Reborn since 1993

Chapter 1293 Hello, 1999
When Liu Weiguang came to Pingyang, it was a disastrous start, just in time for the outbreak of the Southeast Asian economic crisis, which caused Pingyang's GDP to plummet by nearly 40%!

The key point is that Dongling High-Tech, which is the pillar of Pingyang, was reported at the time to be selling its lucrative PHS (Personal Handyphone System) mobile phone business.

At the time, there were even rumors that Dongling Hi-Tech was at odds with Liu Weiguang and that the company was going to move its headquarters away.

Any one of these things alone would be enough to ruin a person's career, let alone when they were all put together, almost sending Liu Weiguang to his death!

But Liu Weiguang persevered through that situation, and regardless of the rumors and gossip, he remained steadfast in his support for Dongling High-Tech, regarding it as the foundation upon which he established himself in Pingyang.

Liu Weiguang's decision was rewarded. As soon as he took office, Dongling Hi-Tech announced that its global headquarters would be located in Pingyang, which was a way of telling the outside world that those rumors were unfounded, that Dongling Hi-Tech would not move, and that there was no discord between them and Liu Weiguang.

When selling the PHS phones, Li Dashan also told Liu Weiguang that Dongling High-Tech had other money-making businesses that were comparable to PHS phones.

At the time, Liu Weiguang naturally didn't believe it. After all, in his mind, a cash cow like Xiaolingtong was something that was hard to come by. If an ordinary company could find one, it would be like clinging to a piece of meat until it died, just like Starcom in his previous life, who clung to Xiaolingtong and wouldn't let go.

But this year, Liu Weiguang saw what the new cash cow Li Dashan had mentioned was. First, Feiyan Technology's MP3 player emerged at the beginning of the year, creating a new school of thought in the electronics industry!

In the middle of the year, Dongling Hi-Tech released the Hasee 2nd generation computer and the Hasee A1 all-in-one computer, which sparked a new trend in the global computer industry.

Regardless of the revenue these products brought to Dongling Hi-Tech, they also attracted a large number of component suppliers to settle in Pingyang, bringing substantial tax revenue and employment opportunities to the area.

At the end of the year, Dongling Hi-Tech unexpectedly released the Shenzhou Global Pass mobile phone, which once again became a hit at home and abroad.

When Liu Weiguang first arrived in Pingyang, he couldn't help but touch his newly added white hairs late at night and sighed at his bad luck.

But now, those sighs have long since disappeared. Liu Weiguang has experienced what the "true fragrance law" means. Backed by Dongling High-Tech, he can indeed win without lifting a finger!

Liu Weiguang also reaped the benefits that Yao Zhengru, the former head of Pingyang, had enjoyed, and he was practically stuffed with them.

Pingyang's economy is driven by companies in the Dongke Group, led by Dongling High-Tech. As long as companies in the Dongke Group, such as Dongling High-Tech, Feiyan Technology, and Torch Group, can develop smoothly, Pingyang's economy will take off, so there is no need to worry.

After being notified by the staff, Liu Weiguang, Gu Xiguang, and others walked into the stadium.

"Pingyang Stadium is an old stadium, please excuse the poor quality!"

"However, the Pingyang Urban Construction Department has already applied for and is in the planning stage for the new, modern, international-level Pingyang Olympic Sports Center!"

Upon entering the stadium, Liu Weiguang addressed Gu Xiguang and the representatives from Hanxi Province with some apologies.

However, everyone present was a seasoned veteran, and they could easily understand what Liu Weiguang meant. At first glance, it seemed that he was saying that Pingyang Stadium was too old and that they should be embarrassed by it.

But actually, the key part is the second half of the sentence: Binh Duong is planning a modern Olympic sports center that can host international events, and has already raised the bar.

Moreover, the Ping Duong Olympic Sports Center project is planned to be a stadium that meets international standards, integrating competition and training venues, including a main stadium and multiple functional stadiums.

