Chapter 320: The Crown Sedan "Echoes of Spruce" won an award!! ...
In order to make money as soon as possible—to earn foreign exchange, Qin Xiangxiang arranged for people to act quickly, and the special economic zone also provided special channels for them to build factories quickly at "special economic zone speed".
Various procedures can proceed slowly, but construction must be accelerated.
The special economic zone's red slogan reads: "Time is money, efficiency is life."
Although all procedures have not been completed, this 100-acre coastal industrial land already belongs to Feiyan Textile Factory. Before building the factory, the land must first be cleared and planned.
This land is located by the sea and is mostly wasteland, but there are some buildings remaining. Liu Zhiyuan and others surveyed it and said there was an "abandoned small dock," which was once used for ship maintenance and repair. It is unknown when it was built, but it has been abandoned ever since.
Liu Zhiyuan and his team found some scrapped machinery in the abandoned shipyard, including two scrapped imported industrial sewing machines. Jiang Dayou and his team tentatively repaired them and discovered that they were still usable!
"Factory manager, this...this is an antique from before World War II! It's from the Republic of China era!"
"This thing is from the 1920s or 30s, damn it, it still works! It must be 50 or 60 years old!"
...
Qin Xiangxiang stared speechlessly at the old-fashioned industrial sewing machine. It was a bit funny that she had found such an old machine in the middle of a wasteland. Did this mean that Qin Xiangxiang had an inextricable connection with textiles?
"Factory manager, this machine is really good. Look at the stitches it produces, look, look, so exquisite!" As a military wife, Chen Lu's sewing skills were just so-so. She was only trying to mend clothes on the spot with this old machine, but she found that the stitches produced by this old and broken sewing machine were exquisite and strong, far superior to other sewing machines.
Qin Xiangxiang stepped forward to test the machine and was astonished to find: "This machine...this machine must be an accident, right?"
Surprisingly, these old antiques from the Republic of China era are still quite useful. Even modern industrial sewing machines might not be able to match the exquisite craftsmanship of these two discarded machines.
It is suitable for producing high-end custom clothing, especially retro styles.
"I got two machines for free, not a bad deal. Let's see if there's any other junk we can use."
...
Such opportunities to get something for free are rare. There aren't many good things waiting for Qin Xiangxiang. As Qin Xiangxiang strolled around the coastal land, she suddenly noticed that the scenery behind the construction site was very beautiful: blue sky, white clouds, the sea, and ships. If a sea-view house were built, it would be a very beautiful and aesthetically pleasing building.
Of course not. Anyone who grew up by the sea knows that the living experience in a sea-view room is generally not that great.
However, if a stage were set up here in the future, and people wore Feiyan Textile Factory's ready-made clothes and took photos on this stage, it would be a great backdrop for showcasing the clothing.
Qin Xiangxiang, Wang Youyou, and the leaders of the Special Economic Zone Management Committee jointly formulated a construction schedule plan for the Feiyan Textile Factory's branch in the Special Economic Zone. The Special Economic Zone emphasized "speed and efficiency," and the initial plan was to complete construction and put the factory into operation within one year.
In the first three months, we completed the land transfer, detailed planning and design, and also found a construction company and drew up construction drawings. On the other hand, we selected textile factory machinery and pre-ordered imported machinery and equipment.
After completing the basic preparatory work in the first three months, the formal construction of the main production area began, with the first major buildings such as factories, office buildings, staff dormitories, and canteens being completed.
This took about five months, which was faster than the previous Feiyan Textile Factory on the island, because there was no shortage of building materials in the special economic zone, and there was no hurdle to building materials. On the contrary, a lot of affordable building materials could be purchased.
Qin Xiangxiang planned to have Chen Jianshe, a veteran, form a construction team led by veterans to be responsible for the basic construction of the Feiyan Textile Factory.
In addition, the special economic zone has its own unique characteristics—three shifts and 24-hour uninterrupted construction, which is known as the "Shenzhen speed".
The basic construction of 100 acres of land can be completed in about five months. This speed is very impressive, but it is commonplace in this special economic zone.
Every day, people ride their bicycles past this slogan: "Time is money, efficiency is life."
It's as if everyone is urging each other to speed up construction, create a better life, earn more money, and live a better life with their families.
After spending about eight months completing the construction of the main production area, the next step was the long process of debugging the machines—something that Qin Xiangxiang had racked her brains over when the Feiyan Textile Factory was first built.
However, the current Factory Director Qin is no longer the same Factory Director Qin he once was.
"We have plenty of technical backbone personnel at Feiyan Textile Factory."
