Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2703 Special Zone (Bonus chapter for reader Mudisheng's 10,000-yuan reward)
A paradise for the rich, a hell for the poor!

In many propaganda campaigns, Shan State is portrayed in this image.

There are even articles that describe Shan State, such as the article "Hell on Earth - Shan State," which describes Shan State as extremely terrifying.

In the article, Shan State is described as "a paradise for the rich and a hell for the poor." It is the most depraved place in the world; it is rife with organized crime and thugs; at the same time, it is the largest drug manufacturing and trafficking base; it not only has the highest suicide rate in the world; but in some places, there are even chieftains who plunder slaves.

In short, this place is hell.

Despite such propaganda, some people secretly listen to Shan State radio in private, and Shan State people often return to their hometowns to visit relatives, bringing back "novel" items and stories.

At that time, a farmer in Yunnan province earned an average of a few cents a day, while in Shan State he earned tens of Shan dollars. One side already had televisions and refrigerators, while the other could only afford sweet potatoes... This stark disparity made many people see another possibility in life.

So, with a do-or-die mentality, they gambled their youth and their fate.

There are two main ways to gamble: by land and by sea. People trespass through rainforests and over border fences. However, due to the tight security presence of sentries, the land route is generally not easy to pass. The other way is by water, a method commonly used by young people. They trespass through the rainforest, wearing bamboo tubes over their bodies, and then jump into the rushing river.

The mighty river may appear calm, but it can be deadly, with hidden currents, reefs, and countless other dangers.

Over the years, how many people have waded across the river to reach it? And how many have been swallowed by its waters?

There is no exact number.

Because it is classified, the Shan State authorities have classified this number as confidential, but as long as one can successfully land, one can reside in Shan State.

To accommodate these people, in addition to requiring factories to provide them with dormitories, the authorities also rented them attics in the National Apartments, which the local media dubbed "the new attic houses."

These people work hard and have low demands, which provides a large amount of cheap labor for Shan State, which is in the process of economic take-off. It can be said that Shan State's economic rise is due to this.

The population of this small, landlocked state has surged from less than 200 million to 900 million, and its GDP has exceeded 300 billion US dollars.

Zhang Weiguo was a firsthand witness to all of this. More than a decade ago, he and his friends waded through the water to get here, and he knew all too well how many hardships they had gone through along the way.

For the past ten years or so, he had been working in a shoe factory. He met his wife there, and the two got married and had children. They were financially secure, but for all those years, he always longed for his hometown.

Especially now, as the children grow older, he misses home more and more. And his wife, who is from Sichuan province, feels the same way.

After discussing it for a long time, the two finally made up their minds to visit their relatives.

However, in order to save money, they did not choose to fly.

Planes are too expensive, so they chose to take a bus. Thanks to the convenience of land routes, there are direct buses from the border to the provincial capital. They can then transfer to a sleeper train in the provincial capital to go to Chengdu. Compared to taking a plane, a sleeper train costs less than 50 yuan, and even including the bus fare, it only costs a little over 100 yuan.

Therefore, this is the most cost-effective mode of transportation.

And so, the couple embarked on their journey home after visiting relatives, carrying two large bags of luggage. Their bags contained many old clothes given to them by friends, as well as several Walkmans.

First, take the high-speed train from Xin'an to Mengla. Although Mengla is a small border town, it is also full of high-rise buildings and appears quite prosperous.

“Hongzi, look, that’s it. When I came here back then, I hid in the woods and could see the neon lights of Mengla from dozens of miles away. They were all colorful. It was that light that attracted us here…”

When Zhang Weiguo mentioned those days, most of the passengers on the bus were deeply moved, since they had all come to Shan State through similar means.

As the bus passed through customs, Zhang Weiguo looked at the endless barbed wire fence outside. This barbed wire fence stretched for hundreds of kilometers along the border. On the south side of the barbed wire fence, due to the spraying of defoliants over the years, there was basically only some weeds growing, and no trees could be seen.

The same applies to the north side, except that the north side was artificially logged.

This barbed wire fence has blocked countless people.

When Zhang Weiguo swam across the river back then, he never imagined that he would return home in this way one day.

Like many others, when he saw the colorful neon lights in the rainforest and jumped into the river, he didn't even know if he would survive.

After all, it was a matter of life and death.

And now? Decades later, I've come here again.

However, unlike the sneaky methods of the past, this time it was a straightforward trip from one side to the other.

It was precisely this openness and honesty that made him feel that everything had changed.

Everything has changed.

The passengers looked out the windows, most with expressions of anticipation. Finally, the bus passed through the first border checkpoint. After entering the other side, soldiers came up to check their documents and then welcomed them.

"Welcome everyone back to the motherland to visit relatives."

