad of Going Abroad": "Chirp, chirp, chirp, someone's reciting a foreign language. ABCs in their mouth, a portable radio in their ear. Buddy, what are you thinking? Where's your mind? Tell me, what's the reason for going abroad..."
This song was created by Tsinghua University students in 1990. It uses the main melody of "Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China" as the interlude between sections. Last year, it was selected as an interlude for the documentary "I Graduated".
Unexpectedly, it also became a hit song in the factory.
The snow on the main road in the factory area had long been shoveled to the sides, revealing the cracked asphalt surface. The wheels rolled forward, crunching the ice chips.
Amid cheers and cheerful singing, Wang Xiao was lifted into a car and taken out of the factory.
She didn't give a perfunctory answer; she had indeed made an appointment to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor tonight.
The old doctor, known as a master of traditional Chinese medicine, was extremely famous. Going back further, his family had been renowned for their orthopedic expertise since the Song Dynasty.
The factory director, unable to control his employees who had gone mad, could only angrily shout at the Volga sedan, "You..."
But Wang Xiao would never pay him any more attention.
The land of the machinery factory belongs to the state, and all the employees are the owners of the machinery factory.
The factory manager is just one of the employees; why should she expect special treatment from her? If you don't like the smiling face, then you don't have to look at it.
Her only response was the exhaust fumes from the car.
The car drove onto the main road, turning and winding its way until the setting sun was completely out of sight and the sky had turned from bluish-red to bluish-gray, before finally stopping in front of two single-story houses with blue bricks and gray tiles facing the street.
The black plaque with gold lettering hanging above the door—"Jishengtang"—indicates its identity.
The sun had set, and Beijing winters are especially cold. The icicles on the eaves were illuminated by the two incandescent bulbs by the door, emitting a chilling light.
But inside the bungalow, it was bustling with activity. The thirty-square-meter hall was packed with people, and each person's breath was enough to create a greenhouse effect.
Honestly, Wang Xiao felt there was no need to burn mugwort in the tin stove in the hall anymore. She sat quietly waiting for her appointment, feeling a bit hot even wrapped in a wool blanket.
Yang Tao felt bad about keeping the owner waiting, so she tried to pay to cut in line.
Wang Xiao shook his head: "There's no need. Burning more medicinal incense is also a way to cure the illness."
She looked around the traditional Chinese medicine clinic with great interest. A 1987 Beijing individual medical practice license was embedded in a glass cabinet on the east wall, and below it, on a table, were bronze statues of ancient physicians, whether Bian Que, Hua Tuo, or Sun Simiao, she couldn't tell.
But whoever made the offering showed their piety—the three incense sticks in the incense burner hadn't even burned out yet.
Wang Xiao wondered if he should also light incense and pray to all the gods and Buddhas for blessings.
Her recent life and health have been anything but good; she's been through earthquakes, tsunamis, and plane crashes, each time narrowly escaping death.
Suddenly, Yang Tao's Motorola phone rang. She answered the phone, said a few simple "hellos," and then quickly handed the phone to her boss: "Mr. Wang, it's Director Feng on the phone."
On the phone, Director Feng didn't stand on ceremony with her and only asked one question: "President Wang, are you free tonight? If you are, could you come to our Department of Science and Technology again? Director Song and a few other leaders would like to talk to you."
Even if you're busy, you have to make time.
Without hesitation, Wang Xiao said, "No matter how big the problem is, it's a small matter in front of Director Feng's phone call. Don't worry, I'll be there as soon as possible."
Yang Tao keenly caught the word "as soon as possible," and immediately stepped forward to discuss with the patient and their family who were first in line: "Comrade, could you do me a favor? Our leader is about to go to the Ministry of Science and Technology to report on their work. Could you let her see them first? We really can't keep the leader of the Ministry of Science and Technology waiting."
The young man who broke his leg while ice skating squinted and said, "Who are you? A leader from the Ministry of Science and Technology? I'm in a hurry to see the President."
