In the history of China's rural transformation, Daqiuzhuang in Jinghai District, Tianjin is undoubtedly a bright pearl. The once poor small village, under the leadership of Yu Zuomin, has achieved a phoenix-like transformation and has become a well-known "richest village" in the country. Yu Zuomin, this name may not be unfamiliar to many people, but do you really know the story behind him? How did an ordinary village secretary step by step bring a poor village into an era of affluence? And what kind of ups and downs did his personal fate go through? Today, we will uncover the unknown secrets behind Daegu Village. Was his success just accidental, or was it a hidden hardship and sacrifice?
Let's go back in time to the late 70s, when China was in the early stages of reform and opening up, and all parts of the country were exploring how to move out of poverty and into prosperity. In this context, Daegu Village in Jinghai District, Tianjin, a small village that is so ordinary that it can no longer be ordinary, began to write a legend because of the appearance of a person.
Yu Zuomin, born in this barren land, has been smart and clever since he was a child, and is a famous scholar in the village. In 1977, when the village needed to elect a party branch secretary who could lead everyone to prosperity, although Yu Zuomin's previous performance was not outstanding, his level of education and clear vision of the future made the villagers choose him and gave him a chance to prove himself again.
Yu Zuomin understands that relying on farming alone, Daegu Village will never be able to get out of poverty. He began to ponder other ways out, and eventually set his sights on the emerging industrial sector. At that time, there was a shortage of steel in the country, and he saw the huge market potential for building small steel plants. But the question is, where will the money come from? This became the first big problem in front of him.
You may not believe that when Yu Zuomin explained the situation to the villagers and needed to raise funds, the villagers actually took out their own savings to support him. With the support of the villagers, Yu Zuomin finally scraped together enough funds to buy back three steel rolling mills, and Daeguzhuang's industrial dream set sail.
Over the next few years, Yu Zuomin worked day and night with the villagers, and the mill soon became profitable. From the initial annual profit of more than 300,000, to the later annual profit of millions. And this is just the beginning, Yu Zuomin was not satisfied, he opened a printing factory, an electrical factory, a high-frequency pipe factory and other projects, Daegu Zhuang's industrial output value, like a wild horse, out of control.
By 1984, the fixed assets of Daegu Village had reached tens of millions of yuan, and the per capita income of the villagers had soared from less than 100 yuan to more than 10,000 yuan, which was undoubtedly a miracle at that time. Yu Zuomin is also known as the "modern fool", and his name and the story of Daegu Village have even been compiled into primary school Chinese textbooks, becoming a model for countless people to learn.
The good times did not last long, and with the accumulation of wealth, Yu Zuomin's life trajectory began to deviate. He became obsessed with power and gradually fashioned himself as the "emperor" of the village, turning a deaf ear to criticism and advice from the outside world. The management of the village began to become authoritarian, and some irrational decisions affected the quality of life of the villagers.
At that time, Daegu Village was glamorous on the outside, but there was an undercurrent on the inside. Yu Zuomin's personality cult and desire for power made him gradually lose his original intention. He began to frequently interact with businessmen from the outside world, got involved in complex economic activities, and even spread rumors of corruption. All this ultimately led to his tragic end.
In 1999, in the face of more and more accusations and dissatisfaction, Yu Zuomin chose an extreme way to end his life. His suicide is not only a personal tragedy, but also symbolizes the end of an era. After Yu Zuomin's death, his five children were also troubled by controversy and distress because of their father's past, and they rarely returned to their former hometown, where the villagers' attitudes towards the Yu family became complicated.
The story of Yu Zuomin allows us to see the rise and fall of a tragic hero. He is undoubtedly a capable leader, and his original intention is also for the development of the village. But in the face of power and money, he lost himself and went down the wrong path. This can't help but make people reflect on the fact that success and failure, good and evil, are often only between our thoughts.
Yu Zuomin's life is the epitome of Daegu's transformation from poverty to wealth to complexity. His story teaches us that the power of leaders is immense, both to lead a community to prosperity and to bring it to a difficult position. How to maintain the original intention and prudence in the pursuit of development may be an important topic that every successful person needs to face. It's also a warning to us today: when pursuing individual and collective success, remember to weigh the pros and cons, and never forget the original intention.