Riding the wind of rebirth

Originally, the plan for this trip was to bring Master Ma along to Suzhou, so that he could see what kind of achievements Southern Red Agate and non-color jadeite could achieve under the current Suzhou craftsmen's carving.

However, this matter was cancelled after Master Ma saw the collection of Zhi Rong Tang. He abandoned his own museum affairs and decided to stay here for a while to see all the Zhouzhi collections that he had never seen before.

So Zhou Zhi took Mai Xiaomiao with him, and the two of them leisurely set off to Suzhou to "pick up the goods".

At the Suzhou Jade Carving Center, Zhou Zhi ordered three pairs of bracelets: one pair made of 95% Yutian jade, one pair made of icy, gelatinous, blue-green, snowflake-like jadeite, and one pair made of Southern Red Agate.

Of the three jade bracelets, the 95-grade Yutian jade is currently the most valuable, but in terms of rarity, the Liangshan ox-blood red agate, which is the least expensive, is the rarest.

The color of oxblood agate is like the vermilion of blood curd, slightly transparent, and has reached the level of gem-quality Aka coral. However, since agate is an agate mine, it is difficult to avoid growth lines and crystal caves in the process of its formation. Oxblood agate is extremely rare and often broken, so it can basically only be cut into small pieces. Large pieces with pure color are extremely rare.

Among the three pairs of bracelets, the most common material is actually blue-green snowflake jadeite. This type of material, which does not have green color roots, is still not highly valued. Even if it has reached the icy type and has fluorescence, the price is still not high.

Even for bracelets with simple craftsmanship, the difference between those made by a master craftsman and those made by an apprentice is still noticeable.

The banners were thick and heavy, with soft lines and a wonderful interplay of light and shadow. Zhou Zhi marveled, "They're all bracelets, but the ones you made, Mr. Xu, look much more pleasing to the eye."

"Once I finish these three pairs of bracelets, I'll officially retire," Xu Zhiman said with a smile. "With five Hundred Flowers Awards for three consecutive years, Qinghong and the others have become masters. Our industry is now thriving and world-renowned. There's nothing to worry about anymore."

Five Hundred Flowers Awards in three years: Following Zhu Qinghong, Lü Man and Zhang Mingyu were also named national-level masters.

This is a positive consequence of the Suzhou Jade Carving Center, which was suggested and invested in by Zhou Zhi, greatly stimulating the enthusiasm of practitioners.

Back then, at Zhou Zhi's suggestion, several parties joined forces to establish a processing center in Suzhou, dispersing the jade carving factory into a studio model, creating master brands, widening the gap in product quality and income, and ensuring that the masters' hard work received its due reward. Suzhou, a traditional center of jade carving arts and crafts, was immediately revitalized.

The high income has motivated many talented individuals to hone their skills, leading to their emergence as outstanding performers. Coupled with the continuous improvement in the quality of life for the people, the jewelry market continues to boom, presenting a thriving scene.

Zhu Qinghong, being observant, couldn't help but chuckle at the still somewhat bewildered Mai Xiaomiao, and reminded her, "Zhouzi is quite thoughtful. With these three bracelets, you won't have to worry about not having accessories for your wedding, whether it's Chinese or Western style."

Mai Xiaomiao then realized what was happening. She was usually a little shy when others praised her, but she wasn't afraid of being teased at all about marrying Zhou Zhi. She genuinely believed it was a matter of course, so she turned to Zhou Zhi and asked, "Really?"

"Silly girl, they were all custom-made to fit your hand size, why are you asking?" Lu Man and Zhang Mingyu laughed along. "Besides the Nan Hong agate being hollow, we also carved the cores of the Hetian jade and jadeite bracelets into pendants, in an antique style. Xiao Miao, do you like them?" "Yes, I like them very much," Mai Xiaomiao said. "They're just a bit heavy."

"Anyway, we won't carry it around often." Zhou Zhi laughed. "The teachers' hard work is too precious. Except for important occasions, we put it away after using it. We would feel bad if it were damaged even a little bit."

“We’ve found the oxblood red material. We’ll get the pendant for you in two months. Do you want to take these now or wait until the red agate pendant is complete?” Zhu Qinghong asked. “If you’re not in a hurry, I’d like to send the three pairs of bracelets to an exhibition. We’re planning to hold a retirement exhibition for our master.”

"Congratulations, Professor Xu! This is wonderful news." Zhou Zhi said with a smile, "We're not in a hurry. Professor Zhu, please feel free to exhibit it."

After meeting with everyone in Suzhou, Zhou Zhi was even rushed over by Director Duan, who had been promoted to the rank of director-general, to introduce the development of the jade carving center. Director Duan also deliberately arranged for Zhou Zhi to stay for a meal in Suzhou. The next morning, Director Duan arranged for a special car to take Zhou Zhi and Mai Xiaomiao to Shanghai to meet with bigwigs such as Hu Changfeng.

The Zhangjiang Industrial Park has grown increasingly larger, and its nickname as China's Silicon Valley is becoming more and more fitting.

If Zhangjiang two years ago was a relatively singular industrial park that relied on wafer fabs and chip manufacturing plants, with smart chips, industrial control computer chips, and memory chips as its core, and various circuit boards, programmable equipment, and storage devices as its peripheral industries, then today Zhangjiang has become a behemoth in the information industry.

Various program-controlled switching equipment, network equipment, optical communication equipment, satellite communication equipment, core computing chips, storage chips, supercomputing matrix storage cards, computing power cards, and even computing center integrated equipment, as well as supporting power equipment, UPS power supplies, batteries, and even various cables, optical fibers, and even special fire protection equipment for computer rooms, valves, air switches, and power strips have all settled here, building a huge information engineering industrial park.

"We used to be very cautious, afraid of repeating the mistakes of Project 908. But now, seeing so many supporting enterprises settling in the area, and the region adjusting land prices four times in one year, we have to believe that the spring of our information industry has truly arrived." In just a few years, Hu Changfeng's temples have turned completely white. However, because his clothes are all professionally customized, and his hairstyle and body management are now professionally guided, his spirit is even more vigorous because his ambitions have been realized. He actually looks more refined and younger than when we first met him, and his signature white hair at his temples has become an embellishment to his temperament.

"The central government is calling for younger cadres, and everyone is dyeing their hair. Your completely white temples are a bit out of step with the mainstream." Zhou Zhi and Hu Changfeng met when they were both struggling in their careers and were close friends despite their age difference, so they spoke casually and teased each other about Hu Changfeng's white hair as soon as they met.

"I'm afraid I can't go back to the system." As a true pillar of the national information technology industry, Hu Changfeng left his ministerial position when the industry was struggling to come to Shanghai to serve as chairman of Huahong Group. His identity can be defined by far more than just being a business leader: "Fortunately, I have not disappointed the expectations of my superiors and subordinates. Compared with the clean water and clear air after the 809 Project was launched, the current state of Zhangjiang, with construction sites everywhere and dust everywhere, although the pressure on environmental protection is enormous, I am really happy!"

After everyone warmly greeted each other and sat down again, Hu Changfeng brought up a topic that shocked Zhou Zhi: "Does Zhouzi know? The country has already listed the development of the information industry as a pillar industry for the future."

"Really?" He was immediately encouraged: "That's great news!"

On March 25, 1994, the state first explicitly proposed the concept of "actively revitalizing pillar industries," marking the beginning of a top-level policy breakthrough for the development of China's pillar industries. This spurred the vigorous development of the "four major industries." (End of Chapter)