Yang Tao pulled out her crocodile skin wallet: "100 yuan."
The young man reacted as if he had been insulted; if his leg hadn't been broken, he probably would have jumped up on the spot and yelled, "You fucking think I'm a beggar?"
Yang Tao remained calm and pulled out another banknote: "200."
When the price reached 300 yuan, the middle-aged woman behind the young man spoke up first: "I'll let you have it, young lady, just give me 200 yuan."
"Pah!" The young man swallowed hard and snatched three hundred-yuan bills from Yang Tao's hand. "300 yuan it is, consider it a blessing for myself."
Yang Tao smiled and thanked her, then took out a bag of cashews from her bag and handed it to the middle-aged female patient behind her: "Auntie, thank you, it's just a small token of my appreciation, a foreign specialty, please don't mind."
Goodness gracious, several people immediately craned their necks to look at the foreign goods.
Taking advantage of the gap left by their squeezing through, Wang Xiao was pushed into the examination room.
Then, she embarked on a special forces-style medical treatment journey.
Well, Mr. Wang isn't so careless about his health.
The doctor carefully took her pulse, examined her tongue, and looked at the X-rays that had just been taken. He even praised her, saying things like, "The Russian doctor is quite skilled at treating bone injuries," and "Counselor Fang recommended you? Oh dear, I wonder when he'll be back in the country next time," before letting her apply the plaster.
That's right, Jishengtang's secret recipe is a family-inherited plaster.
The freshly brewed ointment was dark in color, and at first glance it looked a bit like asphalt, emitting a strong bitter aroma.
As Wang Xiao watched the old doctor's apprentice apply the plaster to her, she asked, "Do you have any ready-made plasters? I'd like to buy some to take with me."
The young doctor shook his head: "No, it has to be freshly brewed to be effective."
Wang Xiao nodded to Yang Tao, who immediately handed him a business card: "It doesn't necessarily have to be freshly brewed. Banlangen granules are quite good for treating colds, aren't they? If your master wants to mass-produce them, he can call this number to contact us."
She added, "Doctors are compassionate; if they could be mass-produced and benefit more people, wouldn't that be a great deed?"
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao held their breath, completely impressed by their boss.
How can she even see a business opportunity in examining a broken bone?
Or, when did the boss get involved in the pharmaceutical industry? They have absolutely no recollection of it.
Wang Xiao's legs had been re-bandaged, and she was lifted into the Volga sedan.
After the car door closed, she instructed the ambitious bodyguard: "Just because you don't plan to develop resources doesn't mean they aren't your resources. If you act as a good intermediary, you can still expand your network and turn them all into your resources."
While the two bodyguards were still in a daze, the boss had already shifted the pressure to the business manager: "How about you? You'll be in charge of the answers tonight, okay?"
Yang Tao took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down: "Boss, I'll give it a try."
These words had almost exhausted all her courage.
As she got out of the car and carried her suitcase up the building of the Ministry of Science and Technology, she almost tripped over her own foot.
Director Feng came out to greet him and helped carry Wang Xiao upstairs.
Director Song, the head of the Ministry of Science and Technology, happened to be coming out of his office with a teacup in his hand. Upon seeing this, he showed a slight look of surprise, and then glanced at Director Feng.
The latter secretly groaned, thinking to himself, "You didn't even give me a chance to report on Mr. Wang's current health condition."
Fortunately, Director Song always gave face to his subordinates in public. He simply nodded and politely said, "I'm so sorry to trouble you, Mr. Wang, to come all this way so late at night."
Even though he could smell the herbal medicine on Wang Xiao, he didn't say much. He simply led the way himself, saying, "We've looked at your plan, and we have a few questions to ask."
The wheelchair rolled forward over the five-pointed star-shaped floor tiles, all the way to the conference room at the end.
Wang Xiao nodded: "Of course, we will tell you everything we know."
Several officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology were already seated around the conference table.
