Dialogue with Liu Chang: When the little girl in her heart ran out, let her stand aside

She is getting rid of the burden that others have given her, and she is also reconciling with herself, "You can say what you like".

Interview with He Ivan

Text: "Chinese Entrepreneur" reporter Li Yanyan

Edited by Yao Yun

Header photo by Deng Pan

One morning, the family gathered for dinner. was chatting, Liu Chang was distracted. Her father's voice was faintly faint in her ears, and she realized that it was as if one of herself had suddenly run over the table, overlooking the table and the two pairs of father and daughter. She saw that her husband would put his arms around his daughter, kiss and touch his head, and she and her father would talk about work as soon as they got to the table.

Like an epiphany, she said to her daughter, "Look how amazing our table is, two pairs of father and daughter, body movements and conversation language are completely different." ”

Liu Chang is now the director of New Hope Group, the chairman of New Hope Liuhe, and the chairman of New Hope Investment Group, while her father is Liu Yonghao, the founder and chairman of New Hope Group.

Nor will she fall into the search for an expression of her father's love. "My dad wasn't that style, and I wasn't doing well. What I get is not what my daughter gets. Liu Chang said, "Since I was a child, I really seem to be very capable, very open, like a spinning top, I can turn as soon as I come up, because I was created in such an environment." ”

Liu Chang plays many roles, is a daughter, a wife, a mother, and the person in charge of the enterprise, and in the saturated daily life, her self-living space is undoubtedly squeezed. Some people say that Liu Chang suddenly became transparent. But she thinks that this is a process: one day, she lost the scale and no longer weighs herself every day, one day, she lost the blood oxygen monitor and blood glucose monitor, and one day, after the idea of cutting off the long hair that she had kept for more than ten years in a dream, she immediately took action.

She is throwing off the baggage that others have given her, and she is also reconciling with herself. "You can say whatever you like. Liu Chang said.

Her body may have lived in a number of "Liu Chang", rebellious, hot, direct, and sensitive little girls, qualified successors cultivated by her father, and mature and stable adults who occasionally pulled out of the family dinner table and suddenly appeared in the dead of night, overlooking the panorama. Her ego, ego and superego, under the rubbing of things and times, are now Liu Chang.

Liu Chang is proud, but in the past two years, this pride has been impacted again and again. Affected by multiple factors such as the unprecedented "pig cycle", New Hope's operation encountered historic problems. From 2022, New Hope will launch the "Slimming Plan", adjust its asset layout, emphasize cost reduction and efficiency increase, and focus on its main business.

As the helmsman of a listed company, the heavy responsibility of repairing the balance sheet and regaining the confidence of the team fell on Liu Chang's shoulders. At the 2023 annual meeting of New Hope Liuhe, she said that the current structural changes in pig raising and agriculture are a protracted battle, and New Hope Liuhe will return to the essence of agriculture.

"Spinning top" Liu Chang never stopped spinning. From childhood to adulthood, from schooling to entrepreneurship, from the workplace all the way to home, and after completing multiple roles such as corporate decision-maker, daughter, wife and mother, she has the opportunity to find herself through the cracks.

Now is the time for the second generation of women in China's private entrepreneurs to "carry the flag". Including Liu Chang, many "second-generation" women such as Zong Fuli, Yang Huiyan, and He Chaoqiong began to play a key role in corporate management and inheritance.

At the end of March, we chatted with this multifaceted, authentic and direct "imperfect successor".

Photo: Deng Pan

The following is a transcript of the interview (with abridgement):

Talking about dreams and short hair: Cutting your hair short is also hoping to convey an attitude

"Chinese Entrepreneur": In the past two years, there have been some movies about women's awakening, such as "Barbie" and "Hot and Hot", have you seen them?

Liu Chang: I like both of these movies, but in comparison, I prefer "Hot and Hot". Because Jia Ling's whole play makes me feel that she is very sincere, and the movie does not deliberately "blast" people's adrenaline by showing too many fight scenes, the whole movie is still restrained and very sincere.