It can host various large-scale competitions such as football, basketball, swimming, track and field, badminton, gymnastics, and tennis.

It can also be used for training and workshops, as well as for holding concerts, exhibitions, job fairs, and other events.

Once the Pingyang Olympic Sports Center is completed, this place will immediately become a new center for sports events, concerts, and other activities in Hanxi.

If any national or international sporting event is to be held in Hanxi, and there are specific hardware requirements, it will definitely be held at the Pingyang Olympic Sports Center.

There are only a handful of such modern, multi-functional sports and athletic centers in China, including those in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

There are currently no reports of Olympic sports centers or large stadiums appearing in Hanxi and the surrounding seven provinces. Once the Pingyang Olympic Sports Center is completed, it will be the first Olympic sports center in the surrounding eight provinces.

In the future, Pingyang will be able to apply to host events such as the National Games and the Asian Games. This Olympic Sports Center can become a new city landmark for Pingyang!
For a new city to thrive, it needs not only economic support, but also support in areas such as technology, finance, culture, and art. Pingyang currently has such plans.

But today, Liu Weiguang is just talking big; it's practically impossible for the Pingyang Olympic Sports Center to start construction under his supervision.

Even with ample funding, it takes more than three years for an Olympic sports center to go from project application to commencement and completion.

Liu Weiguang can stay in Pingyang for at most another year next year, and he will definitely leave the year after next. Even if the Olympic Sports Center project starts construction, it will not be included in his resume.

However, Liu Weiguang still has things to do. The application and planning for the Olympic Sports Center project are things he will definitely get done during his term.

Just like Yao Zhengru left the Pingyang Municipal Government Building project, which Liu Weiguang took over after taking office and quickly made progress.

Liu Weiguang also needs to leave some projects for his successor to facilitate taking over Pingyang after taking office. With people helping each other, who can say that he will not have to deal with people from Pingyang's official career in the future?
For Liu Weiguang, Pingyang was the most significant chapter in his career and resume, and could even be considered his lucky place. His predecessors, Luo Junwu and Yao Zhengru, have already been included in the Pingyang City Annals, awaiting future evaluation by the people of Pingyang.

Even though Luo Junwu actually spent most of his time in Pingyang "keeping a low profile"—that's a nice way of putting it—he didn't really accomplish anything.

Moreover, at that time, state-owned enterprises in Pingyang were declining rapidly. State-owned enterprises such as Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 had already declined. Like other cities in China that were going through growing pains and transformations, Pingyang was very confused and fearful.

However, Luo Junwu, who was about to retire, created Dongling High-Tech in less than a year before his retirement, and then successfully established the Shangguan Economic Development Zone, which led to the Torch Group.

Thanks to his achievements in Pingyang, Luo Junwu was promoted to the provincial capital of Hanxi, where he worked in the Department of Transportation for several years before retiring.

The Pingyang City Annals also devoted considerable space to recording Luo Junwu, after all, he was also the founder of the new Pingyang.

Luo Junwu and Yao Zhengru were both included in the Pingyang City Annals, and they both spent considerable time and effort recording their deeds in Pingyang.

Despite the fact that many people in Pingyang are still criticizing Yao Zhengru, believing that he has dug up and built roads everywhere, turning Pingyang into a huge construction site and demolishing many areas of Pingyang.

But Liu Weiguang knew that one could not judge a person’s merits and demerits by looking only at the present. For example, those who repaired dikes and canals throughout history did not necessarily have good reputations, because they had to mobilize labor and taxes, which would certainly draw criticism.

Therefore, merits and demerits can usually only be seen after one or even two generations. However, in Liu Weiguang's eyes, Yao Zhengru absolutely deserves to be called the founder of Pingyang. Pingyang's economic planning is currently proceeding according to Yao Zhengru's plan.

Liu Weiguang, too, longed to leave his mark on the Pingyang City Annals.
Once the invited guests and the area open to the public were basically full, Dongke's annual meeting officially began.