It seems that civil servants are not required to wear uniforms nowadays. Some people present were wearing suits, some were wearing Lenin suits, some were wearing jackets, and some were wearing military green cotton coats.
Wang Xiao nodded to each of them, then made a request: "Do you have slides? We might need to use them during our presentation."
The young man responsible for pouring water for the leaders quickly put down the kettle, glanced at Director Feng, and then hurriedly left.
He left alone, but returned as a pair; the one walking in front of him was a tall general.
Wang Xiao had no idea what his identity was. No one present offered to introduce him; even Director Song simply smiled and said, "Oh, what brings you here, sir?"
"The northwest wind and the black ash from Shougang Group covered my face." He didn't stand on ceremony and sat down next to Director Song. "I heard you have some foreign gadgets here, so I've come to hear about them. Is everyone here? Let's begin if everyone's here."
Director Song didn't show any displeasure at being turned the tables, and nodded directly to Wang Xiao: "President Wang, is it alright now?"
Wang Xiao nodded, then turned to Yang Tao.
The latter quickly stood up: "Respected leaders..."
"Alright, enough with the pleasantries." Unexpectedly, this uninvited guest, a general, suddenly launched an attack. "I heard you're thinking of importing Soviet semiconductor technology? What brings you to the Soviet Union?"
“Yes,” Yang Tao quickly replied, “Shougang NEC’s 1.2-micron process is indeed advanced, but our goal is not to race with Japan, but to fill the critical gap in China’s semiconductor industry chain and cultivate engineers who truly belong to us…”
With a loud "bang," Yang Tao was so startled she almost jumped up.
The general was anything but polite; in fact, he was quite rude, as he slammed down his teacup and interrupted Yang Tao directly: "Train our engineers? Then why not use our technology? Don't we have semiconductors? Don't we have our own microelectronics institute?"
A leader from the Ministry of Science and Technology, dressed in a Lenin suit, nodded in agreement: "That's right. In 1965, we successfully developed our first integrated circuit, achieving results comparable to Japan and earlier than South Korea. At that time, the Beijing Electron Tube Factory was the largest transistor factory in Asia. In 1968, Shanghai Wireless Factory No. 14 produced a PMOS circuit. In 1972, my country's independently developed PMOS achieved a leap from small and medium-sized integrated circuits to large-scale integrated circuits. In 1975, a research group at Peking University produced my country's first 1k DRAM, four or five years earlier than South Korea and Taiwan." (Note: ①)
"Now it's all a mess, everyone's acting like China doesn't have semiconductor technology and can only import it."
"Importing from Japan? Well, they have mature production lines that we can use directly, so that's fine."
"Introducing Soviet technology? The Soviet Union itself failed to develop semiconductors."
"Introducing it is not as good as developing it ourselves."
An officer in a military green cotton overcoat chimed in, "Indeed, if we're going to develop based on Soviet technology, why not just make breakthroughs on our existing independent research and development achievements? Wouldn't importing outdated technology be a step backward?"
After everyone had finished speaking, Wang Xiao calmly said, "The word 'backward' doesn't apply to Soviet technology at all, at least not when it comes to Chinese chips. The reason we chose to import from the Soviet Union is because the Soviet chip market was commercialized, but it hadn't yet succeeded. Of course, even if it had succeeded, it wouldn't be our turn. We're not considering breakthroughs based on our existing independent research and development achievements because our chips are far from being commercialized."
While she was speaking, Yang Tao had already distributed several documents to the leaders and cadres at the conference table.
What is printed in black and white on the paper is:
A comparison of the marketization process of the chip industry in the Soviet Union and China (as of February 1994).
I. Soviet Chip Technology: Marketization Attempts and the Impact of Dissolution
1. Technical Foundation
The Soviet Union established a complete military/aerospace chip technology system during the Cold War, with representative achievements including:
(1). KR580 series (comparable to Intel 8080, radiation resistance index is 10 times higher than that of similar Western products).
