manynovel Chapter 383 Reform and Opening Up
Chapter 383 Reform and Opening Up
Foshan, early spring of 1981.
Negotiations at the food factory went much more smoothly than in Shanghai. The factory manager, surnamed Zhao, was a pragmatist. His first words upon meeting were: "Mr. Lin, our factory's biggest problem right now is that our products can't be shipped out. The warehouse is full of canned goods, but the export company's quota is limited, and we can't sell them."
Lin San's proposal was simple and direct: after the joint venture, the Lin family would purchase 70% of the products, which would then be re-exported to Southeast Asia via Hong Kong. In exchange, the factory would introduce a brand-new vacuum packaging production line.
"The equipment was upgraded from our Penang base, but it's very well maintained and its accuracy fully meets the standards." Lin Sanrang's assistant opened a photo of the equipment. "The price, calculated based on depreciation, is only 40% of the price of new equipment."
Factory Director Zhao carefully examined the photos and then reviewed the technical specifications. "This equipment...can it handle vacuum packaging of meat?"
"It's specially optimized for meat," Lin San said. "In addition, we can send two key technical personnel to Germany every year to study the latest food preservation technologies. We cover the expenses."
Factory Director Zhao's eyes lit up. "Germany?"
"There's a food machinery research institute in Stuttgart that we're collaborating on," Lin San added. "But there's a condition—those who go there have to sign an eight-year service contract and must return to work at the joint venture factory after completing their training."
"Of course! Of course!" Director Zhao nodded repeatedly. "The country nurtured us, so of course we should come back to serve."
The contract terms were quickly finalized. Lin San gave up a portion of the profits in exchange for complete control over the export channels and the right to decide on equipment procurement—future equipment upgrades would require Lin's approval.
March, Hong Kong Foundation Office.
Professor Chen personally approved the first batch of candidates for the "Overseas Training Program for Young Teachers." There were twenty people, their files spread out on the table.
Lin San stood by. Old Chen's finger hovered over a file.
"This lecturer Zhang from Tsinghua University researches semiconductor materials... His mentor is a student of Professor Wang Shouwu." Professor Chen raised his eyes. "Professor Wang is now a leading figure at the Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This lecturer Zhang is a promising talent that they are focusing on cultivating."
Then I flipped to another document: "This Associate Professor Li from Shanghai Jiaotong University works in automatic control. His wife's family is from Factory 714 in Nanjing, where they work on radar."
Lin San listened quietly. The foundation's people had already explored these networks, but what Old Chen pointed out was a deeper academic lineage and military background.
"Old Chen thinks these candidates..."
"Good choice." Old Chen took off his glasses. "They're all capable people who can get things done and will have a voice in the future. However..."
He paused for a moment: "Sending people out is easy, but bringing them back is difficult. There are so many temptations out there now. If someone doesn't want to come back, our foundation will become a laughing stock."
"So we have to do the work beforehand," Lin San said. "During their studies, we will arrange for them to visit some of our overseas collaborative laboratories—the Microelectronics Centre in Singapore and the Robotics Institute at Texas A&M University. Let them see what truly advanced technology looks like, but more importantly, let them see what position Chinese scientists can achieve in these laboratories."
Old Chen looked at him: "You're... using psychological tactics?"
"It's a kind of hope," Lin San said. "It lets people know that as long as you have real skills, you can make a name for yourself anywhere. But if you go out to work for foreigners, you'll only be used as a pawn. Coming back means building your own business."
Mr. Chen remained silent for a long time before finally signing the list.
June, Shenzhen.
The sign for "Lin's Technical Consulting and Training Center" was quietly hung next to the representative office. The storefront was still small, with three offices and a small classroom inside.
All six consultants in the first batch were in place. Lin San interviewed the last one—a 56-year-old Chinese-American mechanical engineer surnamed Cheng, who had previously worked at HP for 20 years.
The interview was held in a small conference room at the center. Lin San didn't ask many questions about the resume, only one:
"Engineer Cheng, if you go to a factory in China to provide technical guidance in the future and see obvious design flaws in their equipment drawings, but the other party's leader insists there's no problem, would you dare to point them out to their face?"
Engineer Cheng had gray hair and spoke with a Jiangzhe accent.
"Mr. Lin, I left Shanghai for the United States when I was sixteen. I rose from apprentice to senior engineer by relying on one thing: if the blueprints are wrong, they are wrong; machines don't lie." He said calmly, "If I see a problem and don't speak up, the machine will break down, the factory will lose money, and it won't just be me who loses face, but all Chinese engineers."
Lin San stood up and extended his hand. "We would like to appoint you as the center's chief advisor."
September, Guangzhou.
The first order came in. A Guangzhou television factory imported an American production line. The American engineers spent two months debugging it, but there were still problems. However, the American side insisted that it was due to improper operation by the Chinese side.
Factory manager Lao Lü, having used his connections, contacted the Shenzhen center, his lips chapped with anxiety. "Mr. Lin, could you send someone to take a look? Stopping the production line for even a day is a huge loss!"
Engineer Cheng led the team over, and the three consultants spent three days in the workshop. They brought their own testing equipment from Hong Kong, testing section by section and checking parameter by parameter.
On the afternoon of the third day, Engineer Cheng placed a 27-page report on the table in front of the American engineers and the Chinese engineers.
His tone was calm, but every sentence was supported by data. "According to our inspection, the production line has 27 issues that do not comply with the technical appendix of the contract. These include conveyor belt speed deviation exceeding ±3%, welding temperature curve not reaching the set value, and the image recognition rate of the inspection station being only 82%, lower than the 95% stipulated in the contract."
The American engineer looked grim and tried to argue. Engineer Cheng immediately pulled up the waveform data recorded by the instrument and compared them frame by frame.
"The data is here. If you believe there is a problem with our testing methods, you can request a third-party organization to review them."
Factory Director Lü's hands trembled as he held the report. The next day, he led a team to negotiate with the American side, ultimately retaining 5% of the final payment and demanding that the American side provide a year's worth of spare key components free of charge.
The news quietly spread throughout the industrial circles of the Pearl River Delta. By the end of the year, the center had received consultation requests scheduled for the next six months. Some wanted to import equipment but were afraid of being ripped off, some had broken down and couldn't find anyone to repair it, and others wanted to improve their processes but didn't know where to start.
After completing each project, Engineer Cheng would write a detailed industry observation report, which would not only discuss technical issues but also analyze the factory's management level, worker quality, and upstream and downstream support. These reports would be compiled into a thick stack each month and delivered to Lin San's desk.
In December, night falls in Hong Kong.
Lin Er stood by the office window, the lights of Victoria Harbour reflected on the glass. Spread out on the desk was the year-end summary:
Two joint venture factories are under construction, and the foundations have been laid.
The foundation sent out twenty "seeds" who may become future academic leaders.
The technology center has established a reputation for "professionalism and outspokenness" in the industrial circle of South China.
Old Zhou from Beijing sent over a more detailed personnel chart of the ministries, and even began to mark the "preferences" and "concerns" of certain key figures.
the phone is ringing.
It was Lin Yi calling from Penang.
"Young Master has emerged from seclusion." Lin Yi's voice came through the receiver, sounding somewhat distant. "He just asked about things on the mainland."
Lin Er looked out the window: "The roots have already taken hold. The soil is very firm."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
"Next year," Lin Yi said, "it should sprout."
Lin Er hung up the phone. The vast land on the other side of the river was sleeping in the night, and what the Lin family had to do was to be the first tree to touch the sunlight.