"I remember at the first annual meeting, Brother Li said that in the future, Dongling High-Tech's annual meetings would have celebrities perform for us. Now, not only are there celebrities performing, but they are celebrities from Gangcheng!"

When Li Dongling heard the person sitting in the area where the senior executives of Dongling High-Tech were sitting say these words, he immediately knew that it was Gao Peng who said them.

But to be honest, Gao Peng's words carried a hint of regret. In previous years, Dongling Hi-Tech's annual meeting was all about performances on stage, with Dongling Hi-Tech employees dining with their families in the audience. There was even a sobering-up area. The annual meeting was basically a day for Dongling Hi-Tech's internal gatherings and revelry.

Back then, there certainly wasn't the scene of celebrities helping out that we have now. They even needed philanthropist Li Dashan, Gao Peng, Zhang Ao, and others to go up and perform to make up the show.

But the kind of wailing and chaotic annual meeting without any professional equipment is what Gao Peng remembers most vividly.

However, Gao Peng was just saying that. He knew that with Dongling High-Tech's current scale and status, it was impossible for them to hold such a makeshift annual meeting, especially in front of so many guests.

The stage lights were focused on the stage, and then a professional TV host from Pingyang TV took over as the host of the annual meeting.

There was also a photography team from Pingyang TV station in the audience, acting as a film crew to capture and record today's Dongling High-Tech Annual Meeting, all of which are part of Dongling High-Tech's history.

As is customary, the host delivered a speech, followed by invitations to Gu Xiguang and representatives from the Hanxi Provincial Government, and finally Liu Weiguang, representing the Pingyang Municipal Government, and others to speak on stage.

These were all routine procedures, and Gu Xiguang, Liu Weiguang, and others were well aware that their main purpose in being here today was to express their support, so they did not overstep their bounds and simply said a few words before stepping off the stage.

"Let us welcome Mr. Li Dongling, founder of Dongling Hi-Tech, with the warmest applause to deliver his New Year's address for 1999!"

When the host on stage mentioned Li Dongling's name, a huge round of applause suddenly erupted in the audience, including Tao Yan and Jiang Suyi, who were sitting below.

Both of them knew what Dongling High-Tech meant to them. Tao Yan remembered what kind of life Tao Zhiliang and his family lived before he joined Dongling High-Tech.

Since joining Dongling High-Tech, the Tao family has moved into an apartment building with an elevator in Dongfang Jiayuan. They now have all kinds of home appliances and furniture, including a refrigerator, color TV, washing machine, and computer. They were even given a motorcycle, and the Tao family is even planning to buy a car for transportation.

Tao Yan attends university in Pingyang. In addition to receiving the Qilin Scholarship, Dongling Hi-Tech also provides subsidies for the children of its employees who attend university. Tao Yan not only doesn't have to spend money on university, but she can also earn several hundred yuan every month.

The probability of going to Hanxi Jiaotong University for graduate studies after studying at Pingyang University is much higher than in other places. Tao Yan is well aware that the Tao family is closely associated with Dongling High-Tech.

As for Jiang Suyi, she was not from Pingyang, but she also received the Qilin Scholarship. In addition, she could work part-time at Zhixing Bookstore, so her family did not have to pay her tuition every year, and she could even save up a sum of money to send home.

Jiang Suyi also knew that the Qilin Scholarship and Zhixing Bookstore were both established by the philanthropist Li.

After learning about Jiang Suyi's family background, the Zhixing Foundation even "lent" her a Hasee computer to use in her dormitory. Students like Jiang Suyi from families with limited financial resources at Pingyang University receive preferential treatment.

Jiang Suyi also understands how she got to where she is now, so she naturally fully supports Dongling High-Tech.

Li Dongling raised his hand slightly, and the scene suddenly fell silent as countless eyes turned to him.

"I'm so glad to see so many familiar faces this year. We've all spent the best year since Dongling Hi-Tech was founded!"

(End of this chapter)