(2) Elybus supercomputing chip (the world's first VLIW architecture, used for nuclear weapon simulation).
Technical features: Focused on reliability in extreme environments, but with outdated manufacturing processes (mainstream 3 microns vs. Western 1.2 microns).
2. Market-oriented attempts
(1). 1987 reform: Gorbachev promoted the "military to civilian" conversion and tried to use the КР580 chip in civilian equipment (such as machine tool CNC system).
(2). Real-world dilemma:
① The inertia of the planned economy led to rigid capacity allocation, and the demand in the civilian market was not activated.
② Lack of cost control awareness; the price of the civilian version of the КР580 is three times that of similar chips in Japan.
...
The densely packed sheet of paper described the current state of Soviet chips on one side and the Chinese chip industry on the other: policy-driven and lagging marketization on the other.
Those lines, one after another, were so numerous they hurt the eyes; it was practically a scathing critique of China's semiconductor industry.
After presenting the materials, Yang Tao stood in front of the slides and spoke eloquently: "As early as 1985, the Soviet Union had built a complete 1-micron process ecosystem—from single-crystal silicon purification plants and photoresist synthesis workshops to wafer packaging lines, all of which were independently controllable. In contrast, my country still does not have a systematic semiconductor materials industry."
Her pointer pointed to the data in the table, indicating to everyone, "The Huajing No. 1 chip has been designed, but its production still requires silicon wafers from Shin-Etsu Chemical in Japan and photoresist from DuPont in the United States. Our photoresist self-sufficiency rate is less than 7%, and it can only be used in processes larger than 3 micrometers. Moreover, we do not have our own EDA tools, and even the design relies entirely on 386 computers running cracked versions, which is like using an abacus to copy IBM's homework."
In the conference room, the hissing of the radiators and the rustling of paper colliding filled the air, but even combined, Yang Tao felt that none of them could outweigh the sound of her own heartbeat.
Honestly, she felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat.
Even though she thought she had made thorough preparations, she still failed to gain the approval of her superiors.
The general raised his arm, the greasy sheen from the elbow of his officer's overcoat piercing Yang Tao's eyes. He attacked again: "Don't start speaking in foreign languages. You've been babbling on and on, and I have no idea what you're saying."
Even though the other party held a high position of power, Yang Tao couldn't help but roll her eyes at this moment.
Nonsense, what else would we say if we didn't speak in a foreign language? These were all made by foreigners, and they set the industry standards!
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down: "The Soviet Union's КР580 series chips use gallium arsenide as a substrate material, and the radiation resistance index reaches 1×10^6 rad(Si). They can operate stably in extreme temperatures ranging from -60℃ to 200℃—something that our country's existing silicon-based chip technology (operating temperature range -40℃ to +85℃) cannot achieve."
Seeing that the general still had a cold face, Yang Tao, who had graduated from university less than three years ago, finally couldn't hold back any longer and said angrily: "I heard that the Fengyun-1 satellite went out of control in 1991 because the domestic anti-interference chip experienced signal drift in the space particle stream, while the Soviet Union's similar chip had been working continuously for 12 years without failure on the Mir space station."
The meeting room fell silent the moment the words were spoken.
If it weren't for the clock still ticking away, one would suspect that time and space had been frozen here.
Seeing the general's face darken, Wang Xiao, the boss, not only did not apologize on behalf of his subordinate, but added fuel to the fire: "What we introduced is not just chip technology, but a military-grade technology system that our country cannot develop independently at this stage."
"What we purchased was not just equipment blueprints, but also the industrial trial-and-error experience accumulated by the Soviet Union over thirty years."
She looked up and gestured for everyone to look at the next slide. “For problems like this batch of lattice defects caused by excessive humidity in the workshop, Soviet scientists found a low-cost solution in 1972, while Chinese companies are still paying the price repeatedly.”