So is "Barbie". For Barbie, I may be more empathetic than someone younger than me. From the perspective of culture itself, the original Barbie character, if you want to say how obsessed I am, definitely not - we didn't have Barbie dolls when we were kids. After appearing around me, I also passed that age, I started micro-entrepreneurship when I was in junior high school, and in terms of mentality, I don't really need "Barbie dolls".

"Chinese Entrepreneur": In the ending of "Hot and Hot", the heroine did not win the competition, but she won herself, what do you think of this ending?

Liu Chang: The handling here is very good, this is advanced. At the same time, it also conveys a value that I think is very worth passing on. In the past, people thought too much about success as the only criterion for doing things - what is success and what is a successful life? So basically after graduation, everyone plunges into the workplace, and the process is very painful.

If the external environment allows, why don't you think about it and ask yourself more? It's like there are many kinds of feelings, how many kinds of success are there?

China Entrepreneur: Do you often ask yourself the question "why"?

Liu Chang: I have actually changed a lot since I was a child. When I was a child, I didn't dare to raise my hand to speak in class. But I've gone from then to what I am today. Was this thing forced out? Or did it come here? I think it's the result of choice and choice.

A few times along the way, I asked myself that. Sometimes, I wake up because I punch my husband with a punch. In my dreams, I did want to punch my husband, because sometimes I called him and he wouldn't answer. At that time, you couldn't get angry with him, and my "energy" ran out in the morning, but I still had a whole day at the company. As a rule, convince yourself. But sometimes there is a lot of accumulation, and one day you may dream about this scene. He was very wronged and confused.

Then I said to myself, why don't I talk about my feelings in a real scene, and tell him how uncomfortable I am, and this discomfort has accumulated and will cause me to hurt so much that I dream about this scene. I also curse in my dreams. There is a lot of work backlog every day, and the brain is constantly turning, but the emotions can't keep up, or the emotions are there, and the brain can't recognize them, so they can only press there.

China Entrepreneur: As a manager, is it better to express this emotion or control it?

Liu Chang: If you can, try not to get angry. I'm not a bad-tempered person, I'm direct and efficient, and I like people with professional skills and methods. "Direct" is the least costly way to communicate, and it's my choice. And work isn't all there is to my life, and I wish I hadn't put so much of my personal emotions and personal style into this role.

Just like when I cut my hair short, I also hope to convey an attitude that everyone should try to remove some of my gender characteristics at work, not to guess my temper and reactions, but to communicate more directly. If I do lose my temper, it is actually out of my control, and I will be honest with my colleagues that I am not targeting them.

Source: China Attempt Library

Chinese Entrepreneur: Have you always had long hair?

Liu Chang: No. Twelve or thirteen years ago, I also cut my hair short, as if I was also experiencing a life choice at that time, and my family urged me to get married at that time. At that time, I hadn't officially taken over, and I didn't have to worry too much about the business, so I had enough time to learn the best things in the industry. I have been to all other overseas factories except Egypt.

On the one hand, I cut my hair short to express my attitude, and on the other hand, I wanted everyone to give me a little time, I wanted to understand what love and marriage were, and I hope that everyone will not discuss me during this period, and do not judge me by my appearance. This time I cut it short because I was working very hard now, and one day I just fell asleep not long ago, and a thought came to me in my dream - I wanted to cut my hair.

Chinese Entrepreneur: Do you often get inspiration from dreams?

Liu Chang: Dreams are very important to me, I can't squeeze out any time for myself during the day, only when I sleep, it seems to be completely myself. Sometimes when I come home from work, I still hope that I will wait another 10 minutes, and then the child will go to sleep, and I can go back to my room to read a book. If they don't sleep, I'm going to move on to another role.

I also value the information I get in my sleep, because that's when I can face my heart. In daily life, the voice of "me" will be suppressed, so I have to listen to what "me" is saying, and if I don't listen to it all the time, its voice will become smaller and quieter.

When you hear these voices, respect them, take care of them, and make some changes. Like the two movies we just talked about, the female awakening, as I told myself, in your sleep, in quiet moments, that little voice is you.

Talk about roles and rebellion: Female bosses can be much busier than male bosses

Chinese Entrepreneur: There are many times in your dreams that you have a "family". In the 11 years since you took over, you have also gone through several industry cycles, and this time it seems to be a little different.

