Behind Zhao Anji's unfortunate death, the legend and pathos of the times of the first Chinese in the United States

Author丨Xiong Jianhui

华商韬略出品丨ID:hstl8888

On February 12, Angela Chao, chairman and CEO of Foremost Group, a large American shipping company, died in a car accident at the age of 50.

Mr. Zhao Xicheng, the 96-year-old founder of Fumao Group and the "Chinese Ship King", expressed his strong grief over the loss of his beloved daughter in a statement, "The loss of her is something we never thought of."

▲The Asian American Foundation released an obituary

The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) sent a message of condolences: "As one of the founding members of the Asian American Foundation and co-chair of the Foundation's Advisory Board, Angie has left an indelible mark on the Asian American Foundation and the AAPI community by guiding our work with deep values, strategic vision, and an unwavering commitment to the AAPI community. ”

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy also said, "Angie is a trailblazer in the shipping industry and a true friend of our academy. ”

In 2015, together with his father Mr. Zhao Xicheng and his eldest sister Elaine Chao (former U.S. Secretary of Labor and Transportation), he visited Peking University at the invitation of China Business Towers and delivered a speech as a keynote speaker at the "PKU Speech Chinese Business Hall of Fame".

In her speech, she said that one of her missions is to serve as a bridge between China and the West, especially between China and the United States, to enhance communication and understanding between each other, especially to enhance the understanding of China between the United States and the West, so that everyone can see a more real China.

Over the past few years, Zhao Anji, who is the youngest daughter of her father but the only successor of Fumao's business, has also practiced this goal with her father from business, charity and culture.

Zhao Anji's unexpected death is also a loss for Sino-US exchanges and cooperation, which are already more challenging.

For ordinary people, Fumao Group may be a very unfamiliar existence.

For China's shipbuilding industry, "Fumao" is a thunderous name.

November 9, 2006, Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Beijing.

The signing ceremony between "China Shipbuilding" and "American Fumao" was held here.

This time, Fumao purchased four Capesize bulk carriers from "China Shipbuilding" in one go; coupled with the accumulation since 2002, "China Shipbuilding" has obtained super orders for eight Capesize bulk carriers from Fumao alone, with a total tonnage of up to 1.4 million tons.

1.4 million tons, what is the concept?

In simple terms, it is equivalent to 14 "Ford-class" super aircraft carriers.

So far, Fumao has become the largest customer of China's ship exports to the United States.

However, Fumao's greater contribution to China's shipbuilding industry is still the key support at a time when China's shipbuilding industry is in decline.

Fumao is one of the first Western shipping companies to purchase ocean-going ships from China, which not only supports the development of China's shipbuilding industry with real money, but more importantly, conveys trust and confidence in China's shipbuilding industry to the world.

Some of the iconic moments include:

In 1987, when the global shipping and shipbuilding industry was in a bleak storm, Zhao Xicheng, the founder of Fumao, resolutely decided to deliver the order of two 64,000-ton bulk carriers, "Xinmei" and "Yuemei", to Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard.

It's a real send-off.

At the celebration dinner delivered by the "Yuemei" that year, the one who delivered a speech on behalf of the shipowner was Zhao Anji, the youngest daughter who was only 15 years old and wearing a small flower dress.

When China's shipbuilding industry has gone global, every time the shipbuilding industry is in a downward cycle, and the global ship orders are facing fierce competition from shipbuilding powers such as South Korea, Fumao Group will still not hesitate to throw huge orders to China's shipbuilding industry.

For example, in 2002, the global shipbuilding industry declined again, and China's shipbuilding industry was on the verge of an abyss, but Zhao Xicheng once again placed an order against the market and ordered 12 175,000-ton Cape of Good Hope large bulk carriers from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipyard, and later renewed several 206,000-ton similar cargo ships.

According to general business logic, Zhao Xicheng's move is tantamount to a big gamble, and Zhao Anji once questioned his father's approach.

The answer given by my father was: "There are always ups and downs in the market, but a long-term friendly partnership is far more than mere interests, it is an eternal friend, not an ordinary business, and it should be premised on the creation of a long-term mutually beneficial foundation." ”

Later, Zhao Anji, who took over Fumao, remembered and inherited this.

In January 2024, half a month before Zhao Anji's car accident, Fumao issued a large order for four 82,000 dwt methanol dual-fuel bulk carriers to "CSSC Chengxi" (a subsidiary of "China Shipbuilding"), with a transaction value of 168 million US dollars.

Clarkson data shows that at present, Fumao Group's fleet has 31 giant bulk carriers, of which 21 are made in China, accounting for more than two-thirds.

Such long-term, affectionate and firm support has made Fumao Group not only an "old friend" of China's shipbuilding industry, but also a guest of national leaders. Its righteous action has been recorded in the history of China's shipbuilding industry.

It is worth mentioning that Zhao Xicheng specifically mentioned in 2006 when he was interviewed by Chinese businessmen Taoluo that he took the lead in buying ships from China when the West was still deeply suspicious of China's shipbuilding quality, which was of course out of support for his ancestral country, but more importantly, he firmly believed:

As long as China adheres to the reform and opening up and economic construction as the center, with the hard work and wisdom of the Chinese, China will certainly develop into one of the most powerful economies in the world at a high speed, and China's shipbuilding industry will certainly become strong, and it is fully qualified to become the world's largest shipbuilding power.