Yang Tao walked to the side, unzipped the suitcase, took out a book titled "Collection of Cases of Accidents in Soviet Wafer Production" and handed it to the boss.
Wang Xiao raised his hand, facing all the leaders and cadres present: "It is said that failure is the mother of success. The lessons learned from the Soviet Union can help us shorten the commercialization cycle of our independent technologies by 5-8 years."
Everyone's eyes first fell on the book in her hand, and then turned to her open suitcase.
There were stacks and stacks of documents, all in black and white.
Wang Xiao explained, "We conducted research for almost two years before deciding to do this project. This is part of the data we collected. We brought it here because we thought it might come in handy today."
A soft gasp was heard in the conference room, but it quickly subsided.
Even though the leaders present didn't show it on their faces, the shock they felt was real.
A private business owner wanted to get into the chip industry. He collected so much information on just one part of it, and spent two whole years on research and investigation.
Compared to her, some large state-owned enterprises in China are simply making a fool of themselves by importing foreign production lines. They're completely afraid of losing out if they don't spend enough of the country's money.
Is this the difference between state-owned and private enterprises?
Director Song remained completely calm and composed, only looking at the general beside him: "Do you have any other questions, sir?"
The dark-skinned general frowned, but ultimately said nothing.
Director Song's gaze then returned to Wang Xiao's face: "I have a question. I see that your plan only includes a research and development center. Don't you plan to build a factory in Yuntai District?"
Wang Xiao readily agreed: "Yuntai District is currently relocating its secondary industries and developing tertiary industries. The remaining factory buildings from the relocated factories cannot be used for industrial purposes."
This is just polite talk, of course.
The truth is, she used land within Beijing's Second Ring Road to build a factory. Has she gone mad?
Leaving aside the issue of maximizing land value, just considering labor and transportation costs alone, locating the factory in Jinning is more suitable than in Beijing.
She placed the R&D center in Beijing to circumvent height restrictions. Incidentally, Beijing, being the capital, makes it easier to obtain central government policy support.
Otherwise, she would definitely have moved to Shanghai.
Director Song had no intention of commenting on Beijing's urban planning, but simply nodded in agreement: "That's right, that's the general direction."
He put down his pen and gave a concluding speech, "Okay, Mr. Wang, thank you for making this trip. Um, please leave us a copy of the materials. We will discuss and decide on your application as soon as possible."
Wang Xiao nodded to him: "Okay, but I would still like to trouble you leaders to do this as soon as possible."
She raised her eyes to meet the other person's gaze. "Because we don't have time. NATO is systematically dismantling the Soviet technological legacy. Samsung of South Korea just signed an agreement last week with Kyiv to bring in 200 semiconductor engineers. Raytheon of the United States acquired some radar technology patents from the Soviet 'Rainbow' Design Bureau last year. We have to hurry."
Good heavens! She couldn't help but curse inwardly. Who gave them the audacity to think that Soviet chips were worthless? Good stuff is always sought after!
The Ministry of Science and Technology official in a suit laughed: "You have two years to investigate, you can't expect us to make a decision in just two hours. If you had started two years earlier, you wouldn't be in such a rush."
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "That won't work either. Only when Russia starts privatizing can we import technology."
Seeing that the other person still looked relaxed, she put away her smile: "Moreover, this is not only an opportunity we've waited for, but it may also be our only chance."
"Because Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) is about to be dissolved, senior officials from COCOM member countries met in the Netherlands last November and unanimously agreed that COCOM had lost its reason to continue to exist."
Many people present looked puzzled.
Isn't the dissolution of COCOM a good thing? For so many years, COCOM has been a pair of black hands hanging over our country's neck.
Once the organization is dissolved, the restrictions on technology imports and equipment imports will be lifted.
Wang Xiao wasn't surprised that officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology would have such naive ideas.
Because every era has its own limitations.
What does the current nationwide craze for traveling abroad indicate? It indicates that people generally believe that foreign countries, especially the Western world, are very good.