Liu Chang: This time it's a little different. Our family has a strong entrepreneurial atmosphere, and Mom and Dad belong to a competitive couple. After the resumption of the college entrance examination, my mother was admitted to West China Medical University in the first session, and she is a top student. Several of my dad's brothers were very "rolly".

A few years ago, during the Spring Festival, everyone sat together and talked about dry goods, you said this industry, he said that industry, there was no nonsense. When I sat there and listened to them talking, there were two of them fighting: one who really didn't want to sit there for the Chinese New Year and wanted to go next door to sing, and the other who pulled me, and if I didn't listen, I felt like I would miss a lot of things.

They were very rolled, and I was rolled out too. After returning to the company, we were very compatible in rhythm, and there was never a situation where we couldn't keep up or didn't have enough self-motivation.

Because it has been relatively stable before, we have also enjoyed a lot of dividends in the whole economic growth. It gives me enough time to grow and gain a deeper understanding of my industry at home and abroad. I went to our oldest feed mill overseas early to get to know the staff, to learn about the folklore of various places, and to understand why we were able to make a living here.

A big part of my self-confidence comes from the world I've seen and the places I've been.

For example, I've been to the cornfields of rural India, I've walked a few kilometers on a freight railway in Brazil, and I've eaten instant noodles at a small train station in the countryside, and I'm proud of them. This kind of good life has given me room to make mistakes and time to grow, and I am very grateful to the team that has always been responsible.

China Entrepreneur: In the past three years, New Hope Liuhe has faced a series of challenges. Will the pressure from all sides have an impact on your "pride"?

Liu Chang: When it's smooth, it's not so easy to feel yourself, and if you can't look in the mirror, you can't touch your edges and corners. In the past two years, I seem to be able to touch my dreams better, and I think this is also a kind of female awakening. Many times, women in the workplace have multiple roles, and we may be busier than men.

I compared. For example, if your child calls in, you have to become a mother and communicate with him. One time my son came to me because I was communicating with an important partner, so I hung up on him. After calling back for a while, he said, Mom, you know your job, and you don't love me at all. Can I not feel emotional when I hear that? There must be a little bit of it, but you still have to be calm.

After understanding my son's problem, I had to solve it, so in the toilet, I called the teacher and called my husband. The matter is settled, and I have to get back to work. If you are busy, there is no gap in the middle. So I said that female bosses can be much busier than male bosses.

We Chinese women are too able to endure humiliation, and this kind of forbearance has even become a "virtue". But does this "virtue" also have to have a boundary? Do we have to respect each other, understand each other, and give to each other? If not, what is the use of me putting up such a "sign"? People often say, "I don't feel the difference when you see others praising you on the outside."

I'm especially willing to get involved in women's topics because I see a lot of women wronging themselves.

Last year, my husband and I said that the two years had been too stressful. In the company, I am the boss, I must make a decision immediately, I can't back down at all; at home, my parents are old, I am the eldest daughter, I must resist; in front of the children, I can't be less than 70 points, and I must not break down emotionally. I told him that in the role of wife, I should not be so understanding. Then he was stunned for a moment, noncommittal. What I think is that in our relationship, I want to be a headstrong girl.

Chinese Entrepreneur: There are two voices in your heart, one voice says, you have to roll and do better, and the other voice is that you have to be yourself and be willful. It may be that the loudness of the sound is not the same in different scenes.

Liu Chang: Since I was a child, my dad gave me such a sentence, you have to be good in everything, so that everyone will like you very much. It seems that my character is a person who is good in everything. When I was young, I wanted to be good at reading, sports, and speech. Because I didn't dare to raise my hand, I was thrown out again and again for exercise. My dad still jokes about me, you can't drive. But I don't know how to drive, I know everything, I can cook no matter how complicated I do, why don't I talk about these advantages? But I still thank him, he is a father who tells the truth to himself.

Sometimes, I find some pleasure in food, and he doesn't know about it, and he certainly doesn't. When I was a child, there was a time when I was quite fat, and I ate sweets, and at that time I was very self-curled, and I didn't do it, so I was very depressed. I don't have a mouthful of sweets now, and I had enough at that time. At that time, because of the anxiety in my heart, I was dissatisfied with myself, so I desperately ate sweets. Then my dad felt that he didn't pay attention to weight control, and our family was very concerned about self-management. At that time, annoyance was demanded of perfection.

