In the 1980s, a tide of reform and opening up surged up in the land of China, which is profoundly changing people's life outlook, behavior, and ideological concepts with an irreversible trend...
In the autumn of 1984, Xinhua News Agency issued a message at home and abroad saying that Lu Guoji, the son of Chinese ship king Lu Zuofu, had been allowed to reopen the Minsheng Steamship Company in Chongqing and had sent a fleet of ships to transport goods on the Yangtze River.
This news has received widespread attention at home and abroad, and the news media in various countries have reported on it. People marveled: "The enterprises of the exploiting class, which have always been regarded as deceitful and rudderless, have made a comeback after more than 30 years of silence!" And it's the minsheng company. ”
Lu Guoji
In addition to being amazed, people turned their attention to Lu Guoji, the descendant of the Lu family and the general manager of Minsheng Company.
Of the three sons and two daughters of the old ship king Lu Zuofu, Lu Guoji is the second son, born in August 1923, and has been living in Chongqing, the birthplace of his father's career, since he became an adult.
At this time, Lu Guoji, who was more than a year old man, had a typical image of an old man in Chongqing: he was not tall, only one meter and sixty-five, his sideburns had been dyed white by the years, and the myopic glasses on his thin face made him look even thinner, but the warm, sincere and shrewd eyes behind the lenses could leave an unforgettable impression.
Lu Guoji said that the rebuilt Minsheng Company will gradually restore all of the company's previous jianghai routes and open up to many ports in Southeast Asia and the world. A dusty past of many years has once again come to the sun.
Father and son: Forge ahead
In history, it is not uncommon for sons to inherit their father's business, it is a tradition, passed down from generation to generation. If it were not for the drastic changes of the times, Lu Guoji might have become a capable entrepreneur under the cultivation of his father. However, the changes in society have caused him to deviate from the path of life that originally belonged to him.
Lu Guoji, who graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering of Nanjing Central University, after the founding of New China, was full of the pride of the builders and threw all his body and mind into engineering technology. How many cold summers, springs and autumns have passed away on those endless headless design drawings; how many arduous footprints have been left in the vast mining areas of Tianfu, Nantong, Yongrong, Matsuzao, and Zhongliangshan...
However, such a down-to-earth, hard-working chief engineer of the coal mine, just because he had a father who had been a capitalist, was labeled "bourgeois" and "bourgeois filial piety" in those ten years.
At this time, his father Lu Zuofu had been gone for many years, and Lu Guoji worked hard to support the family's livelihood, and had little to do with his father's business, but he still had to take responsibility for it.
The couple and their second son and daughter only receive 80 yuan a month for living expenses, and the whole family lives in two dark and damp houses in Dayanggou that must also be lit during the day.
Without a kitchen, the aisle became a place for them to cook; the bedrooms were too narrow, and it was expedient to sleep in a makeshift bunk on the ground. The days passed like this day by day, there was no complaint only work, and soon ten years passed, and the sun once again shone on the land of China.
Although the special period is over, the impact has not faded. One day, Lu Guoji saw a novel published by a publishing house called "Whirlpool". The novel is based on Lu Zuofu and creates the image of Lu Zufu, the general manager of the treacherous Chongqing Mincheng Company.
After Reading it, Lu Guoji was indignant and angrily said to his two old classmates who worked in the cultural circles: "Isn't it rehabilitated?" Why is this still the case? ”
Later in that time, people's lives gradually returned to the right track, but the scars that once fell on the body will still faintly hurt, and even today we do not want to mention that past.
People are like this, always tend to remember negative things, because these things can help us to move towards a better life, better life, but these things are also people buried in the heart of the secret, every touch will be difficult to calm down for a long time. Perhaps the author of that novel also experienced something that left a scar in his heart.
In the face of Lu Guoji's anger, the old classmate resolutely said: "You also picked up the pen!" Lu Guoji froze, confused and stuttered: "I--what do you write?" "Just write about your father." The old classmate came up with the idea of attacking poison with poison.
