National Tide 1980.

People born in the 1990s may not be able to imagine what Japan was like to us in the 1980s.

At that time, because the reform and opening up had just begun, the first time we opened the country's doors, people were shocked by the various imported products from Japan.

In the early 1980s, Japan was a leader in all fields of science and technology, including shipbuilding, automobiles, home appliances, electronics, and semiconductors, and was making inroads around the world.

The products of companies such as Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, Sharp, Hitachi, Sanyo and Mitsubishi are well-known all over the world, let alone for a backward republic.

Just like in the future China will have technology companies like Huawei that are far ahead and have the ability to change the world.

Japan also has a company like Sharp, the father of LCD panels.

Therefore, as soon as Japanese electrical appliances entered mainland China, they immediately launched a dimensionality reduction attack.

At that time in mainland China, if a family had a Sanyo washing machine, a Panasonic TV, or a Toshiba refrigerator, it was not only a symbol of quality of life, but also a sign of social status.

Even after the bubble burst, Japanese home appliances were still popular in the Chinese mainland market in the 1990s.

At that time, a Panasonic 29-inch color TV could be sold for 15,800 yuan.

But how much do our people earn in a month?

It can be said that any Japanese home appliance, no matter how poorly designed, is a symbol of quality in China and can easily make money.

Who could have imagined at that time that in another 20 years, Japanese home appliances would basically disappear from the Chinese mainland market.

Not only are Japanese home appliances no longer seen in the Chinese mainland market, but Chinese home appliances have instead taken over the Japanese market.

Even on a street in Akihabara, Tokyo, products from Haier, Hisense and Midea are displayed in the main booth, while Japanese products are pushed aside like punching bags.

If Ning Weimin had not witnessed this counterattack with his own eyes, he would not have believed it because it was too magical.

But this is another story of revival that belongs exclusively to our great Eastern country.

Anyway, let’s put it this way, Japan was at its peak in the autumn of 1988.

Even Ning Weimin, who had been staying in Japan frequently in recent years, was dumbfounded by the new changes when he came back to accompany his wife who was about to give birth, not to mention the other people he brought to Japan.

People like Gu Si'er and the leadership team of Longtan Lake Park are among those who share the same feelings.

After they came to Japan together, they first stayed in Tokyo, Japan for two days, and then went to Osaka, Kobe, Nagasaki, Kagoshima and other places, and even visited Hokkaido and Okinawa Island, which are all coastal cities in Japan.

During the more than ten days of their hurried journey, apart from eating and sleeping, they could only go out for a walk in the afternoon of the first day and every evening. During the day, they visited the aquarium and oceanarium almost every day under Ning Weimin's arrangement.

It can be said that the schedule is very tight and quite pragmatic.

It is different from other domestic groups that go on tours under the guise of "inspection" but are actually on government-funded tours.

But even so, the general affluence of the Japanese people intuitively gave the delegation a great shock.

Although the delegation only stayed in Japan for a dozen days, they only saw a superficial glimpse of everything.

But because this feeling is almost present all the time, through the 24-hour non-stop travel between different cities, the experience of food, clothing, housing, transportation, and entering and exiting different public places, it can stimulate your spirit all the time without you having to pay special attention to it.

Such urban infrastructure as various shops, shopping malls, inns, guesthouses, bathhouses, bars, restaurants, izakayas, 24-hour fast food and convenience stores, as well as elevators, subways, taxis, public telephones, highways, Shinkansen and airports, form a very three-dimensional and beautiful world that is like a paradise.

For the delegation, the most profound impression they had was that Japanese cities are very modern in every aspect.

The street scenes of Japanese cities can be said to be an exhibition of neon lights, fully embodying the true meaning of the three words "city that never sleeps".

It goes without saying how strong the mental stimulation is for us Chinese who still need to save electricity and have to live by candlelight several days a week.

Even for Chen Shuping, who had been to Japan a long time ago as the deputy director of the Temple of Heaven, he still felt frightened when he experienced it again.

No wonder some people would say this decades later: "It's no wonder that generation worshipped foreign things, because the gap between China and the outside world was too big, and the broader their horizons, the more desperate they would become." There is actually some truth to this.

Especially for the main purpose of the inspection team, Japan, as an island country, originally has extremely rich marine resources and is good at using them. In the 1980s, the Japanese people's demand for leisure and entertainment increased sharply, and aquariums emerged as a family travel destination.

Therefore, Japan is also at the world's leading level in the construction of aquariums and oceanariums, which greatly broadened the delegation's horizons and made the trip worthwhile.

In fact, at this stage, there are already many venues in major cities in Japan, and they often have interactive projects such as touch pools and night exhibitions.