"Chinese Entrepreneur": Barbie is a perfect image.

Liu Chang: Because you have to take responsibility, you have to understand, you have to be kind, and you have to be able to be a beam of light in this field. My mom became a beam of light over there, and I'm going to be a beam of light too. The two of them really formed a deep-rooted philosophy for me.

Chinese Entrepreneur: Do you feel rebellious?

Liu Chang: I have a rebellious side, maybe my dad will have a headache when he talks about this topic. I have two selves in my heart, and I'm going to speak of myself, and I need your understanding. I'm a girl, and I'm doing a lot of what boys do, so I have a lot of things that others don't see, and I need to tell myself about it so you can understand it.

I can feel love, and I don't lack love. At one point, my husband said that you father and daughter seem to be very rational and talk about work. Sometimes my dad would have breakfast with us in the morning, and then there would be two fathers and daughters at one table, me and my father, and my husband and daughter. One day I was eating, and I was a little distracted, and suddenly I felt as if one of my self had run up to it and looked down on this table.

I suddenly said to my daughter, you see how amazing our table is, there are two pairs of father and daughter at this table, and the conversation and body language are completely different. As soon as my husband came to the table, he hugged his daughter, hugged and kissed his head, and as soon as I sat up, he talked about work. It's amazing, two fathers and daughters, but we're both fine, but the way we chat is different.

Chinese Entrepreneur: When did you reach such a state of transparency?

Liu Chang: This is a "gradual" process. One day I lost the scale, then I lost the blood oxygen monitor, the blood glucose monitor, one day I cut my hair short, and one day I got rid of the burden of other people's hats.

It's especially important to me that I don't care so much about what people say. When you are really in the decision-making center, you may have different opinions from your father, but at that time you must be very steady, very determined, very calm, and there can be no emotions to interfere, you can't have some little girl emotions at all. When the little girl in my heart ran out, she stepped aside. I'm going to prove it with absolutely enough evidence to convince those who need to understand me. Correctness is the most important, and methods and emotions are secondary.

One of the qualities that women have in particular is that they are more willing to do the right thing than to look good. Although I will also be afraid that this will not look good in the short term, will there be a lot of challenges, if you have to consider that, you will not be able to make decisions, in fact, there will be people who just can't face themselves, and end up doing things that are not necessarily the most correct.

"Chinese Entrepreneur": A person's growth is the process of constantly throwing away some things, and what remains in the end is the true self. The experience of the past two years has helped you throw away a lot of things.

Liu Chang: Two days ago, I was rewatching "Love in the Time of Cholera", I didn't understand it when I was a child, and I didn't think it was a wonderful love story. When the heroine finally got on the boat, she said, I just want to bring a few clothes to wash and a pair of shoes to wear when I get off the boat, and that's enough. I think that's right, I didn't understand it when I was a child, but now I can understand it.

Source: Visual China

Talking about agriculture and management: they say I "can't tolerate sand in my eyes"

China Entrepreneur: Many of the actions you are doing now are reflections on management capabilities?

Liu Chang: Because in China, the pig industry has become bigger in this cycle, no one has experienced this, the industry is not ready, and we don't have enough veterinarians in China. In addition, these veterinarians are not equipped enough to get started, and they lack training in the prevention and control of diseases such as African swine fever, and they also need to take time to get started. In the past, the logic of industry was to work hard and quickly, using time to grab space, but now I have reversed it.

"Chinese Entrepreneur": Since 2022, New Hope has launched a "slimming plan" to reduce costs and increase efficiency. It's painful to do subtraction, but what's the most painful subtraction you've done? Is it selling shares in the poultry industry?

Chang Liu: This is a topic that we are thinking about, and we are taking the initiative to repair the balance sheet. Today, whether it is New Hope Liuhe or New Hope Group, there are fat, swollen places, and incorrect combinations in the brand of rapid development for more than 40 years, and everyone has to face this problem now.