"I write about my father?" Indeed, for Lu Guoji, who uses his pen to paint the blueprint of engineering design, it is undoubtedly a bit difficult to sketch the image of his father with a pen word by word.
But the old classmate said to him: "He has creative freedom, and you also have creative freedom." So he decided to pick up a pen and defend his father.
The wounds of the past are still remembered, but the scars will one day heal, because we live in such a time.
Compared with the past, today's society is really as beautiful as a luxury, and living in such an environment, I believe that any scars will gradually disappear, leaving only the pain of the past to motivate us to forge ahead.
Still in those two huts, Lu Guoji worked day and night to sort out and study the information about his father, and those unforgettable memories became clear again.
Chinese Ship King: Lu Zuofu
Lu Zuofu is a native of Hechuan, Chongqing, with only a primary school education, but he has been studying mathematics and English for decades and has become self-taught. As for why he worked so hard, it was not because of any noble ideal, but because he wanted to gain a foothold and survive, that's all.
Lu Zuofu
Lu Zuofu was born in 1893, when the propaganda of "mastering yi and long skills to control yi" was overwhelming, and countless benevolent people and heroes threw themselves into it to save the survival; but with the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War and the collapse of the Beiyang Navy, the foreign affairs movement came to an end a few years after Lu Zuofu was born.
However, this was only the beginning, and the subsequent Penghu Reform law and the Xinhai Revolution in which Lu Zuofu threw himself into it proved that the Story of China is far from over.
Lu Zuofu experienced earth-shaking changes in the motherland, listened to the rumors of those warriors who saved the country, and witnessed the oppression of the great powers. From an early age, he understood the difficulties of poor people, and how difficult it was to eat and wear warm clothes.
Although he has grown up and worked hard in his life with his own hands, the suffering of the past still occupies Lu Zuofu's vision, always reminding him of what kind of environment he is in. But it is not easy to support your family, but it is not easy to seek a moment of peace, so why talk about saving the survival?
Later, with the outbreak of the May Fourth Movement, Lu Zuofu seemed to see a glimmer of hope, he thought that perhaps there were those brave men who were concerned about China and rushed to the front line, and the bad situation at this time could be improved, and if more people contributed, then a better tomorrow would no longer be an illusion.
So Lu Zuofu took out the family's savings and planned to give it a go.
In 1925, Lu Zuofu founded the Minsheng Company, and it is not difficult to see from the name alone what kind of business this Lu boss wants to do.
Although the company only had one old ship at that time, after all, they broke the situation that only foreign large ships sailed on the Yangtze River, and because of this, the company's employees were not only numerous but also enthusiastic, vowing to fight for the motherland.
But the reality is always cruel, in the cracks between the major powers to survive, so that the Minsheng company was almost destroyed several times, but all of them were supported by Lu Zuofu's painstaking support to overcome the danger, and finally developed into China's largest private steamship company after several twists and turns.
Lu Zuofu's bones were hard and his heart was hot, and he was determined to defend China's sovereignty over inland rivers, announcing to the foreign ships that had always flown high: "All foreign ships entering the Sichuan River must be declared and inspected." ”
The reason why he is full of confidence is not because his family is big, nor because he and the company have made many contributions, but because Lu Zuofu is a Chinese, and the Yangtze River is China's inland river. What if you don't follow China's rules on Chinese soil?
Watching the motherland grow stronger and stronger day by day, this Chinese who has experienced poverty and suffering stands on the bank of the Yangtze River, and his heart is always difficult to calm down.
Lu Zuofu's upright posture is like a lighthouse, watching over the motherland's world, but the distant anti-war flames have not stopped, he knows that the next step is not good, his life is difficult to ensure, but halfway through is not suitable for himself?
There are still many things waiting for Lu Zuofu to complete. As Lu Zuofu's Minsheng Company gradually grew, it supported more and more backbones of Chinese.
