The final presentation was held in the main conference room.
When Chen Qing reported on "using the international market to feed back into the domestic market and drive the upgrading of the industrial chain," Li Lao interrupted and asked, "How many small factories have you helped create?"
Chen Qinghui: "Currently, there are two garment factories with a fixed workforce of 1,000 people, eight garment factories with a workforce of 100 people, five textile factories, and five accessory factories."
Thinking about the date of her factory's construction, Old Li couldn't help but admire Chen Qing's rapid expansion, which was unmatched in the whole country: "Okay, you continue."
Chen Qing nodded and continued her speech. She had memorized the report and could now recite it with ease.
The analysis, from the factory's inception to its current achievements, would take several hours.
After the report was finished, Old Li did not speak immediately, but flipped through the materials in his hand.
The meeting room was so quiet you could hear the pages turning.
After reviewing the last page of materials, Mr. Li took off his reading glasses and slowly scanned the entire room.
The people in the conference room dared not breathe; the air seemed to freeze. Only the faint sound of the regular operation of machines in the workshop could be heard from outside the window.
"The data is impressive," Old Li finally spoke, his voice not loud. "The number of factories it has spurred, the amount of foreign exchange it has generated, the growth rate of employee income—I will bring these figures back to the capital."
Everyone was delighted.
I feel so proud!
Old Li clasped his hands on the table and looked at Chen Qing: "But what I really want to hear today is not these numbers."
Chen Qing sat up slightly.
Old Li said, "Comrade Chen Qing, what I want to hear most is about your difficulties."
In the conference room, everyone from the garment factory pursed their lips, while several of the cadres brought by Old Li exchanged glances subconsciously.
Old Li leaned forward slightly, his posture not like that of someone listening to a report, but more like that of an experienced teacher waiting for a student to voice their real concerns: "What I want to hear is not polite words, nor pretty words that can be written in a report, but real questions."
Chen Qing remained silent for a moment, looking at the printed numbers and conclusions on the report in front of him. At this moment, they seemed to have little significance.
Chen Qing closed his manuscript, looked up and said, "Since the leader asked, I will tell you the truth. The biggest difficulty is that the talent pool cannot keep up with the speed of development."
Old Li's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Continue."
“Our factory has expanded from nearly a thousand people eight years ago to its current size. The smaller factories that followed us are also expanding. Qualified workshop directors, technical backbones, and quality control team leaders are not things that can be trained quickly. Even a master craftsman training ten apprentices takes time. But the market waits for no one, and orders wait for no one.” Chen Qing paused and said, “We are like an army that has rushed forward too fast. When we look back, we find that logistics, staff, engineers, and so on cannot keep up. We can only have those who charge forward doing logistics work at the same time. This is not a long-term solution.”
Old Li nodded slowly, without interrupting.
He was simply taking notes with the pen in his hand.
Chen Qing continued, "The second difficulty is the standards. Our main factory in Shengxia can set very high standards, but the downstream small factories have varying levels of equipment, worker proficiency, and management sophistication. A garment goes through more than a dozen factories from the fabric to the final product. If one of them makes a mistake in a process, the garment that ends up in the customer's hands will be the one that is not up to standard in the 'Made in China' category."
The meeting room was completely silent.
The factory manager revealed the drawbacks of the rapid expansion.
On the one hand, everyone was worried about the garment factory, and on the other hand, they were afraid that the senior leaders would think that their Shengxia Garment Factory was too reckless.
Old Li didn't look at anyone else; his hands kept moving as he took notes.
Chen Qing then added, “The biggest hurdle now is establishing ourselves after going abroad! When we open stores overseas, we rely on novelty, but novelty will fade. Consumers will ultimately recognize quality, design, and brand. Can we transform from a Chinese summer brand into a summer clothing brand that is truly recognized worldwide? I think this path is even more difficult than going from zero to one.”
After she finished speaking, the conference room fell silent again.
"Being mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace is very good." Old Li used four words to directly characterize Chen Qing's self-analysis.
Chen Qing also breathed a sigh of relief.
Old Li's eyes were filled with undisguised admiration: "Being able to soberly see the three shortcomings of talent, standards, and brand amidst a chorus of praise shows that Comrade Chen is clear-headed and grounded in reality. This gives me more confidence than simply reporting a bunch of impressive figures."
Chen Qing blinked.
I don't know why.
My heart ached with a bittersweet feeling, and I was also touched.
The others, observing Li Lao's attitude towards Chen Qing, were also filled with thoughts, pondering Chen Qing's future importance.
Seeing that she was listening attentively and seemed like a young person again, Mr. Li felt extremely gratified. With such patriotic and capable young people in China, its rise was only a matter of time!
"You just said that the road from the height of summer in China to the height of summer in the world is more difficult. That's only half true. The road is indeed more difficult, but its significance goes far beyond the success of a single brand. What you are exploring now is not how a factory can make money, but how China's light industry can move from selling products to setting standards, from going global to moving upmarket. The difficulties you are encountering—how to build a talent pool, how to standardize the industrial chain, and how to establish a brand culture—are precisely the windows that our entire industry must break through to achieve high quality and internationalization!"
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a heavy hammer blow.
The accompanying officials from the province and ministry all bowed their heads and wrote furiously.
Finally, Li Lao's tone returned to calm, yet carried a decisive air: "So, today's achievements prove that your direction is correct, and these difficulties are precisely the issues you need to overcome for the country in the next stage. Don't have any concerns. Compile a detailed report to the Central Committee on the specific difficulties and the key support needed. This is not just a matter for your Shengxia Factory alone; it is a matter of whether we can truly win international discourse power in the textile and apparel field."
After he finished speaking, he stood up briskly.
Everyone in the room immediately stood at attention.
"Today's trip was worthwhile," Old Li concluded, a smile of deep satisfaction and appreciation on his face. "I witnessed the pragmatism of our working class, and even more so, their vision and sense of responsibility. Comrade Chen Qing, I hope you can maintain this momentum."
"I will!"
Chen Qing and Li Lao shook hands solemnly.
The meeting ended, and night had fallen. After getting into the car, Old Li and Chen Qing exchanged glances and nodded almost imperceptibly, everything understood without words.
The black sedan slowly drove away from the garment factory.
The other leaders of the garment factory quickly returned to the conference room to prepare a summary report, while Chen Qing stood alone by the roadside, watching the convoy disappear at the end of the sycamore-lined road.
The night breeze lifted the stray hairs on her forehead, and the surroundings quieted down again, with only the faint sound of machines coming from the distant workshop.
The car has gone far, but the road is still long.
Chen Qing turned and walked back to the factory area, his back view clear and resolute in the night. (End of Chapter)
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