For example, the Whale Museum in Nagasaki, which was built to commemorate a stranded baby whale, and the Oarai Aquarium in Ibaraki Prefecture, which has a shark-themed exhibition area, are both popular tourist destinations.

Although compared to the future, the planned area of ​​aquariums in Japan is actually still quite limited at present.

Basically, they are three or four-story venues with an area of ​​more than 10,000 square meters.

Several of the more famous ocean parks in the future, such as Tokyo Ocean Park, Hakkeijima Sea Park, and Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN, have not even started construction yet.

But the problem is that there is no such place in our country at present, except for the Qingdao Aquarium built in the 1930s. Its exhibition content and facilities are incomparable to those in Japan.

In this day and age, how many Chinese people have seen specimens of marine life?

Just the fact that they witnessed the ferocity of sharks and the performances of marine animals for the first time, that they fed fish and dolphins with their own hands for the first time, that they interacted closely with seals and sea lions and took photos, was enough to make these expedition groups with learning purposes excited and feel incredible.

When thinking about the "Dragon Palace Construction Plan" proposed by Ning Weimin at this time, these people were almost excited to the point of getting goose bumps.

Because those things that Ning Weimin originally sounded like were actually realized in reality.

Needless to say, once the Dragon Palace in Longtan Lake is successfully built, it does not need to reach the level of Japan.

As long as we learn 50% or 60% of it, it will be enough for Longtan Lake Park to become famous throughout the country and transform itself into a leader in the industry.

In the future it will surely attract tourists from all over the world.

What's more, Ning Weimin had some ideas, such as using the aquarium to open an underwater restaurant and hiring divers to play mermaids, which even the Japanese could not think of.

If this is realized, it will be a world first. Longtan Lake Park will definitely soar to the sky. I am afraid that even the Beijing Amusement Park next door will be surpassed.

Then Longtan Lake is truly no longer a pool of stagnant water.

As the saying goes, a mountain is not high, but it is magical if there are immortals there; a river is not deep, but it is magical if there are dragons there.

With the guidance of the immortal Ning Weimin, Longtan Lake was able to raise its own dragon.

As for Gu Si'er, who loved playing with fish the most in his life, the mental stimulation he felt was the strongest among everyone.

One reason is that he came from the bottom of society and grew up in a shantytown in the alleys of South City. He had never seen much of the world.

Secondly, he really likes fish. This is his greatest hobby and his only pursuit in life.

However, he never thought that fish could be raised in this way.

I never thought there is a place in the world that can bring together so many marine creatures and aquatic creatures.

This refreshed cognition made him feel like he was floating in the air, reborn, just like a cultivator who saw himself after forming a pill when he was at the foundation-building stage. Perhaps because he was too excited and too happy, he was like a stimulant in Japan. Because he was floating in the air, his brain kept secreting dopamine, and even his physiological condition was a little abnormal.

During the day, he took the video camera Ning Weimin gave him and kept filming in the aquarium, and had no time to eat.

I couldn't sleep at night because I was thinking about what I saw during the day.

In his current state, he doesn't eat, drink or sleep, but his eyes are shining. He is so happy that he almost forgets about his wife and children. In fact, he is almost like some special groups.

Fortunately, the Japanese police did not notice him, otherwise they would probably have to do a urine test to eliminate suspicion.

In short, this trip to Japan is of great significance to everyone in the delegation.

Seeing is believing, Ning Weimin's plan to build the Dragon Palace is no longer just talk for them, but they have a real grasp of it and see a way out for the future. Everyone has subtly reached a consensus on the direction of their efforts.

Comrades!

This word, which sounds a bit outdated, already had practical meaning when the delegation left Japan.

Even the concerns about funding did not exist for the inspection team.

Because at the farewell banquet on the last day, Ning Weimin not only told the inspection team in person that the investment amount of 10 million he mentioned in Beijing was not estimated in RMB, but was actually estimated in US dollars.

In addition, during the banquet, Ning Weimin also invited representatives from three Japanese construction companies and design firms with relevant qualifications to meet with everyone.

He said he had already communicated the relevant plan with several Japanese companies, and that these Japanese design firms would send people to Beijing to measure the site at the latest next month, and that Longtan Lake would be needed to cooperate and assist in Beijing.

Ultimately, the Ryugu project will be put to the test through bidding, with the best companies being selected from among several Japanese companies.

At the same time, Ning Weimin was also urging the director of Longtan Lake Park, Chen Shuping, to quickly find a way to complete the procedures and obtain approval for the project from the higher authorities as soon as possible.

He also assured me that as long as the project procedures were approved, the 2 billion yen used to hire Japanese builders and purchase design plans would be credited immediately.

What does this mean?