When the industry is growing rapidly, you don't have time to taste it, and it becomes something in your pocket. Looking back, the overall scale is pretty good. We can't stand at a point in time and must break between right and wrong, but there is a more correct option between right and wrong, and we have to do more correct things today.

"Chinese Entrepreneur": At the annual meeting of New Hope Liuhe in 2023, you said that the structural changes in pig raising and agriculture are now a protracted battle, and New Hope Liuhe should return to the essence of agriculture, pick one by one, tap the profit pool, and remind employees to "performance is king" instead of doing so many PPTs. What is the essence of agriculture and what are your specific requirements for your team in order to produce more food?

Liu Chang: Agriculture has emotions and life. Our core is to manage the team well, correct the atmosphere, be pragmatic, and be very serious. The market fluctuates, the physical condition of the animals also fluctuates, our industry is to set up a board on the water as much as possible, balance is the most important thing for us. So we need to understand that the natural bottom of this industry is volatile, so no one will ask us to make huge profits.

For me, the first responsibility is to be stable, if you say that you have set your sights on this year's raw materials and made hundreds of millions, you get the rewards and rewards you deserve, but emotionally I will not give you too high rewards, for our industry, the first thing is to achieve a stable and continuous supply, which is the most valuable.

Chinese Entrepreneur: When dealing with differences, do you have a different way of dealing with your father?

Liu Chang: Yes. At work, I like to talk about that idea, to be plain.

A few older leaders also pointed out to me, saying that my problems were "no sand in my eyes", which sounded like a derogatory term. Also, "don't say if you see through". Whether you can see through it or not, until now, I don't know how to use this sentence. If I could realize this, I might have to give up part of myself, but I can't. I've been so desperate for perfection that it's impossible for a person with sandy eyes to pursue a better version of himself, which is a contradiction.

China Entrepreneur: Back in 2013, you took over as the chairman of New Hope Liuhe, and it has been nearly 11 years now. What's the difference between your decision-making logic now and what you remember when you sat in the office on your first day?

Liu Chang: The difference is that I believe in myself more and more. In the end, why don't you believe in yourself, why don't you do this by yourself, is it really so much worse? I have also gone through so many years. Rather than asking others, I'll make the decision myself.

If I had to reflect, I was naïve in the past. I have lived in a kind and positive environment since I was a child, constantly learning and optimizing myself, and naturally, I even treat the "dragon" gently. It is precisely because I do not tolerate sand in my eyes, so maybe those who are not kind, I sensitively exclude them at the first time.

"Chinese Entrepreneur": Harmony is a word often used by many old entrepreneurs, but it is not the realm you pursue?

Liu Chang: I can't get to that state now, maybe in another 10 years, maybe it will come naturally. The mountain is climbed step by step, and now you are asking me to reach the peak, maybe I really have to solve the current problem first.

Talking about succession and the "second generation": We came back because of our feelings for our father

"Chinese Entrepreneur": According to one theory, it is now the time for the second generation of women in China's private entrepreneurs to "carry the flag". Many second-generation women, including you, Zong Fuli, Yang Huiyan, He Chaoqiong, etc., have begun to play a key role in business management and inheritance, which seems to have never happened before. What do you think is the difference between a female succession and a male succession?

Liu Chang: It's a bit bitter, maybe only the same characters can understand. In this matter, we must make a big change in our own emotions, and when we are the most bitter and difficult, we hope that our father will hurt it.

I believe that all of these girls, first of all, are going back home (taking over) based on feelings and responsibilities, so our starting point and later roles need to be constantly changing. Why do I think "The Legend of Zhen Huan" is a good film, because it is essentially a workplace drama, Zhen Huan was a love brain at the beginning and had her own pride, but later found out why your love for me was not what I thought.

At first, we came back (to take over) out of our feelings for my father and family, and I wanted to share a little. My motivation was like this, but instead of being recognized, I was blamed and said, "Why weren't you as responsible as you are now?" At that time, I was not understood in all kinds of ways, so I had to change my mentality. Including roles like bosses, they all slowly need a transition period, because mom can see your pain, girlfriends can see your grievances, but dad may not see it. So you have to rely on yourself to drag, turn around again and again, face your new self again and again, and reconcile with yourself.