Lu Zuofu is patriotic, and so is every employee under him.
In the smoke of the War of Resistance, Lu Zuofu commanded the fleet to transport tens of thousands of Sichuan troops to the front line with a bang, which was really not a competent businessman, but an iron-boned Chinese.
In particular, in the Great Evacuation of Yichang in 1938, Lu Zuofu risked the bombing of enemy aircraft, sat in Yichang to command the rush to transport, and withdrew all the tens of thousands of refugees from Yichang who were piled up on both sides of the strait with military industry, civilian equipment, and crowded streets, creating a miracle of "Dunkelke in Chinese industry."
To this end, 116 employees of minsheng company died heroically, 61 people fell into a body of pain, and dozens of ships were sunk and injured; but in just 40 days, more than 1.5 million people arrived where they should go, and more than 1 million tons of materials were sent to the front line of need, which not only thwarted the japanese conspiracy but also effectively guaranteed the final victory of the War of Resistance.
The efforts of Lu Zuofu and people's livelihood are undoubtedly huge and great, people often say that "there will be a reward for paying", and the returns waiting for them are naturally very important.
In June 1950, Lu Zuofu refused Kojima's invitation to serve as minister of finance and communications, and returned to Beijing from Hong Kong, where he was received twice by Chairman Mao.
At a banquet, Premier Zhou also personally toasted in front of his seat. Once, when Chairman Mao talked about China's national industry, he said that there are 4 people who cannot be forgotten, including "Lu Zuofu, who is engaged in transportation." This shows that his contribution is great and his status is precious, and his name will always be engraved in the history of China.
In 1952, Lu Zuofu passed away, but he was still remembered by the people. Although being wronged and humiliated in the "five antis" caused Lu Zuofu's self-esteem to be strongly hit, and the faith in his heart was shaken, and he ended his life at the age of 59; at the end of his life, Lu Zuofu still worried a lot.
The people's livelihood company he single-handedly founded and operated, the motherland that he did his best, and his family members who are still alive. We don't know what Lu Zuofu experienced during that time, but Minsheng Company suffered a heavy blow at that time, and since then it has been in a slump and disappeared.
The son inherits his father's business, and the 61-year-old Ji Futuo
The more he learned about his father and the more thoroughly he studied, the more Lu Guoji could not suppress his inner feelings, and he wrote down what he wanted in his heart, and after two full years, he finally completed a 220,000-word monograph "My Father Lu Zuofu", which was published by Chongqing Publishing House.
It is said that he used all available time to write the book. In meetings where he was only "cooperative" but did not require him to speak seriously, the speakers talked loudly and loudly.
Seeing that Lu Guoji was fully engrossed and always kept writing, he thought that he was the most diligent recorder of the venue, but in fact, only Lu Guoji himself understood: his heart had long left the venue, and it was a good opportunity for him to write.
But as the book drew to a close, Lu Guoji's heart had only a moment of joy, because he remembered his father as a child, and that tall back was once their brother's yearning.
Although his father left everything and turned away, although forced by the social situation to choose silence; but as Lu Guoji began to write, the former ones came to mind, he saw his former self, and heard his childhood wishes.
People's livelihood has always been a hurdle in Lu Guoji's heart, although he has retired and should enjoy his old age in peace, he does not want to die with this regret. With the stubbornness of the old man, Lu Guoji began his new journey.
At the beginning of 1984, in the boom of developing the Yangtze River, Lu Guoji and some old employees of the former Minsheng Company were also brewing to restore the Minsheng Company.
For some reason, Lu Guoji, in his application report to the relevant agencies, set the name of the company as the Yangtze River or Jialing River, and listed "Minsheng" on the last list for selection. However, the competent authorities have approved the use of the old name "people's livelihood".
So the son took over his father's business at the age of 61, and the "new people's livelihood" was born.