This shows that Ning Weimin is reliable. With the belief that this matter will succeed and out of trust in Chen Shuping, he has already started mobilizing resources in advance to carry out the actual operation.

It also shows that everything is ready except for the east wind. What is needed now is that Longtan Lake Park must be united and work hard.

Otherwise, it will be either others or themselves who are held back.

Almost everyone in the inspection team now understands that this project is more important and bigger than they imagined.

Not only do Japanese builders need to provide construction services for key parts, but domestic builders are also needed to complete the remaining parts and the main sculpture beautification work.

The capital investment is huge and the time period will not be short, probably at least two to three years.

So of course there can be no delay. The faster the progress, the better. The longer we delay, the more delays will occur.

So that's what happened, the inspection team came and went in a hurry.

Five days later, the first draft of the Dragon Palace Aquarium project plan was enriched by the entire Longtan Lake leadership team based on Ning Weimin's plan. After brainstorming, the top leader Chen Shuping personally went to the Tourism Bureau and the Garden Bureau to lobby his old superiors.

There was also a plan that was sent by Qiao Wanlin to the district government for a deputy district mayor to review.

If nothing goes wrong, the first modern aquarium in Beijing, and perhaps also the first in the country, will start project operation ten years ahead of schedule.

But things in the world are so interesting. Ning Weimin is thinking of using Japan's advanced experience and construction technology to develop new tourism and cultural projects to promote the economic development of the mainland.

There are also some shrewd Japanese who are thinking about using the cheap resources in mainland China to make money for themselves.

And some creative ideas came to mind at the same time.

For example, the Japanese Kumagai Group, which had just acquired 30 square kilometers of land in Hainan, recently went to the Ming Tombs Reservoir in Beijing to look for another piece of land that they had their eyes on.

The people who came for the field investigation and were responsible for communicating with the local officials were several employees of the Gangcheng branch.

Due to the special historical factors of Hong Kong, many of them have no concept of compatriots. Instead, they feel that they are lucky because they can get everything they need by working for foreign companies.

Just like now, they are standing next to the reservoir and trying hard to deceive the reservoir and local cadres.

"Our company was founded in 1898 and is one of the top five construction companies in Japan. We are very strong. If we invest here, your place will soon become a crowded tourist destination."

"Excuse me, what kind of scenic spot will your company open here? How much money are you prepared to invest?"

"We plan to invest in an amusement park, an amusement park with modern equipment, as well as a hotel and a restaurant. The specific investment amount requires us to sign an agreement and the specific plan can be estimated after it is designed. But I personally think that such a project will cost at least tens of millions of RMB."

"Ten million?"

"so much!"

The local cadres and reservoir cadres were all shocked, and they were also very serious.

"We are in a remote area here. Aren't you worried about losing money?"

Those people from Hong Kong who worked for the Japanese burst into laughter when they heard this.

The leader said, "You don't have to worry about that. Multinational companies like us are very experienced in operating such projects. We can only make money and not lose money. Besides, although your place is remote, it also has its good points. Look at your place, the mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the air is so good. It's not too far from Beijing, only 30 kilometers. So if we take advantage of the Chinese people's worship of dragons, build a dragon-themed water amusement park, do some water projects, and start tourist buses, how can there be no tourists? People from Beijing will come here in droves to play."

Local officials and reservoir officials were immediately moved by this fantastic idea.

"Hey, that's a good idea. As expected of a multinational corporation, they really have some ideas."

"That's right. We feel relieved with your words."

But it was too early for them to be happy. At this time, another employee of Kumagai Group said, "Don't worry, there are still some things we need to clarify. Although it is a cooperation, in your case, at most you can only provide a piece of land. The funding and construction technology will probably need to be borne entirely by Kumagai Group. Even the equipment will have to be purchased from Japan. So we hope that after this project is built, the early profits must give priority to our return on investment. Dividends can only be distributed after we have returned our investment. Do you agree?"

This sentence immediately made the cadres feel troubled, because they had been poor for too long, and who wouldn’t want to see money as soon as possible?

"No dividends at all? Even a little less would be fine." Someone finally spoke up.

But even so, the people from the Kumagai group were a little unhappy, and someone immediately added.

"That won't work. This is how we Japanese companies cooperate with any Chinese company. Don't feel like you're losing out. Although we may not get dividends for a few years, we can still bring jobs to your area, boost the local economy, and create tax revenue. This amusement park is a huge investment, and it won't take ten or twenty years. As long as it's well-known, there's no need to worry about not making money. If we weren't here, would anyone invest here? You have to think about the long term."

As a result, the inexperienced cadres were once again controlled.

"That's true."

"Then... let's discuss this later..." (End of this chapter)