Tang Shihe looked at the passengers in the car and said to them:
"From here until you reach the county town, my comrade Xiao Ding and I will escort you the whole way. If you need any help, just let me know."

The journey from the border to the provincial capital is over 800 kilometers, and the entire route is mountainous, passing through villages and towns. It takes about 20 hours, and because of this, the bus needs to stop overnight and stay at the county guesthouse.

To ensure passenger safety, police officers accompany the vehicle; in this case, border patrol officers accompany the vehicle until they reach the county town, where they are then replaced by local police.

"Won't...maybe nothing's wrong..."

Tang Wanghong looked at the soldiers with some concern; they were all carrying guns.

"It's alright, it's alright, it just means they value us."

What Zhang Weiguo said is true. This bus route was indeed opened after multiple rounds of negotiations because it was taken seriously. Not only do Shan State people use this route to visit relatives, but many people from Southeast Asia also use it to visit relatives. After all, it is the cheapest way to enter the southwest hinterland.

Just as the bus crossed the border and headed towards the county town, Zhang Weiguo noticed that there were no villages along the way. This was not surprising, as the villages had either been relocated or the people had left.

After driving for more than half an hour, we came across a construction site. There were workers everywhere on the site, and judging from their clothes, they looked like soldiers. Most of the people in the car also looked curious.

Seeing this, Tang Shihe, who was standing at the car door, took the initiative to explain:
"What you see here are railway soldiers. To make it easier for you to visit your relatives, the country has decided to build a railway from the provincial capital to Daluo. Once the railway is completed, it will be much more convenient for you to visit your relatives. It will only take a dozen hours to get to the provincial capital."

These are the best railway soldiers sent by the country.

As Tang Shihe finished speaking, someone in the carriage said:

“I know that. I saw in the news that an export special zone was going to be set up here, right? It’s one of the five export special zones, right, comrade.”

"Yes Yes."

Tang Shihe nodded quickly and said:
"We'll also build a factory in Daluo to specialize in export trade. By the way, I heard from the leaders that we welcome you to invest and set up factories here."

Although most of the people in the car were ordinary workers, Tang Shihe still explained the policy changes to them.

What export special zones, what investment factories, etc.

Such matters have actually attracted attention from all sectors over the past two months. After all, when the news of the establishment of the "export special zone" came out two months ago, it was hard for all parties not to pay attention.

This is especially true for Shan State, which is very close by.

"Their daily wage is only a little over ten cents, while our daily wage is over one hundred. If given the choice, anyone would know where to invest and set up a factory."

As the president of Shan State, Lee Yun Hui listened to the account of Xu Haodong, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, with a furrowed brow. However, he did not speak immediately, but silently smoked his cigarette, pondered for a while, and then said:
“Theoretically speaking, that’s true. However, we all know very well that it’s very difficult for their products to enter Shan State. There are tariffs, quotas, and the principle of reciprocity in trade…”

After a slight pause, Li Yunhui continued:

"And those trade restrictions, I don't think they will have an impact on us."

Xu Haodong looked at the president and said:
"exit!"

He continued:

"Mr. President, I don't necessarily mean entering our market, but rather using cheap labor to attract our capital to invest and set up factories there. Currently, although we are also upgrading our industries, labor-intensive export processing industries such as textiles, clothing, electronics, and toys remain our pillars. We are indeed the 'world's factory,' possessing mature processing and manufacturing technologies. However, in recent years, increasingly high labor costs have put greater pressure on many domestic enterprises, and now..."

Looking at the president, Xu Haodong continued:

"With the establishment of the export special zone, on the other side of the barbed wire, workers only earn 30 yuan a month, while on this side, they need to earn thousands of yuan. With such a huge difference, anyone would make a choice. Factory owners, especially those who specialize in export trade, will definitely make a choice. The advantage in labor costs alone will allow them to make a fortune!"

After expressing his concerns, Xu Haodong continued...

“Those factory owners have the corresponding management experience and market channels in Europe and the United States. They only need to move their factories to the other side, use the local cheap labor to produce products, and then use the Salween River to access the sea and enter the European and American markets directly. At that time, our factories will close down, our industrial zones will turn off the lights, and our economy will fall into recession!”

Then, after a slight pause, he continued:
"The hydropower station we built with billions of dollars, which relies on the sea passage improved by the dam, is essentially doing all the work for others. After all, with our labor costs, we simply can't compete with them!"

When talking about "not being able to compete," Xu Haodong emphasized again:
"Mr. President, they are just like us, just as hardworking and intelligent. What we can do, they can certainly do too, and they can certainly do it even better. We will be facing our strongest and most formidable competitor!"

After uttering those two words, Xu Haodong looked directly at the president, while Li Yunhui fell silent, silently smoking, his furrowed brows revealing his inner turmoil…

(End of this chapter)