Liu Yonghao Photo: Deng Pan

"Chinese Entrepreneur": Maybe my father didn't see it, but he just had to wrap his soft self?

Liu Chang: I thought about it like this, and I told myself that there must be.

During the Spring Festival this year, I had an emotional outburst, and halfway through, I went downstairs crying, and my parents happened to be watching a movie. My mom told me not to cry, and I told her about the problems. My mom suggested I talk to my dad. My dad actually didn't understand, he said you take out a piece of paper and do a pros and cons analysis. When I heard this, I was tired of crying and fell asleep.

When it was hazy, someone suddenly hugged me, I felt so warm, I thought, is it my husband. When I opened my eyes, it was actually my dad. I was so surprised that I immediately put my hand around him, and I felt so warm. I went out that night, and then I was all right. One hug from him, and I was healed.

Chinese Entrepreneur: You were born in 1980, and your father started his business in 1982. Today, your personal growth and the development of your business are very benign.

Liu Chang: "The second generation" is not easy. He knows where these feelings come from, where the accumulation of these riches goes, and how they go down. So he is both a family member and a witness, I have personally felt his difficulties, when he was good, I have seen everything, in fact, we are Dad's biggest confidant, no one understands him better than us, and no one feels more sorry for him than us.

I told my dad that you don't need to be so tolerant like outsiders, you have a temper and you have to be angry with me, you can't put up with everything. Sometimes it's a good thing to have conflict. It takes a very strong heart of my own to be able to talk to him. This kind of dialogue is not superficial, because most of our colleagues talk to him superficially, and they don't touch his heart. But how can we come to a consensus if you don't touch this thing.

Chinese Entrepreneur: When you were a child, your father was very strict with you, and I heard that when you started your business, you would rather apply for a credit card than ask your father for money.

Liu Chang: It's so hard to ask him for money. He wants to calculate interest on me, and asks me how long I will borrow, and what should I do if I can't repay it? He will ask, do you have collateral? You don't have collateral, and I don't approve of your plan based on what you say. He was really annoyed and asked a lot more than the bank. But that's what real business is like, and from that moment on he's teaching you how to do business. Today, when I asked my colleagues to visit the store, it was the same, did you figure it out?

China Entrepreneur: You once described that you and New Hope are twin brothers. If he also had life, what would his character be like?

Liu Chang: My brother is very good, and he is also very lucky. Because in this industry, you must also insist on doing well. In the process of economic development, we have enjoyed a lot of dividends. But now, I think we're taking the initiative to make a change to this brother, and we have to start with the most core people.

We have to face the problem, how to practice internal skills, how to be responsible for our assets and liabilities, and then how to operate sustainably. What external factors have changed and will not come back, and what we have gained in the process, we need to review and reflect. Of course, my dad would definitely say that who doesn't want to do a good job, this result is not what people want.

I said yes, and I knew that I didn't blame him, but I couldn't help but "whip the corpse", because if I didn't face it, I wouldn't have cognition. After the cross, just don't make a mistake. I used to be vague about these issues, because when there was growth, they could be obscured. And today the water has receded, and I still put on my own makeup to show myself, so it makes no sense.

Chinese Entrepreneur: How do you understand "unlimited life" and is there a role model that can be called "infinite life"?

Liu Chang: I went to Fujian a while ago to meet Mr. Cao Dewang Cao, and he chatted with me alone for more than two hours, and his son was shocked, he said that he had never seen him talk to anyone alone for more than two hours. After I left that day, I sent him a text message, saying that Mr. Cao, I was very moved, you spent so much time with me, and invited me to eat at home, and kept serving me food. You said that it was only after you went public that you really started to think about what kind of company you want to be. I calculated, you were a few years older than me now, and you were in your 40s, a few years older, and I felt very excited after listening to it, because I felt that I still had time and time to think about how I should do the company, how to behave and do things.

It was a big day for me. I think "life is infinite" means that these people and things we encounter in our lives are really like a little bit of light. My mother is a beam of light, and Mr. Cao is also that beam of light for me, just chase the light, break the casserole and ask in the end, chase the light, there will be infinite possibilities.

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