Chapter 281: Old machines and historical artifacts; photography is welcome. ...
In March 1979, on a sunny Sunday, the red brick wall that once separated Feiyan No. 2 Factory from the residential area had been demolished and replaced by a row of bright, brand-new storefronts, some even with glass windows.
A huge plaque with the words "Flying Swallow's Splendor" hangs above the glass display window.
Inside the glass display window, mannequins dressed in "Shanghai-style modified scholar's coat," "silk tapestry shirt," "suit uniform," and "Suzhou embroidery cheongsam" shone brightly under the lights.
Inside the shop, several master craftsmen from Feiyan No. 2 Factory were demonstrating the techniques of kesi (silk tapestry) and frog buttons to their apprentices. An old-fashioned loom, modified by Shi Kaibei and with extremely low noise, was slowly weaving under the operation of apprentices, showcasing the entire process of textile production.
In the tailor section, a young female tailor is taking measurements for a young citizen, preparing to make him a new business suit that combines elements of the Zhongshan suit with Western tailoring.
After China officially opened up to the outside world in 1979, it attracted a lot of foreign investment to the mainland. Many people needed formal business attire when negotiating and cooperating with foreign investors, and the clothing from Feiyan Textile Factory was highly sought after.
To the right of "Flying Swallow Splendor" is "Pujiang Food Fair".
Cai Baozi's shop is in the most prominent location, and a long queue had already formed. Steam was billowing around, and the aroma of steamed buns filled the air. The scene was comparable to the state-run pan-fried bun shop across from the movie theater.
In the braised food shop run by the female educated youth, tea eggs were being boiled at the entrance, and various kinds of braised food were displayed in a glass cabinet, glistening with oil.
...
Feiyan Textile Factory's specialty foods are sold at three separate windows, offering pickles, salted duck eggs, egg yolk pastries, soft drinks, shrimp chips, rice crust chips, seaweed, and more.
The scene on this new street was incredibly lively. Female factory workers who had just finished their shifts hurriedly bought the "Yingke Shuimo" shirts they had long admired; young people wearing bell-bottoms and sunglasses inquired about the improved scholar's overcoat in the store; and occasionally a few blond-haired, blue-eyed overseas tourists took photos of the master craftsmen weaving silk under the "Feiyan Fenghua" sign, and eagerly inquired about the price of custom-made Suzhou embroidery cheongsams.
The local children, without so many fuss, bought Grandpa's sugar-coated fried dough, shared a bag of shrimp chips, and chased and played in the crowd while holding orange sodas in their hands.
The entire neighborhood was bustling and crowded, resembling a temple fair during the Lunar New Year. Wang Youyou held a megaphone and shouted desperately to maintain order. His voice was almost hoarse, but he had a fulfilling smile on his face.
"Factory manager, there are way too many people here! Our factory gate is practically turning into a vegetable market!"
"My God, it's like country folk going to the city market. Now all the towns and villages have resumed their market days... Our factory is in the same situation as going to the market."
How long will this situation last?
When asked, Qin Xiangxiang herself didn't know either; she was also baffled. Forgive Qin Xiangxiang for only having seen the scenes after the reform and opening up in her dreams, and for not remembering them clearly at the moment.
But the sudden influx of so many foreigners, coupled with the consumer enthusiasm of the locals after the opening of the small markets, created an incredibly lively and bustling scene.
No one has ever seen such a scene before.
—We are producing more garbage every day.
—We need more people to manage sanitation.
One month after "Feiyan Fenghua" opened, the statistics were astonishing. This figure does not include the individual income of Cai Baozi and others, but only the operating income of Feiyan No. 2 Factory.
Direct sales revenue, including clothing customization and finished product sales, amounted to approximately 120,000, of which foreign exchange certificates accounted for as much as 30%, meaning that 40,000 of the 120,000 came from foreign exchange certificates.
Feiyan No. 2 Factory's food sales amounted to approximately 50,000 yuan.
Total sales of food and clothing amounted to 170,000 yuan.
In addition, at the Feiyan Fenghua event, overseas clothing orders exceeding 800,000 yuan were received.
After deducting costs, the net profit for the first month is expected to be no less than 70,000, and approximately 80,000.
"This is pure profit!"
Secretary Li was incredibly excited: "A few years ago, our factory's net profit for most of the year was only seventy or eighty thousand yuan, but now it's one month's profit!"
"Even if the net profit is only 50,000 per month, that's 600,000 per year!"
Six hundred thousand!
Qin Xiangxiang said, "Look how excited you are. This is nothing. People who sell melon seeds earn more than us."
The profit margin of pure textiles is indeed not comparable to that of food retail. Recently, the only company that has made headlines is "Fool's Melon Seeds," or rather, "small melon seed workshops."
At the beginning of this year, the restrictions on family handicraft workshops were lifted, and the fastest way to make money was through this "Fool's Melon Seeds" business. Now, newspapers are discussing whether this "Fool's Melon Seeds" business, which employs more than seven people, can be considered capitalist.
The book says that anyone who employs more than seven workers is a capitalist.
However... does it seem a bit odd to say that someone selling melon seeds is a capitalist? This has led many people to wonder: does a small family workshop employing more than seven people qualify as a capitalist?
