Chapter 653: Ming Dynasty is the Future (First Update, Please Subscribe)
In the past fourteen years, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty introduced a large number of immigrants from China in order to strengthen himself. Fourteen years ago, there were only more than one thousand Chinese in South China, but now there are more than ten million Chinese, and millions of people are born every year, and millions of new immigrants are pouring into the New World.
The Ming emperor created many factories to provide employment for the people, and under his orders, millions of Chinese became farm workers, cultivating the land and herding cattle and sheep. It is believed that there were more than 5 million workers in the country, both factory workers and farm workers.
Workers are the main body of this country, and such a large proportion is not found in any other country.
Last year, when London newspapers reported on the Sickness Insurance Act, Workers' Compensation Act, and Disability and Pension Insurance Act, they caused an unprecedented sensation in Europe. You, I, and our friends in France, North Germany, and many other places have discussed these bills very seriously.
We once thought that these laws were just games made by the rulers of the Ming Dynasty to win the hearts of the people. I myself once thought that we would see harsh exploitation by capitalists and miserable scenes in the slums in the Ming Dynasty.
But when I came here, I found that everything was completely different from what we imagined...
In the Ming Dynasty, most factories belonged to the "Nanhua Group", the predecessor of which was the "America Company". It is believed that most people in the Ming Dynasty worked for it. Its founder was the emperor of the Ming Empire. The role played by this company in the establishment of the Ming Dynasty does not need to be repeated.
May 1st is Sunday, and also a day off. In this regard, all enterprises in Daming strictly abide by the relevant laws and do not need to work on this day. However, a few factories still need to work.
For example, at the Imperial Steel Company, the founders of this company are believed to be a group of imperial nobles who founded this enterprise in 1870. Its monthly output is 60,000 tons, with a total of 4,000 workers. In chatting with the workers, I learned that they are very happy to work on weekends, because a shift can get 1.5 times the usual salary, and if it is Chinese New Year or Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and other festivals, it is double the salary. Their each shift is 12 hours, although it is far more than the "8-hour work system" you proposed, but it has to be admitted that this is already the shortest working time in the world.
At the Imperial Steel Company, the capitalists provided workers with cheap breakfast and lunch. Workers only had to pay one dollar a month to enjoy relatively rich meals, including Chinese bread, beef, vegetables and other dishes. Their living standards far exceeded those of ordinary British workers.
In the Ming Dynasty, there is a special living area called "community". I heard that this "community" first appeared in Nanhua and was designed by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to solve people's accommodation problems. Each community can be regarded as a park, and apartment buildings are located between the parks.
After visiting the steel company, I came to a nearby residential area, where I saw with my own eyes the living environment of the workers here. Not only was it far better than that of workers in European countries, but even many middle-class people could not compare with them. Those four-story or four-and-a-half-story apartments were divided into four- or six-bedroom suites. Each suite had at least a living room, a dining room, two or more bathrooms and a laundry room. The bathrooms not only had ceramic flush toilets, but also showers - hot water was provided by the solar-heated water tank on the roof, which is why they maintain good hygiene.
In their kitchen, I saw a gas stove, which is an extremely advanced stove. The gas used by the residents comes from the by-product of coking in the coke factory.
Perhaps because they invented the electric light, they used electric lights in every room, which was extremely rare in Britain. They had entered modern civilization when most Europeans were still in the Middle Ages.
In their room, I saw that the workers' home furniture was complete, with landscape paintings hanging on the wall and exquisite porcelain in the cabinet. During the conversation, I learned that this ordinary worker, who had a monthly salary of 24-26 yuan, benefited from the bill introduced last year and enjoyed a series of royal benefits - according to official statements, as a supplement to social insurance, the royal family took 10% of its income to subsidize social insurance benefits. Not only can he enjoy work injury and pension insurance, but he and his family can also enjoy medical insurance. They only need to pay a small amount of insurance to get medical treatment, and his children can also receive free compulsory education. Their lives are far better than we imagined.
Yes, unlike what we imagined, although this is a country monopolized by the big capitalist, the emperor himself, the lives of the workers here are extremely superior.
In comparison, workers in the UK generally need to work 14-16 hours a day, and their working hours have been extended, especially after the invention of the electric light. It is certain that the electric light may be an advancement in human science, but for ordinary workers, it is not necessarily a good thing.
But here, the Ming Empire ensured through legislation that their workers could only work a maximum of twelve hours a day, which was undoubtedly a major progress.
...Maybe one day in the future, this may also be a social model, and I look forward to gaining more here.
Your most sincere friend, Friedrich
…
Finally, after finishing the letter, Frederick stood by the windowsill and stared at Yingtian outside the window. In fact, during his visit and inspection in Yingtian, he discovered that there was some invisible discrimination in this city, or in this country. What kind of discrimination was it?
The Chinese occupy the vast majority of high-quality jobs, while the conquered Argentines find it difficult to get a decent job. Unless they can speak fluent Chinese and write Chinese characters, they can only do the simplest and lowest-paid jobs.
Of course this is not publicly stated, but in this country, all the best jobs are in Chinese companies, so of course they will prefer their own people.
Just like the British will hire the British first and the Germans will hire the Germans first, this is the most simple national sentiment, and you cannot say that this is discrimination.
Because that's the case with everyone.
"Perhaps this is a common problem among conquerors!"
It's not just the conquerors. In fact, Frederick knew very well that in many European countries, discrimination against people of color and Jews was ubiquitous, even worse than here.
There is no perfect place in this world. Perfection only exists in dreams.
"At least here, if they learn Chinese and can write Chinese characters, they can still get a decent job."
A thought suddenly popped up in Frederick's mind: fairness is never absolute, it is only relative fairness.
After figuring this out, he muttered to himself again.
"At least it's more fair here than in Europe..."
This is what Friedrich finds the saddest. Even though there are problems here, it is still fair compared to Europe.
Here, although the labor in the factories is still heavy, they are paid well and can live a better life. Even the capitalists pay them overtime. This is absolutely impossible in Europe.
Like workers being paid overtime?
Being able to give workers a sufficiently high monthly salary is already a very good treatment.
What’s more important is that the life that ordinary workers here lead is the life that many people dream of. In a way, this is the future.
future!
Such an idea suddenly popped up in Frederick's mind. Deep down in his heart, he even felt that it would be very good if the workers could live such a life like they did in the Ming Dynasty.
Even if they have to work 12 hours a day, at least their income can support the whole family, and their living environment is commendable and even enviable.
Friedrich even believed that if European workers could live the same life as Ming Dynasty workers, then everything would be perfect.
Even the goal they worked hard for was achieved.
When this thought came to his mind, Frederick's expression became a little complicated.
“Is this really the future?”
Staring at the city outside the window, Frederick muttered to himself again.
There seemed to be an answer in his mind, but there seemed to be no answer. Or he was not quite sure whether this answer was the one he was looking for.
"To a certain extent he is."
After thinking for a while, Frederick sat at the table again and continued to add a few words to the letter.
"At least to a certain extent, everything presented here is exactly what we are pursuing, but it is still a little far from our requirements, so I sincerely invite you to come here and observe carefully together. In this strange country, maybe we can find a new answer here, who knows? In short, this country has brought too many shocks to me, and I believe that one day, it will also bring shocks to the whole world."
As a businessman, Frederick believed that if the European workers fully understood that they could live such a prosperous life here in the Ming Empire, they would definitely abandon everything and come to this new land, this strange empire.
Start their new life here. Of course, not every European has the opportunity to enter the Ming Dynasty unless he is a Chinese.
(End of this chapter)
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