In October 1984, Minsheng officially announced the reconstruction, at that time they only had an office of only 20 square meters, or borrowed from the Chongqing Federation of Industry and Commerce, but from all over the country to apply to join the Minsheng company, many of them are the "old Minsheng" and their children who came to run after hearing the news.
Lu Zuofu's former friends Sun Yueqi and Yan Yangchu also gave enthusiastic support to the cause of the new people's livelihood, and Sun Yueqi personally served as the chairman of the company.
All this made Lu Guoji feel greatly encouraged and made him feel great pressure. He worries that the rebuilt Minsheng Company will not be able to live up to the expectations of the public, and the reputation of the old Minsheng will be destroyed in his own hands.
Therefore, Lu Guoji was exceptionally diligent in his work, did not dare to slacken off at all, and was completely in a state of hot-blooded youth. But after all, Lu Guoji's age is not small, and doing business is almost an unknown field for him, and difficulties are naturally indispensable. But the new people's livelihood is far more than Lu Guoji alone, and they are all as enthusiastic as Lu Guoji, and it is only a matter of time before the people's livelihood is revived.
After several years of arduous development, the efforts finally paid off, Minsheng Company has opened the yangtze River full line shipping and the mainland - Japan - Hong Kong - Singapore route, with a ship tonnage of more than 71,000 tons of lao Minsheng, reaching 90,000 tons, and continue to expand the route to the Americas and Europe.
Minsheng Group not only has its own place in today's world, but also won a lot of praise and trust, and has a full voice in the industry, so strong and prosperous can also be regarded as worthy of expectations.
Later, with the expansion of the new people's livelihood business, Lu Guoji also became more and more of a news figure that attracted worldwide attention. He has been interviewed by Chinese and foreign journalists many times and has also visited abroad many times.
When he visited West Germany in 1986, his meeting with the West German government and economic figures had not yet ended, and Belgium warmly invited him. As soon as Belgian Foreign Minister Tyndmans met, he said: "Minsheng Company is the family business of the Lu family, and now China has returned the company to you!" Tyndmans also said belgium is willing to provide long-term loans to Minsheng.
Such facts are enough to prove that Lu Guoji is a successful industrialist. The secret of his success is that he not only inherits his father's physical characteristics, but also follows his father's principle of "doing things faithfully and sincerely to people" and the purpose of "serving the society and benefiting mankind".
Like his father, he lived a diligent and frugal life, wearing only a cloth Zhongshan suit all year round, just like his father when "your followers are more beautiful than you." ”
His father donated all his part-time income from dozens of positions to education, and was praised by Zhang Qun as "an entrepreneur without modern enjoyment and a tycoon without money."
As the general manager of the new Minsheng Company, Lu Guoji has always received the meager salary when he was an engineering technician, and has always adhered to the principle that "the final meaning of the Minsheng Company is not to help itself, but to help the society".
In addition, he also mingled with his crew like his father, and whenever the fleet of distant voyages returned, he always personally went to pick up the ship, visited the crew on the ship, and talked to them;
Like my father, I tried my best to personally inquire about everything in detail, and all the letters to him were always handled personally, and the pen was repeated, and even before the tabloids run by the company were issued, they also carefully reviewed and proofread, even the punctuation marks;
Like his father, he puts service to society and the efficiency and quality of service above the profitability of the company, and generously gives Free shipping of giraffes from Chongqing to Japan, preferring to let the ship go empty than be led by kickbacks;
The new "people's livelihood" development strategy is also the same as the old "people's livelihood" has followed, and Lu Guoji is also walking on the old road of his father Lu Zuofu.
Lu Guoji took the economic service for his hometown and the southwest as the base point of the company's development, first developing inland shipping, then developing to the sea, first doing shipping, and then opening up industry and trade...
As the saying goes: Thirty and standing, but Lu Guoji's shipping career began at the age of 61, which can be described as a late success.
This was something he had not expected. He often stood on the dock and looked forward to the vast Yangtze River, praying in his heart that his people's livelihood could continue his father's route forever and continue his dreams...
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