This kind of goodness is comprehensive and is enthusiastically sought after; it's not just about a good economy, but also about good people.
People now believe that the Western world represents freedom and democracy.
Given the current environment, isn't it only natural that leaders believe that after the dissolution of COCOM, the world will truly become a global village?
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "The purpose of COCOM was to contain the rise of socialist countries. The Soviet Union is dead, and Eastern Europe has changed color, but the socialist edifice has not collapsed. Without COCOM, what will the next organization be called? In addition to the original COCOM members, will the next organization add some other countries?"
"Now, whether it's the CIS countries or Eastern Europe, they are all actively moving closer to the West."
"The Russian president has publicly stated his desire for Russia to join NATO since 1991, and he has repeated this statement many times since then. On the 14th of last month, at a welcome dinner for the visiting US president in Novo-Ogaryovo, a suburb of Moscow, he clearly stated that if NATO expands, Russia should be the first to join NATO."
"In Eastern Europe, countries like Hungary and Romania are also actively applying to join NATO."
"No one understands what the most painful thing is better than the victims themselves."
"This is what they mean by 'a daughter-in-law who has endured many years of hardship finally becomes a mother-in-law.' They know all too well how to make socialist countries struggle."
"In order to show their loyalty to the new camp, will they also join the original Batumi camp?"
"When one Batumi falls, a stronger Batumi will be born."
"We need to get moving quickly during this interim period before they reach an agreement. Because once this window of opportunity is closed, we won't be able to buy the technology and equipment even if we have the money."
She bowed slightly once more. "Therefore, I implore you leaders to speed things up. China's chips cannot wait, nor can we afford to wait any longer."
The wheelchair rolled once more on the terrazzo floor tiles. Moonlight, refracted through the snow, streamed into the corridor through the skylight, making even the old five-pointed star pattern on the floor tiles sparkle.
The general strode forward, staring intently at Wang Xiao: "Soviet technology can truly improve our military industry..."
"No!" Wang Xiao denied categorically. "According to the agreement, we only produce civilian products. Military products are none of our business."
She raised her head and looked at the other person calmly. "We insisted on introducing Soviet technology because, under the technological blockade imposed by the United States and Europe, the Soviet legacy was the only technological system that we could fully control—it may not be the sharpest sword, but it is certainly a sword that we hold in our own hands."
What a joke! She's not an arms dealer, what does she do with military products? She loves peace, and she never gives anyone cause for criticism.
————————
Note ①'s information comes from the internet. The song "Going Abroad Ballad" mentioned in the text is indeed a song from the early 1990s, and the information also comes from the internet: In 1990, to prevent a large number of graduates from studying abroad, the government introduced a policy that only allowed students from overseas Chinese families to take the TOEFL and GRE, while other students had to pay exorbitant "training fees," which dampened the enthusiasm of graduates eager to study abroad. Many students sang this song, gave up their dreams of studying abroad, bowed their heads to reality, and lived a "happy and sweet" "wonderful life." This song was widely circulated in universities and became a "secret weapon" for Tsinghua University's campus singers when they competed in the Peking University singing competition. After graduation, Liu Bing continued to write many lyrics, but by then he no longer had a partner to compose music, so the lyrics were shelved. By chance, Liu Bing became Li Jian's lyricist partner, and the lyrics he wrote for "Legend" became a classic.
There are several versions of the lyrics for "The Ballad of Leaving the Country," with the following being a common version:
**Version 1**
**First Paragraph:** Chirp, chirp, someone's reciting a foreign language. ABCs in their mouth, a portable radio in their ear. Dude, what are you thinking? Where's your mind? Tell me about the reasons for going abroad. I say, brother, you're fucking spineless. You're so big, yet you have no backbone. You loved to dream when you were young, but now you're a good-for-nothing. Open your eyes and look at the realities. Your heart has already been given away. Full of passion, you still have to support yourself. Over a decade of hard study, graduating at fifty-seven. Penniless, can't find a sweetheart. Tighten your belt, life's still manageable. Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.