The "Fool's Sunflower Seeds" brand is now making a fortune, not just because the seeds are delicious, but because it's famous for its "risky" approach.
The boss isn't afraid of being arrested. He was arrested and imprisoned in the 1960s for speculation and profiteering, but now that he's been released, he started selling melon seeds in 1976 and is doing very well. As long as you don't arrest me, I'll sell them boldly.
It is precisely because of this fame that many people have come to join the fun and buy melon seeds, also to see what "what will become" of this person, like a weather vane.
Even if someone is to be arrested, they will be the first to be targeted. This person hired seven or eight workers to sell melon seeds and did so without any attempt to hide it, which shows that it is safe for him to run a small business on his own.
"Factory manager, we should try to be included in the list of pilot state-owned factory reforms."
Starting at the beginning of the year, state-owned factories began piloting reforms, increasing bonuses and performance-based wages, and expanding the autonomy of factories and enterprises.
The current practice of setting up profit targets is roughly that factories and enterprises operate independently, agreeing to set a base figure each year, which is the annual basic profit target. Any profit exceeding the base figure is retained by the enterprise and used for expanding production, purchasing and importing machinery, building employee and family housing and other factory welfare facilities, and giving bonuses to workers to improve their productivity.
Such pilot units initially started with large state-owned factories such as steel mills.
Light industrial textile factories like Feiyan Textile Factory are waiting in line to become pilot units, and the number of pilot factories is increasing every month.
"Many people are vying to be pilot factories! We should also be pilot factories."
Qin Xiangxiang said, "Don't worry, this is just a pilot program. It will be rolled out sooner or later. It's not a big deal if it's only for a short while."
Qin Xiangxiang also wanted more factory profits to be retained, so that there would be money to build employee and family housing and to increase bonuses, which would greatly increase the enthusiasm for making money.
"However, factory manager, you should try to persuade Ge Dashan, the old master Ge, who is still clinging to that old machine from the Republic of China era."
Secretary Li felt a bit of a headache: "Recently, I read in the newspaper that many foreigners and foreign journalists have come to our state-owned factories to conduct interviews. They discovered that some factories are still using old-fashioned machines from the Republic of China era... This is simply backward! It's embarrassing to be seen in public."
"I'm really afraid that our factory will follow in their footsteps."
In the past, it wasn't a big deal for factories to use these old machines. After all, the machines were hidden in their own factories, and only their own workers knew about them. Who outside would know? It wasn't shameful at all.
Now that we're open to the outside world, people from other countries come to visit our factory and find that we're still using these old machines, which makes us a little embarrassed.
If it gets reported in the newspapers, where will we put our faces?
Secretary Li is now taking precautions even in times of peace. "Right now, the newspapers are reporting on other people, but I'm afraid that one day our factory will also be on that 'shame list'."
"You mean those reports? I've seen them too."
Spurred by these reports, many factories began frantically introducing new machines, fearing they would embarrass themselves.
However, blindly introducing machines at this time also caused a lot of waste, similar to Qin Xiang's dream of purchasing machines.
Many state-owned factories were cheated. Some machines had production voltages that didn't meet domestic standards, rendering them useless scrap metal. Others required specific spare parts, otherwise they were also worthless. Still others were deliberately sold at inflated prices by foreign manufacturers, ripping off unsuspecting buyers.
After reading those reports, Qin Xiangxiang remained calm. "So what if it's an old machine? As long as it still works, it's a good machine. There's nothing shameful about it. Even a textile machine from a thousand years ago can still weave cloth, can't it?"
"The results from our old machines are just as good."
Secretary Li exclaimed, "Oh dear! Then we're doomed! Master Ge is clinging to the old machine and won't let go. And you're encouraging him, Factory Director? Let's put the whole factory on the front page of the 'Reform is a Disgrace' newspaper!"
"Then we'll write that when foreign technicians visit the Feiyan Textile Factory, they find that the machines in the workshop were actually manufactured in 1927! That's fifty years old!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
Secretary Li: "We can't lose face like this, Factory Director. We still have to go out and meet people. Go and persuade Master Ge to get rid of all the old machines from the Republic of China era. After becoming a pilot factory, we can use all the profits from our factory to replace and introduce new machines."
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
Factory Director Qin thought to himself, "You really are crazy. This is simply blindly expanding production."
Secretary Li reads reform reports every day; he's become a bit too radical.
Qin Xiangxiang, on the other hand, was taking it slow and felt there was no need to be too hasty. She thought it best to proceed steadily with the replacement. In addition, dealing with the old machines in the factory was also a problem.
Especially in Feiyan No. 2 Factory, there are veteran workers like Master Ge who regard the old machines as their life's work and simply throw them away. These veteran workers are going against the grain.
We can't just throw it away; there's no room in the workshop, and it's a waste to sell it as scrap metal, plus the experienced workers wouldn't agree to that.
"How about this, Secretary Li, we can clean up those old machines in the workshop and put them directly on the open space next to the street in front of the gate to sunbathe. We can also put up a sign next to them that says 'Historical Relics, Welcome to Take Photos'."
Secretary Li: "??????"
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