Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 945 Establishing a University
Not far from the foundation stone, facing the sea, stands a steel frame banner measuring twenty or thirty square meters.

Even this one printed picture was "imported" from the United States.

Because this technology is not currently available in China, when propaganda posters are needed, they are basically drawn by hand, which is not only time-consuming and laborious, but the images are also not very realistic and can be easily identified as painted.

Abroad, Siemens invented piezoelectric inkjet technology in 1972, and companies such as Canon and Epson followed suit. At that time, the technology had already become popular in the European and American advertising industry.

So Zhou Yali directly had the large-scale paintings needed for the groundbreaking ceremony and future hotel promotions made in the United States and brought directly to the mainland.

Those Hong Kong businessmen and tycoons were a little better off; they had seen similar things in Hong Kong, but they didn't use them much, so they didn't find them particularly strange.

Meanwhile, the mainland leaders couldn't help but gather in front of the inkjet printer while Chen Fan was chatting with the Hong Kong businessmen, commenting on it with amazement.

"Is this a photograph? This photograph is way too big!"

"It can't be a photo. Isn't this what the Pengcheng Hotel looks like? The hotel isn't even finished yet, so where would a photo come from?"

"How was this picture created?"

Just then, Chen Fan, who had been tricked into revealing information by Li Zhaoji, was afraid of being tricked again. Hearing their conversation, he walked over and said with a smile, "This is called inkjet printing. It's a large-scale printing technology from Western countries, mainly used for large-scale outdoor graphic advertisements."

Commercial advertising in China has gradually recovered, and the leaders in Guangdong were among the first and most proactive in aligning with international standards, so they naturally understand what advertising is.

The provincial leader immediately grasped the key point and asked, "Can this technology be imported? Is it expensive?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "It's possible to import them, but the equipment is a bit expensive, costing several hundred thousand US dollars."

In fact, my country only introduced large-format inkjet printers after the 90s. At that time, each machine cost several million yuan, and only large enterprises with deep capital could afford to invest in them.

If you were to buy it now, it would definitely cost several hundred thousand US dollars.

However, if used in Europe or America, the price is much lower.

There's no way around it; technological barriers are the biggest asset of monopolies, and monopolies are the most profitable business.

Even in the 1990s, there were only three companies in the world that made this kind of wide-format inkjet printer: Witt, NUR, and Scitech.

It wasn't until we developed our own domestically produced machines that we were able to bring the price down.

In fact, later domestically produced machines were not developed as complete sets, but rather relied on "assembly".

Because the complete set of professional inkjet printer technology is someone else's core secret, they won't sell it to you. Later, some clever people discovered that inkjet printers are very similar to cars; as long as you can buy a few key components, you can assemble and produce them, and the most crucial of these is the RIP software.

At that time, Inner Mongolia's Mengtai Company seized the opportunity and developed a set of RIP software. Although it was not very user-friendly, it was the only one that worked, and having it was better than not having it at all.

As a result, various brands of domestic inkjet printers emerged in a short period of time.

As a result, foreign companies immediately undercut domestic manufacturers, lowering their prices to the same level as domestic brands.

At roughly the same price, but with other products being even better, the market trend shifted again, and everyone started buying imported goods.

It wasn't until later, when domestic technology finally matured and foreign companies realized that they couldn't block it, that they agreed to technical cooperation, ultimately forming a market structure dominated by domestic inkjet printers and incorporating foreign technology.

But now, if you want to buy a large-format printer, the only option is to import one.

When the leaders heard that it cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a drawing printer, they immediately backed out.

"Garlic bird, garlic bird, I can't afford it, I can't afford it."

"Exactly. Actually, I think it's fine to rely on manual drawing."

"That's what I think too. It's simple to use and can also create jobs."

“I have a relative who draws exterior plans. He’s really good at it. When our company built toilets, we asked him to come and write the characters.”

"Hey, our workplace is also building a building and needs some words written on it, how about..."

"Okay, okay."

……

Chen Fan stood to the side with his hands in his pockets, not saying a word, just smiling, mainly offering companionship.

On the other side, several city leaders, accompanied by Ye Yufeng and his group, were chatting. One of the leaders asked curiously, "President Ye, who came up with the name 'Pengcheng Grand Hotel'?"

Ye Yufeng responded with a smile, "It was named by Mr. Chen, a consultant from our company."

He paused for a moment, then asked in return, "Is there something wrong with this name?"

The leader shook his head and said, "No problem, it's just that Shenzhen wasn't well-known before. I didn't expect that Writer Chen would know about Pengcheng. He obviously has a deep understanding of Shenzhen."

