[Preface]
In the history of our country, there have been countless heroes, all of whom are people with lofty ideals who love the country and their families, and they are worthy of our admiration and learning.
Since childhood, when you are studying modern history, some friends may think that war is too far away from us, and think that there will be no war in peacetime.
As everyone knows, even in this seemingly stable environment, there are still a group of people who have silently contributed to the development of the country, and even dedicated their lives.
The textbook sums up the war in only six words, "if you are backward, you will be beaten", and today, this sentence is still applicable, since ancient times, our country's land area and sea area are very large, and sea power is indispensable.
Especially such a big guy as an aircraft carrier is a symbol of a strong country, and the delivery time of the first aircraft carrier in our country is only twelve years from now.
At the time of delivery, everyone was cheering for the progress of the country's naval strength, but almost no one knew that in order to bring back this aircraft carrier, there was a businessman named Xu Zengping, who almost lost his wealth before returning safely.
So, why did Xu Zengping spend so much effort to buy back an aircraft carrier?
A businessman who cares about the motherland
Xu Zengping is an authentic Shandong man, born in the early fifties of the last century, and has seen the scene of industrial development, so that he has a strong will to build the motherland in his heart.
When Xu Zengping was seventeen years old, he became a soldier as he wished, and received the education that a soldier should receive in the army, and even if he was discharged from the army later, his heart was full of the spirit of dedication to the motherland at any time.
He always wanted to look for opportunities to help the motherland and make some contributions, at first he didn't have much money, but he saw the rapid development of coastal cities, so in 1988, he took his wife "away" to Hong Kong.
Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared, but the language in Shandong is very different from that in Hong Kong, so in the first year of coming to Hong Kong, Xu Zengping was still very anxious.
Fortunately, the couple was lucky, and in the second year, they happened to encounter the property market drop in Hong Kong, and they quickly took out all their savings, and borrowed a huge amount of money from the bank to buy a lot of land in the Causeway Bay area.
I have to say that Xu Zengping is very discerning, and the land he bought has all appreciated in the follow-up, laying the foundation for the follow-up purchase of the Varyag.
However, after all, the aircraft carrier is an important weapon of the country, and the price must be hundreds of times more expensive than the land.
The value has risen a lot, the company is involved in a wider range of fields, Xu Zengping's heart to pay for the country is also growing day by day, and the opportunity is soon in front of him.
When he was reading the newspaper, he saw the news that the Varyag was going to be sold, and it happened that our country did not have an aircraft carrier at that time, and Xu Zengping wanted to buy this aircraft carrier and give it to the country.
After all, it was an aircraft carrier, and the international environment at that time was relatively complicated, so Ukraine said that it would not sell to the country, but only to individuals, and if it was sold to the country, it would increase the strength of other countries if it was not careful, which was obviously more than worth the loss.
Therefore, Xu Zengping set up an entertainment company in Macau, under the banner of entertainment, to avoid the "surveillance" of other countries, it can be said that at this time, Xu Zengping was ready to put all his family property together, and he was also determined to win the aircraft carrier.
So, did Xu Zengping go well in the process of purchasing an aircraft carrier?
Fight all and take the aircraft carrier
Although it is said that the purchase of aircraft carriers by individuals has almost never happened, since he is ready to buy it, it is a business, and it can be discussed, so every time he goes to Ukraine, he will bring some Chinese specialties with him more or less.
At first, the locals were still a little resistant to it, but after more times, the attitude of the locals has also improved significantly, reminiscent of before the collapse of the Soviet Union, they all like to drink, Xu Zengping also specially brought the second pot head.
Let the locals taste Chinese characteristics, after all, drinking wine is a friend, Xu Zengping's face work was not done in vain, after many times "listening" to the news, the local person in charge said that if you want to take the aircraft carrier away, you must have bank credentials to prove that you have sufficient funds.
After knowing the news, Xu Zengping could be said to be "worried", because all his liquidity added up to only more than five million US dollars, which was too much, so Xu Zengping began to prepare money.
He sold all the assets he could sell, and mortgaged the land he had bought in Peng Chau to the bank, obtaining more than 300 million yuan, and the bank also fully cooperated when it learned what the money was going to do.
Not only Xu Zengping, but also other wealthy businessmen in Hong Kong, after learning that Xu Zengping was short of money, they also extended a helping hand, and he did not need to provide a guarantee, Xu Zengping, who was supported by all walks of life, did not live up to everyone's expectations, and in March 1999, he successfully won the Varyag.