In the early days of starting the business, it was a tough journey. Qin Xiangxiang himself went up to debug the machines. Now, ten years later, Feiyan Textile Factory has a large number of technical backbones and can directly draw hundreds of technical workers from the first and second factories to debug the machines.
Jiang Dayou: "Factory manager, our transportation team has now become familiar with the process of importing equipment to the port, including customs clearance, and will transport the machines to Shekou Industrial Zone as quickly as possible."
"Next year, our transport fleet will have even more vehicles..."
The transportation of machinery and equipment, plus the debugging of equipment, is planned to be completed in about two months. So, the total time is ten months.
Finally, there will be trial production, which will last for one or two months, with formal production expected by the end of 1983.
If construction and production can be completed and put into operation within ten months, this will be a speed that will shock the whole country.
"During construction, the factory offices here in the special economic zone couldn't close; they had to take orders in advance..."
...
After completing the factory construction planning, Qin Xiangxiang was most concerned about her "imported car" quota. At this time, she had an import car quota catalog in her hand. In 1982, there were very few models to choose from... With the recommendation of Jiang Dayou and others, Qin Xiangxiang finally chose an imported fifth-generation Crown.
This Crown car has a square and imposing design, an elegant appearance, and reliable performance. It is a common official vehicle for many senior officials and corporate executives, and it is also in line with her status as the director of a state-owned factory.
And it's "economical and durable" with a low failure rate. Sigh... we're still in a tough time, so let's choose this one.
At that time, in Hong Kong and Macau, the Crown car was synonymous with the vehicle of choice for high-ranking executives. Although not necessarily ostentatious, it was still a symbol of power (or authority).
When the car pulled up to the office window of Feiyan Textile Factory, everyone at Feiyan Market was in an uproar. Car enthusiasts like Jiang Dayou were eager to get into their "beloved car."
"Director Qin, please get in, I'll drive, I'll drive!"
"I'll drive! I'll be the factory manager's personal driver!"
"I'm the safest driver, I'll drive!"
...
This car features a dark green metallic paint, a dark gold finish often used on high-end executive vehicles. This type of paint was extremely rare even in the 1980s and is very beautiful. The interior features high-end velvet seats, an electronic digital instrument panel, and is equipped with power windows, air conditioning, and a cassette player.
These features are quite impressive for people in China.
"The cassette player can play songs!"
Qin Xiangxiang got into the back seat of the car, and Jiang Dayou drove her around for a couple of laps. Even in the special economic zone, they were incredibly stylish and attracted a lot of attention!
At least we got this car, so it's not a bad deal.
Qin Xiangxiang rested her chin on her hand, looking at the scenery outside the window. She thought about how, in order to get an imported car, she ended up creating a 100-acre industrial park in the special economic zone with an investment cost of five million yuan.
Her lips twitched. "Who would believe that if I told them..."
A chain reaction triggered by a car.
Now that the imported car has arrived, Qin Xiangxiang's biggest problem is how to transport it back to Shanghai. How can she drive it directly from Shenzhen to Shanghai? She'd probably die on the road.
The journey is nearly 1,500 kilometers, and I don't know if I'll run into highway robbers. These days, it's all about "I planted this tree, I opened this road, if you want to pass, leave your toll..."
In many places, an entire village would come out to rob people.
"I need to find a reliable cargo ship to transport my car back to Shanghai Port."
In December, at the end of 1982, with the help of the local authorities in the special economic zone, Qin Xiangxiang found a coastal cargo ship to secure the imported car in the safest cabin and transport it back to Shanghai.
This car also had a temporary license plate from Guangdong Province.
After several days of sailing, the car arrived at the port of Shanghai. Qin Xiang asked Li Jianzhi to help her pick up the car, while she herself would arrive in Shanghai a few days later.
When the car drove into Fuxing West Road and stopped in front of the garden villa, the whole street was in an uproar.
"My God, an imported sedan?"
"Director Qin's new official car?"
...
It was already the end of December when Qin Xiangxiang chose to fly back. As soon as she got off the plane, she was hit by the cold and dampness of Shanghai and shivered.
She's been away for far too long! This is the first time in over a decade that she's been separated from her husband and children for so long, and she misses them terribly.
This trip to the special economic zone for inspection was truly endless.
"Mommy! Mommy!"
"Mom! You're finally back!"
"Mom, I have great news! 'Echoes of Spruce' has won an award!!!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "Echoes of Spruce? What is that?"
"The Mao Dun Literature Prize!"
"Mom, don't you know?"
Qin Xiangxiang thought of Xue Jianjun, who was admitted to Peking University and once wrote about pig farming and philosophical speculation.
No way...
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