Today, China's shipbuilding industry has ranked first in the world for 14 consecutive years.

The influence of the Zhao family, including its influence and contribution to China and the United States, is more than shipbuilding and shipping.

The real highlight and glory of the Zhao Xicheng family is not in the shipping industry.

The first Chinese-American family in U.S. history to have a member of the cabinet is the key to their real attention. It is also because of this that the Zhao Xicheng family has become the first Chinese American in the minds of many people.

But the starting point of all this is quite small.

Zhao Xicheng is a self-made shipping giant. Born in Jiading, Shanghai in 1928, he was admitted to Shanghai Jiao Tong University at the age of 18, majoring in navigation, and became the youngest ocean-going captain in China at the age of 30.

During this period, Zhao Xicheng and his wife Zhu Mulan married and immigrated, and after experiencing the hardships of "unfortunately there is no rickshaw in the United States, otherwise I would even pull the rickshaw", he founded Fumao Group in New York, USA in 1964.

At the beginning of the business, there were hundreds of shipping companies in New York, and the competition was fierce, and Fumao was just a small business that could not be found in the phone book, but Zhao Xicheng started from being a shipping agent, little by little accumulation and breakthrough, and finally seized the opportunity of the United States to promote economic globalization and the great development of global trade, and developed Fumao into one of the mainstream enterprises in the American shipping industry.

As a result, Zhao Xicheng was also known as the "Chinese Boat King" and became a successful model of American immigration.

But what Zhao Xicheng and his wife are most proud of is not the success of their business, but the education of the next generation, and most of the outside world respects and admires the two.

Zhao Xicheng has six daughters, known as the "Six Golden Flowers", all of whom are from prestigious American schools.

The eldest daughter, Zhao Xiaolan, the third daughter, Zhao Xiaomei, the fifth daughter, Zhao Xiaoting, and the youngest daughter, Zhao Anji, all have a master's degree from Harvard; the second daughter, Zhao Xiaoqin, holds a master's degree from the College of William and Mary; and the fourth daughter, Zhao Xiaofu, has a doctorate in law from Columbia University.

In addition to the "All Ivy League", the "Six Golden Flowers" are also extremely successful in their careers.

Among them, the most representative is the eldest daughter Elaine Chao, who has served as the US Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Transportation, and is the first Chinese American in American history to enter the cabinet, and is the light of the Chinese who rewrote Chinese history and American history.

Because of his good godson, former US President George H.W. Bush even specifically instructed his wife Barbara to learn from Zhao Xicheng's wife, Zhu Mulan.

Zhu Mulan governs the family and educates, emphasizing the combination of Chinese and Western, and everything starts from the details.

"The dowry we give to our daughters is not money, but education. ”

For example, every daughter requires self-management, such as setting the alarm clock before going to bed, getting up on time, going to school on time, and other trivial tasks, all of which are set rules, look at the results, and never overstep their responsibilities.

Once the parents invite guests, the Zhao family has become the most traditional Chinese family: the daughters only see guests, do not serve the table, but also serve the guests, add food, and do a good job.

Zhu Mulan believes that greeting good guests is to teach children the truth of dealing with others in practice.

The general principle is to love but not coquettish, strict but not harsh.

Even the youngest and favorite daughter, Zhao Anji, refused to "give the green light".

When he was in the fourth grade, Zhao Anji suddenly became obsessed with the French horn. For this "three-minute enthusiasm", Zhu Mulan did not suppress it, but said solemnly, as long as you like it, we will support it, but it is not allowed to give up halfway, "at least for a year".

Zhao Anji agreed, but soon regretted it. At the age of 10, she picked up a French horn about her height every day and ran between school and home before she found herself in big trouble.

She wanted to "break the contract", but the "family rules" were difficult to violate, and she had to grit her teeth and persist for a year before she got rid of the funny scene of "the villain carrying the tuba".

And once she encounters difficulties, Zhu Mulan will not hesitate to encourage her daughters, "To fight with others, but also with yourself, to fight for equality, for independence, not to give up, not to give in." What men can do, women can do too, and do better."

More importantly, Zhao Xicheng and Zhu Mulan both gave the children the greatest ambition and confidence encouragement.

Zhao Xicheng once recalled in a visit to Chinese businessman Taoluo that Chao Xiaolan had great ambitions to become a big man since she was a child, and their encouragement to her was:

"You weren't born in the United States, so you can't be president, but you can be a minister. ”

There is a recognized evaluation of the little sister Zhao Anji and the sisters of the Zhao family:

The father gave birth to six daughters in a row, until the last one, and waited for his successor. ”

In the memory of his father, Zhao Xicheng, Zhao Anji was very interested in shipping since he was a child: "When she brought her daughter to work in the company, she was always curious, showing a pleasantly precocious and strong desire to learn. ”

In the heart of the eldest sister Zhao Xiaolan, the little sister Zhao Anji is also the smartest and most capable sister.