When the contract was signed, the price was set at 20 million US dollars, and just after all the contracts were signed, when we were ready to return home to give this gift to the country, things changed, and Turkey stepped in and extended the time for us to get the aircraft carrier for many years.
So, what did Turkey do?
Turkey's "banditry"
As we mentioned earlier, the aircraft carrier was acquired in 1999, but it only returned to China in March 2002.
Actually, no, when passing through a strait in Turkey, the locals believed that the Varyag's hull was too large and could affect the surrounding buildings.
Because it is something purchased by individuals, even if the state knows about it, it cannot interfere too much, and the person who bought the aircraft carrier can only communicate with the locals.
During this time, the Varyag was always parked in the port, and every month the locals had to pay a huge amount of money for maintenance and "docking fees", as well as a large fine.
What could have been done for 20 million, plus bits and pieces, actually reached 100 million US dollars, which far exceeded Xu Zengping's ability, so that he woke up every day either on the way to borrow money or on the way to negotiate.
The turning point came in 2001, with the advent of the new century, our country's economic development was rapid, and it happened that the earthwork needed a large amount of foreign exchange, so we wanted to attract a group of tourists from China to visit the local area.
It just so happened that we mentioned the Varyag, and when the Turkish side heard it, they said that they could let it go, and finally after all kinds of difficulties and obstacles, the Varyag came to our country and became our 001 aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
But after a long period of pulling, Xu Zengping was no longer able to maintain the identity of a wealthy businessman, and after sending the Varyag to the state, Xu Zengping also declared bankruptcy.
However, to make such a great contribution to the country, the country will certainly not sit idly by, with the support of the state, Xu Zengping's company has been given the opportunity to "come back to life".
With the help of the state and his own wisdom, he earned back all the money he had spent before, paid off the debts he owed, and in May 2022, he became the honorary president of the Guangdong National Defense Science and Technology Industry Promotion Association.
Xu Zengping's story continues, and it also inspires many people to maintain an optimistic attitude in the face of adversity, before the Liaoning ship officially appeared in front of the public, his family was invited to visit the Liaoning ship, and was also given a model of the Liaoning ship, even now, it is also preserved intact.
So, what is the significance of the Varyag for the development of the maritime power of our country?
The meaning of buying an aircraft carrier
In 1985, the construction of the Varyag began, and the Soviet Union allocated a large amount of money for the development of the military field, of which the construction of aircraft carriers was the largest.
On the other hand, our country was unable to complete the independent development of aircraft carriers due to lack of technology at that time, but it was basically impossible for us to buy this kind of important weapon from other countries, especially at that time, the United States regarded us as a thorn in its side.
They can't wait for us to buy it, so the aircraft carrier that Xu Zengping gave to the country has brought great significance to our country, although this aircraft carrier is still nearly half of it is completed.
The arrival of the Varyag has stimulated the strong enthusiasm of our country's technicians, who have tried their best to improve their manufacturing level, but fortunately, the hard work has paid off, and after years of hard work, our steelmaking level has also reached the forefront of the world.
For the transformation of the Varyag, a major problem was solved, from the Varyag, we not only successfully transformed a new aircraft carrier, but also made a huge technological breakthrough in just a few years.
For example, our Shandong and Fujian ships are both aircraft carriers that we have independently developed by drawing on experience, and these deeds are all demonstrating our country's maritime power, which should not be underestimated.
Although at the very beginning, the arrival of the Varyag brought a certain degree of shock to our country, but in the end, such a shock turned into a driving force for us to move forward, and greatly promoted our progress in the construction of aircraft carriers.
And the origin of all this started from Xu Zengping's determination to repay the motherland, and the motherland will not forget anyone who has contributed to development, and I wish Xu Zengping's career to be better and better.
epilogue
No matter when, when the country is strong, the people can live a better life, and it is enough to make some contributions to the country within our ability.
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END
Resources
News Network of the Communist Party of China - "How the "Varyag" Came to China
People's Daily Online - "Hong Kong businessmen reveal the secret of the Liaoning ship coming to China: bring 50 bottles of Erguotou to Ukraine for negotiation"
Observer.com - "The Indispensable Story of Liaoning and Hong Kong Xu Zengping: The Aircraft Carrier Dreams Come True and Hong Kong Has Meritorious"