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Text | Edit: Shi Zai has no money
Preface
In the center of Beijing, a building similar to the "China Zun" stands, which is a brilliant achievement of CITIC Group. The height of 528 meters not only demonstrates the strength of CITIC Group, but also is an outstanding achievement under the leadership of Wang Jun. As the third leader of CITIC Group, Wang Jun not only inherited the military spirit of the founding general Wang Zhen, but also brought CITIC into the international arena.
Under his leadership, CITIC has continued to break through and become a giant in multinational operations. But Wang's story doesn't stop there. How did he write a legend in his life in the midst of changes and challenges?
Wang Jun was born in 1941 in Liuyang City, Hunan Province, a place rich in history and culture. During his childhood, his father, Wang Zhen, was busy with revolutionary activities across the country, so Wang Jun's understanding of his father came mostly from the accounts of family members and others. Despite this, Wang Jun knew from an early age that his father was involved in a great cause for the country and the people.
As a well-known founding general of the mainland, former vice president of the People's Republic of China and vice premier of the State Council, General Wang Zhen served as the first secretary of the Xinjiang Branch of the Northwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
In the spring of 1949, Wang Zhen took the initiative to ask to work in Xinjiang, expressing his determination to contribute to the construction of the country's frontier. After obtaining the approval of the central leadership, the troops led by Wang Zhen entered Xinjiang, first eliminating local destabilizing factors and laying the foundation for peace and development in Xinjiang.
Subsequently, following the concept of "the People's Liberation Army is a work team and a production team", General Wang Zhen led the troops and the people of Xinjiang to jointly carry out production and construction, successfully changing the traditional concept that "cotton is not suitable for planting" in northern Xinjiang, and making this once desolate land glow with new vitality.
Wang Zhen is also committed to promoting Xinjiang's industrial development, through the introduction and development of mineral resources, in just four years, Xinjiang's total industrial output value has achieved a leap forward, which has laid a solid foundation for the rapid development of Xinjiang's economy.
General Wang Zhen's efforts and contributions in Xinjiang have enabled him to establish a deep relationship with this land and people, and Xinjiang has become his second hometown. Influenced by his father since childhood, Wang Jun is full of special feelings for Xinjiang, regards it as his second hometown, and is full of expectations for its future prosperity and development.
Wang Jun's mother, Ms. Wang Jiqing, is a revolutionary who has also dedicated her life to the country and the people. After studying at Peking University and taking charge of important logistics during the Anti-Japanese War, she traveled to Xinjiang with her husband, where she participated in the construction of the university and helped found Xinjiang Agricultural University.
Wang Jun, who grew up in such a family environment, has shown extraordinary intelligence and tenacity since he was a child. Since he was a child, Wang Jun has shown extraordinary learning ability and perseverance. His diligence is not only reflected in his studies, where his grades have always been at the top, but also in his clear plan for the future and firm goals. His hard work and wisdom finally allowed him to get a ticket to enter the top military academy in China, the Harbin Military Engineering Academy.
During his college years, he majored in naval architecture. After returning from his studies, he worked as a naval engineer in Jiangnan Shipyard and Wuchang Shipyard for 11 years, during which he contributed his youth and wisdom to the mainland's shipbuilding industry with his professional skills and unremitting struggle.
There he not only deepened his knowledge of military engineering, but also sublimated his ideology and became a member of the Communist Party of China. Wang Jun began his career at Jiangnan Shipyard and Wuchang Shipyard, where he spent eleven years as a naval engineer. During this period, he applied the professional knowledge accumulated in the academy to practice, and contributed to the development of the shipbuilding industry in the mainland.
In 1978, the mainland embarked on a great journey of reform and opening up, and the policy of "internal reform and opening up to the outside world" was officially implemented. At this important historical moment, in 1979, Mr. Deng Xiaoping pinned high hopes on inviting five outstanding business figures, including Rong Yiren, to inject new vitality into the mainland's reform and opening up. These business leaders responded quickly to Deng Xiaoping's call and quickly threw themselves into the great practice of reform and opening up.
Among them, Mr. Rong Yiren successfully founded China International Trust and Investment Corporation, which later became known as CITIC Group. At that time, the conditions for starting a business in CITIC Group were extremely difficult, and even the office environment was a simple space that was temporarily rented. However, this group of entrepreneurs with dreams does not care about this, and their hearts are full of ambition and pride to contribute to the country.
Among this group of people, Wang Jun stands out, his enthusiasm and action always surpass others, showing extraordinary leadership potential. As the son of the founding general Wang Zhen, Wang Jun's performance vividly interprets the truth of "dragons give birth to dragons, and phoenixes give birth to phoenixes". Although he came from a military family, Wang Jun loved books from an early age, believing in the power of knowledge to change destiny and realize his personal ambitions.
At the invitation of Rong Yiren, Wang Jun joined CITIC Group and began his journey in the business world. At first, Wang Jun was just an ordinary business manager at CITIC Group, with few staff under him. However, influenced by his father's military spirit, Wang Jun understood the importance of perseverance and struggle, which was fully reflected in his career.