**Second Paragraph:** Chirp, chirp, chirp, everyone's studying foreign languages. ABCs everywhere, exam questions everywhere. Dude, what are you thinking? What's your plan? Tell me, what's your motivation for going abroad? I say, brother, you're really pathetic. The earth is so big, everyone's crammed into this one spot. While I'm still young and have the strength, I'll go abroad and get exploited, see what I can do about it! Foreign countries are too corrupt, but I have resistance. Before going abroad, I'll bring some DDT. I loved Marx, but I don't know God yet. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll win. Many old men have been to France. Our generation will also rush out.
**Third Paragraph:** Chirp, chirp, chirp, I also study foreign languages. I can pronounce the ABCs, but I can't pronounce good news. Dude, tell me, how do I work hard? Let's talk about the methods. I say, brother, you're fucking clueless. It's written in black and white, and you didn't pay any attention. When the document arrived, I almost fainted. Every rule and regulation is against me. My parents love their country, and I have no relatives overseas. Not a direct descendant, not a collateral relative, so going abroad is definitely out of the question. I've studied for the TOEFL, and I've studied for the GRE. Now I want to go home, and I have to study for the RMB. Salt is 15 cents, soy sauce is 27 cents. If you don't buy it today, you won't be able to afford it tomorrow.
**Fourth Paragraph:** Chirp, chirp, chirp, no one reads foreign languages anymore. No more ABCs, only sighs. Hey buddy, don't go! Where are you going? Come with me for a stroll, it won't be easy to see you again. I say, brother, why torture yourself? Graduation is just around the corner, why not change your mind? Learn from others, don't be so self-confident. Be a cog in the machine, fools have their luck. Knowledge is thin, but thick skin is thick. Poverty is bearable, but at least you'll have food. Don't be afraid of regret, the future has its twists and turns. Don't be afraid of patience, the road is long. Listen to your grandfather, sing your grandmother's songs. A wonderful life, happy and sweet. Listen to your grandfather, sing your grandmother's songs. A wonderful life, happy and sweet!
**Version Two**
**First Paragraph:** Chirp, chirp, someone's reciting a foreign language. ABCs in their mouth, a personal recorder in their ear. Dude, what are you thinking? Where's your mind? Tell me the reasons for going abroad. As a child, I loved to dream, but now I'm a failure. Open your eyes and see the reality. My heart has already been given away. But all that passion still needs to support myself. Over a decade of hard study, graduating at fifty-seven. Penniless, can't find a sweetheart. Tighten my belt, life's still manageable. But seniority is everything, life's not exciting. La la la…
**Second Paragraph:** Chirp, chirp, chirp, I'm also studying foreign languages. I can pronounce the ABCs, but I can't pronounce any good news. The document arrived, and I almost fainted. Every rule and regulation is against me. My parents love their motherland, but I have no relatives overseas. Not a direct descendant, not a collateral descendant, so going abroad is definitely out of the question. I've studied for the TOEFL, and I've studied for the GRE. Now I want to go home, and I have to study for the RMB. Salt is 15 cents, soy sauce is 27 cents. If you don't buy it today, you won't be able to afford it tomorrow. La la la…
**Third Paragraph:** Chirp, chirp, chirp, no one reads foreign languages anymore. No more ABCs, only sighs. Hey buddy, don't go! Where are you going? Come with me for a stroll, it won't be easy to see you again. I say, brother, why torture yourself? Graduation is just around the corner, why not change your mind? Learn from others, don't be so self-confident. Be a cog in the machine, fools have their luck. Knowledge is thin, but shamelessness is thick. Poverty won't hurt, at least you'll have food. Don't be afraid of regret, the future has its twists and turns. Don't be afraid of patience, the road is long. Listen to your grandfather, sing your grandmother's tune. A wonderful life, happy and sweet. La la la…
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