Zhou Yali, standing next to him, immediately said with pride, "You don't know this, but my cousin is a visiting professor at Jiangnan University, specializing in folklore. He has a deep understanding of folklore and pays attention to the local history wherever he goes."

When we were discussing the hotel's name, he said that the place originated from Jianpengcheng Village during the Song and Yuan dynasties. In the early Ming dynasty, the imperial court established the "Dapeng Garrison Command" here, and a city was built as a result. Since then, it has gradually become a place where Cantonese, Hakka, and Chaozhou cultures converge and an important coastal defense town in southern my country.

Looking at Shenzhen's topography, it's long and narrow from east to west and flat from north to south, resembling a roc flying towards the sea. Therefore, using "Pengcheng" (鹏城, meaning "City of the Roc") to represent Shenzhen is perfectly fitting.

Actually, Zhou Yali's initial idea was to simply call it "Shenzhen Grand Hotel." Didn't she see that there's a "China Grand Hotel" in Guangzhou? What's wrong with just calling it Shenzhen?
Then Chen Fan told her that the China Grand Hotel was to be handed over to the state after its completion, and that she also wanted to hand over the hotel.
Only state-owned entities can use names directly derived from place names. Who do you think you are?

Zhou Yali naturally didn't want to hand over the hotel, so she obediently followed her younger brother's advice and settled for second best, using the name "Pengcheng" as a way to "save the country through indirect means" and gain an advantage.

Even the name "Pengcheng" was a clever trick.

At that time, the name Pengcheng was not yet well-known. Only locals knew that Pengcheng was Shenzhen. Outsiders had no idea. It was not until after the new millennium that the name Pengcheng became famous.

If they used a more representative regional name like "Pearl River," which immediately identifies the area, they wouldn't allow it to be used by private individuals or foreign investors.

At this point, some leaders were unaware of this, while those who knew the inside story felt that the name wouldn't have much of an impact. Given Wan Muchun Company's "contribution" and Chen Fan's background, they turned a blind eye and let it pass.

This gave Chen Fan a huge advantage.

Decades later, when Shenzhen takes off, this name alone will likely be able to secure a place on the "brand value list," at least on par with "Guangzhou Restaurant."

This matter is easy to say but hard to hear. After figuring out the inside story, the leaders unanimously turned the topic to Chen Fan.

"Wow, I didn't know that writer Chen was a university teacher. My apologies for not recognizing him."

"College students are already the cream of the crop, but what about university teachers? What are they?"

"Jiaozi's teacher, of course. But speaking of which, it's a pity that Shenzhen doesn't have a university, otherwise we could invite Professor Chen to come and be a visiting professor, that would be great." "Exactly, exactly."

"Hey, how about we submit a report to our superiors and apply to establish a formal university? What do you think?"

"Oh, that's a great idea. I strongly support it."

"Boss, Boss, the provincial leader in charge happens to be here too, how about..."

"Hmm, that makes sense. Okay, I'll go sound out their opinion first. If the leadership supports it, then we'll formally submit our application."

"okay."

……

And so, to the astonishment of Zhao Wanru and the others, these leaders, one after another, put forward the idea of ​​building Shenzhen University three years in advance.

Then, when the city leaders came over and told the provincial leaders about it, the provincial leaders also thought it was a good idea and agreed without hesitation. They also asked the city to come up with a specific plan as soon as possible and submit an application to Xiyuan in a timely manner.

Right now, the whole country is in the transition phase from "restoring education" to "expanding education," so as long as the reasons are sufficient, the possibility of approval is very high.

As for "universal education," that was something that happened in the 1990s.

Their impromptu discussion directly shocked Chen Fan.

He stood there blankly, his mind a little slow to process what was happening.

What exactly happened that caused Shenzhen University to emerge three years ahead of schedule?
The leaders were still discussing how to get help from those big names in the education sector from Guangdong. Someone immediately thought of Luo Zhengqi, saying that although he was born in Beijing, his ancestral home was Panyu, and he had worked at Tsinghua University for many years, so he could definitely lend a hand.

Others mentioned so-and-so, but in short, everyone was pooling their wisdom and efforts; all that was missing was a live on-site meeting.

But this isn't the site for the Shenzhen University selection.

At the crucial moment, Chen Fan stepped in to "stir things up," walking over and saying with a smile, "Leader, leader."

Once everyone was drawn by his shout, he continued, "Establishing Shenzhen University is a major event; why don't we go back and discuss it properly? Shall we lay the foundation stone first?"

The leader immediately realized what was happening and laughed, "Yes, yes, let's lay the foundation first, let's lay the foundation first."