Even though his position is not high, Wang Jun still relies on unremitting efforts and excellent leadership skills, and gradually shows extraordinary business talent and leadership charm as the company grows and grows.
In 1993, with the abdication of Rong Yiren, the leadership of CITIC Group was handed over to Wang Jun, and this year he officially entered the core stage of the financial industry. In the face of the unpredictable market environment, Wang Jun immediately faced unprecedented challenges.
At that time, CITIC Group's highly leveraged investment model encountered unprecedented resistance, leaving the group with a wide range of operations and thousands of employees with an account balance of less than 3 million yuan. During this difficult period, the group's previously accumulated debt problems gradually surfaced, with debts to be repaid as high as $300 million a year, and CITIC's revenue was far from keeping up with this spending rate.
Wang Jun struggles with the pressure of debt every day, and he can easily fall asleep, but now he can't sleep peacefully even if he takes sleeping pills. What particularly troublesome for Wang Jun is that although there are thousands of projects under construction, few of them can be immediately converted into revenue, which makes him feel extremely anxious and stressed, but he will not allow CITIC to fail in his own hands.
In the case of a tight capital chain, Wang Jun had to ask Li Shilin of CITIC Guoan for help, borrowing 15 million yuan just to ensure the normal payment of employees' wages, which is almost inconceivable in Li Shilin's view, but for Wang Jun, ensuring the stability of the team is a top priority.
In order to reverse the situation, Wang Jun took decisive steps to rectify the company's assets and business structure, and he convened the heads of various subsidiaries to jointly examine the problem. He pointed out that the group was involved in too many projects and there were problems in capital operation, and after a series of optimizations and adjustments, CITIC Group's cash flow has been effectively improved.
In 1995, Wang Jun became the chairman of CITIC Group, and symbolically stepped into the inner circle of the financial industry. He did not hesitate to promote a series of radical reforms, bravely opened up new business paths, and his forward-looking and innovative power was widely recognized and appreciated.
In fact, Wang Jun's career has not been smooth sailing, especially in the financial field, he has faced great challenges and controversies. In 1996, Wang Jun made the risky and controversial decision to transfer part of CITIC Pacific's shares, a move that was once interpreted by the outside world as a cheap asset sale, and the state criticized his actions and even risked dismissal.
When the Asian financial crisis broke out, the 10.8 billion yuan obtained from the share transfer became a strong backing for CITIC to resist the crisis. Wang Jun is steadfast in his choice, and he believes that as long as CITIC can stabilize its development, any price will be worth it.
Under the strong leadership of Wang Jun, CITIC has not only successfully weathered the financial turmoil, but also ushered in new development opportunities. But the turning point came in the financial turmoil of 1998. The initial decision to sell shares ultimately proved to be a lifesaver for CITIC in the crisis, allowing the company to stabilize its position in the turmoil.
After this storm, people's doubts about Wang Jun gradually turned into respect, and his forward-looking and firm decision-making ability began to be recognized by more and more people. As Chairman of CITIC Group, Wang Jun's leadership career lasted nearly 11 years, during which time he not only proved his leadership skills during the financial crisis, but also led CITIC Group to achieve a number of major business breakthroughs.
One of them is the successful acquisition of the right to invest in the construction of the main venue of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. This decision is not only based on commercial interests, but also reflects Wang's far-reaching consideration for enhancing CITIC Group's influence in the world. By participating in the construction of the main venue of the Beijing Olympic Games, CITIC has not only greatly increased its commercial value, but also established a good corporate image in the international sports arena.
After stepping down from the responsibilities of CITIC Group, Wang Jun did not choose to enjoy a comfortable retirement. Instead, he found an opportunity to pursue that long-shelved young dream. For Wang, this dream is closely related to golf, a sport that he has loved since his youth. In his view, the golf course is not only a place to sweat, but also a place to think and meditate.
After CITIC Group found a new leader, Wang Jun decided to devote his passion and experience to the promotion and development of golf. His vision is to popularize golf culture in the country and make the sport no longer exclusive to a select few. So he didn't hesitate to accept a new role – chairman of a company dedicated to the promotion of golf.
Wang Jun's contribution has made him a benchmark in the field of golf in China. He doesn't just promote golf as a sport, he promotes it as a culture and lifestyle. His hard work and passion have made golf more aware of and laid a solid foundation for the development of the sport in China.
Wang Jun's life did not have the dramatic twists and turns in the movies, but he reached the peak in his respective fields. Not only that, but he has successfully crossed the boundaries of his field, transforming himself from a financial magnate to a passionate promoter of golf. This cross-border success not only proves his multi-faceted talent, but also shows his love for life and persistent pursuit of dreams.
Although Wang Jun has been with us for almost five years, his spirit and achievements continue to inspire future generations. Whenever people mention CITIC Group, Wang Jun's name is always close behind, and his influence and contributions have been deeply implanted in the group's DNA. Wang Jun's own practice proves that whether in the business world or in the field of sports, the pursuit of excellence and continuous contribution can leave an immortal footprint.