▲Zhao Anji's Harvard graduation ceremony The four Harvard graduates of the Zhao family are Zhao Xiaolan (second from right), Zhao Xiaomei (first from right), Zhao Xiaoting (second from left), and Zhao Anji (third from left)

Anji completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard University in just three years, and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

During her studies at Harvard Business School, Angela Zhao further studied the shipping industry and established her expertise, and her "Case Study on Shipping Finance in the Marine Transportation Industry" was included in the Business School's "Financial Case Studies" series and was designated for study.

After graduating from college, Zhao did not immediately return to the family business, but went to work in the merger and procurement department of Smith Barney of Citigroup.

It was not until 1996 that Zhao Anji returned to Fumao Group, starting from finance and gradually penetrating into the field of shipping professional management.

In 2001, she became Vice President of Fumao Group, and in 2005, Zhao Anji became the Chairman and Advisor of the 39 Club of the Baltic International Chamber of Shipping.

In 2018, Zhao Anji, who has been trained in Fumao for 22 years, officially took over as the chairman and CEO of the group, and began to take charge of the "super giant ship" of Fumao, becoming the "Chinese female ship king" in the American shipping industry.

Zhao Anji not only took over the business founded by his father, but also inherited his father's mission to China.

In recent years, she has served as the Honorary Chairman of the American Alumni Association of Jiaotong University, the Co-Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Asian American Foundation, the Honorary Chairman of the Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the Director of China Shipbuilding, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and other institutions, and the Independent Director of Bank of China.

In 2015, together with his father Mr. Zhao Xicheng and his eldest sister Elaine Chao (former U.S. Secretary of Labor and Transportation), he visited Peking University at the invitation of China Business Towers and delivered a speech as a keynote speaker at the "PKU Speech Chinese Business Hall of Fame".

In her speech, she said that one of her missions is to serve as a bridge between China and the West, especially between China and the United States, to enhance communication and understanding between each other, especially to enhance the understanding of China between the United States and the West, so that everyone can see a more real China.

Including Zhao Anji's husband, Jim Blair, a top investor, has also become one of the non-governmental bridges between China and the United States under his influence.

Blair, a graduate of Stanford University, has a notable investment record such as investing $12.7 million to become the second largest shareholder with 11% of Facebook in 2005 when it had only 10 employees, and in 2011, 2012 and 2013, he continued to top the Forbes list of the world's best venture capitalists, saying that he was "indisputably the number one".

On the second day of his trip to Peking University, he appeared at Tsinghua University. Together with Zuckerberg, Paulson, Musk and other American industry leaders, he was invited to serve as a member of the advisory board of Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management, and served as the third chairman of the committee before Apple CEO Tim Cook.

In addition, Blair also served as an honorary professor at Yuelu College and Hunan University in China, becoming one of the outstanding representatives of the United States at a time when China and the United States had close economic and cultural exchanges.

▲ Bi Yajun, the producer of Huashang Taolu, Mr. and Mrs. Zhao Anji and Mr. Zhao Xicheng

Zhao Xicheng has repeatedly emphasized in many visits to Chinese businessmen Taolu: "We have always put the country in our hearts, hoping that the country will be rich and strong, the people will live and work in peace and contentment, and China's future will be immeasurable." In his old age, his greatest hope is for his daughters to "visit China more often and make more contributions to China as long as they have the opportunity."

Before the Sino-US trade conflict, Zhao Xicheng, who was already old, still frequently traveled between China and the United States.

As early as 1984, Zhao Xicheng and his wife silently established the "Mulan Education Foundation" in Shanghai, which has funded thousands of college students from Dalian Maritime University, Shanghai Maritime University and other universities for 40 years, as well as the completion of a number of office and teaching buildings and other infrastructure, and is one of the earliest private charitable foundations established in China.

In addition to education, the Zhao Xicheng family also has long-term support and donations in the fields of helping the weak and the poor.

In 2007, Ms. Zhu Mulan passed away, and Zhao Anji inherited the mantle of philanthropy and donated another US$1 million to Shanghai Maritime University through the foundation to build the "Mulan Shipping Simulation Memorial Center" to promote the family's philanthropy. In 2008, Premier Wen Jiabao personally wrote "The House of Goodness, There Must Be Yu Qing" to Zhao Xicheng.

As the Zhao family's obituary says, although Zhao was born in the United States, he never forgot his homeland and spent his life helping to build bridges between East and West.

Since the tension between China and the United States, people-to-people exchanges have also been greatly affected, and the Zhao family, which served as a bridge and made positive contributions in the sweet moments and golden years between China and the United States, is also facing an environment and challenges that are not what they used to be.

Except for Zhao Anji, none of the other sisters of the Zhao family have in-depth work experience in the family business, and her death is not only a tragedy for the legendary and glorious family, but also a further challenge to the future of the Zhao family in the new era.

Zhao Xicheng once shared when asked about his life creed by Chinese businessman Taolu, he always believes:

Sincerity and integrity will pay off in the end.

The world is impermanent, the times are changing, may the deceased rest in peace, the living will move forward better, and the sincere and honest efforts will be better rewarded.