Subsequently, under the chairmanship of Ye Yufeng, several leaders delivered passionate and profound speeches against the backdrop of the graffiti.

After the leader's speech, Ye Yufeng, steeling himself, approached Chen Fan and whispered, "Young Master, with so many people here today, how are we going to dig?"

Chen Fan glanced around, his expression unchanged, and laughed, "No problem, watch me."

He then stepped forward and invited only the highest-ranking leader to come forward, and then invited Mr. Huo over as well.

The two of them, along with Zhao Wanru and Zhou Yali, brought out four shovels.

Everyone else, including General Manager Ye Yufeng and Chen Fan himself, stood aside as background figures.

Others might be afraid of offending people, but he isn't.

Mr. Fok is a shareholder, so it's only natural for him to invite him. The other Hong Kong businessmen are all here for his calligraphy; who would dare to object?

With the top leader stepping forward, who can object to others wanting to stand shoulder to shoulder with him?

Chen Fan easily handled the task that Ye Yufeng had to solve.

As the television cameraman set up his camera and pressed the pneumatic door, the moment was instantly captured.

……

After the groundbreaking ceremony, all the guests got back into their cars and returned to Wanmuchun Industrial Park.

The leaders, however, had other important matters to attend to and declined the invitation to lunch, instead returning to their offices in the "city center" by car.

Speaking of which, Shenzhen's urban area is quite rustic now, well, it's literally rustic. Apart from the two cement roads in the old Shenzhen town that are less than two kilometers long in total, everywhere else is rustic. The roads are rustic, the earthwork from construction is rustic, it's all rustic.

Meanwhile, Shennan Road, known as the "first road in the special economic zone," was still under construction at this time, with a total designed length of 2.1 kilometers and a road surface width of only 7 meters. It was in a pitiful state, showing no trace of the later Shennan Avenue.

The leaders hurried back on the dirt road, and Chen Fan, sitting in the minibus, shook his head as he looked out the window at the swirling dust.

Although the Shekou Industrial Zone is still under construction, fortunately, with strong financial support, the Wanmuchun Industrial Park has completed all the infrastructure, and all the roads are paved with cement. Otherwise, he wouldn't want to come.

But now wasn't the time to complain. Once the car had driven more smoothly, he turned to Zhou Yali and asked, "What were the leaders talking about just now? Why did they suddenly go over and apply to establish Shenzhen University?"

Zhou Yali spread her hands innocently and said, "I didn't say anything. I just mentioned that you were a visiting professor at Jiangnan University, teaching folklore, and then someone said, 'It's a pity that Shenzhen doesn't have a university, otherwise we could invite you to come and be a visiting professor.' Then they started talking about building a university, and then they went there."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan was unsure what expression to give.

Setting up a university shouldn't be done so lightly, right?
Seeing his conflicted expression, Zhou Yali couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Did I say something wrong?"

Chen Fan snapped out of his daze and shook his head, saying, "No."

He paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "I reckon your words were just a starting point. If Shenzhen wants to achieve great development in the future, it will definitely need to cultivate its own talent, and having its own university will certainly make things much easier."

I guess your words made them realize this weakness, and given that Shenzhen is now a legitimate prefecture-level city and has the qualifications to establish its own formal university, that's why they thought of this.

Zhou Yali patted her chest and let out a long breath, "Oh my god, I thought I'd gotten into trouble again."

As soon as he said that, the carriage erupted in laughter.

Jiang Lili sat down next to her and immediately took her arm, saying, "What do you mean by causing trouble? Even if it was caused by you, it's still a good thing."

Ye Yufeng also said with a smile, "Now that we have decided to establish ourselves in the mainland, Shenzhen is undoubtedly a very important base. If a university can be established here, it will undoubtedly be very beneficial to us."

At this point, she turned to Zhao Wanru and asked, "Madam, if this university can be established, should we donate money to it?"

Zhao Wanru was about to nod when she hesitated, turned to Chen Fan, and said, "Xiao Fan, in the United States, there is a tradition of wealthy people donating to schools. I wonder if this is appropriate in mainland China?"

After all, the two countries have different national conditions, and the aftershocks of the storm are still lingering. No one knows whether making a donation rashly is a good thing or a bad thing.

Chen Fan naturally understood what she meant. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Donation is definitely possible, but the method of donation may need to be discussed further."

He then looked up and smiled, "This is definitely a good thing, especially since it's in this place that's been designated as a reform testing ground. At most, I'll call my master later and ask him to sound out the old political commissar. As long as the old man agrees, there won't be any problems."

(End of this chapter)