The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 648 "Beijing Automobile Group"!!!
Why was Taozi so excited when he heard that "Beijing Automobile Group" was recruiting?

Because there is a lot of reason behind this.

As an emerging force in the automotive industry, although Beijing Automotive Group was established not long ago, it has demonstrated amazing development momentum, rapidly expanded its business territory, and gained a high reputation in the industry.

What is even more desirable is that the group’s employee welfare system is a benchmark in the Yanjing area.

Full payment of five social insurances and one housing fund, generous year-end bonuses, a complete vocational training system, and a superior working environment, each of these factors attract job seekers.

During every recruitment season, Beijing Automotive Group’s recruitment announcement always triggers a job-seeking boom.

Not only are unemployed young people rushing to submit their resumes, but even many employed people are also eager to try, hoping to get a place in this emerging enterprise.

The competition is so fierce that it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge."

The automobile industry is another pillar industry of Liujiazhuang, and "Beijing Automobile" is now the number one local automobile brand in Xiaguo.

"Beijing Auto" was established in 1992.

This year's "spring breeze" blew across the rice fields of Liujiazhuang, bringing the breath of the free market.

Liu Jianguo stood at the door of the paint shop in the motorcycle factory, and the black ash on his fingertips could not be rubbed clean.

The sign of "Great Wall Motorcycle Group" behind him shone with metallic luster in the sun, and the parking lot twenty meters away from the headquarters entrance was his family's ancestral home.

When the "Great Wall Motorcycle" factory was built, his old house was demolished.

"Director! Good news!" Financial Director Lao Ma ran over waving the Renren Daily. "The South has spoken! He said we need to be bolder!"

Liu Jianguo took the newspaper, and the leader's photo took up most of the page.

His eyes swept across the four big characters "Reform and Opening-up" and fell on the "Great Wall CC50" motorcycle in the corner that showed obvious signs of age.

This is the first batch of motorcycles produced by their factory in 1978, and now it has become the factory's mascot.

"Old Ma, do you remember when we sold the first Great Wall CC50?" Liu Jianguo slapped his palm with a newspaper. "At that time, some people said we were not doing our job properly."

Lao Ma chuckled and said, "Who in the country doesn't know us now? Even the Public Security Bureau has purchased our motorcycles!"

Liu Jianguo didn't respond.

He looked at the motorcycles being assembled in the workshop and the villagers in blue work clothes on the assembly line, which looked very much like the scene of rice planting in the production team back then.

The only difference is that the seedlings have been replaced by steel, and the sweat is no longer watering the rice, but the welding points that are flying with sparks.

At a cadre meeting three days later, Liu Jianguo slammed the "Automotive Industry Development Outline" on the paint-chipped conference table and said, "It's time for us to transform."

Everyone in the room looked at each other in bewilderment, and the factory union chairman Wang Guihua almost dropped the enamel pot in her hand.

"Jianguo, you don't want to build cars, do you?" Factory Secretary Liu Dezhu knocked his pipe against the table, "We just have a motorcycle factory..."

Liu Jianguo took out an English magazine from his briefcase. The cover was a streamlined car. "The economy in Eastern Europe has been bad in the past two years. A car factory in the Czech Republic is going bankrupt. The whole production line is being transferred with technology." He pointed to the factory building in the photo. "It's not much bigger than our factory."

The meeting lasted until the late night, and the voices of opposition gradually turned into voices of settling accounts.

When Liu Jianguo said, "The district has agreed to provide a foreign exchange quota," the financial director, Lao Ma, suddenly stood up and said, "Gosh! Didn't we also start from scratch when we made motorcycles?"

It was already dawn when the meeting ended.

Liu Jianguo was squatting at the factory gate eating cold steamed buns. His wife Li Xiulan came over holding her coat and said, "Do you really want to tinker with the car? My father told you not to take too big a step or you might hurt your balls..."

"Xiu Lan, do you still remember when I rode the Phoenix to pick up my bride when we got married?" Liu Jianguo pointed at the pale sky rising above the horizon, "When we build a car, we'll use our own car to pick up our son's bride when he gets married!"

Three months later, Liu Jianguo, together with technical section chief Zhang Jianjun and newly graduated college translator Xiao Wang, boarded a flight to Prague.

As the plane flew over the Ural Mountains, Xiao Wang pointed out the window and said, "Director, I heard that Czechs drink beer like water."

Liu Jianguo stroked the bottle of "Taihang 1968" on the plane and said, "It's just right. The people of Xia are not bad at drinking."

The negotiations were more difficult than expected.

In the meeting room of the Skoda factory, Vitas, the Czech representative, pushed a stack of documents over and said, "Mr. Liu, with all due respect, you don't even have a car production license."

Liu Jianguo asked Xiao Wang to translate slowly, and he took out a motorcycle carburetor from his snakeskin bag: "This is a fuel-saving device we independently developed. It saves 15% more fuel than similar products in Japan." He took out a few photos and said, "This is the automotive panel mold we modified from the motorcycle production line."

Vitas adjusted his glasses. The picture showed indeed a car sheet metal part. Although it was rough, the outline was clear.

A chuckle came from the corner of the conference room. An old man with a red nose was fiddling with the "Great Wall CC150" model they brought.

"This is Mr. Joseph, our chief engineer," Vitas introduced. "His father was involved in the design of the first Skoda car."

Liu Jianguo's eyes lit up, he stood up and walked to Joseph, and suddenly said "comrade" in Russian.

The old man looked up suddenly, and a gleam flashed in his blue eyes - that was the look that only engineers in the socialist camp could understand during the Cold War.

The turning point came during a visit to the production line.

Liu Jianguo found several dusty CNC machine tools, the nameplates showing that they were newly purchased in 1989. "These are used to produce new engines," Joseph whispered, "but unfortunately, before they were put into production, the factory..."

On the way back to the hotel, Liu Jianguo suddenly asked to stop the car.

He squatted on the stone steps under the Charles Bridge, sketching with chalk, while Zhang Jianjun held a flashlight.

"See?" Liu Jianguo pointed at the sketch, "Install their engine on the chassis we designed, and raise it five centimeters..." He looked up and saw the stars on the Vltava River, "We have to find a way to get Joseph to Xiaguo!"

On the eve of the signing, Liu Jianguo found Joseph drinking alone in the bar.

He took out the "Taihang" he brought with him, and the two old men, who did not speak the same language, chatted with the drawings and calculator until the early morning.

When Joseph wrote the four words "retirement re-employment" in Czech, Liu Jianguo knew that the most precious technology transfer had been successful.

On the day the equipment arrived at Liujiazhuang, a large crowd of workers gathered around the container, marveling at the sight.

On the eve of the Spring Festival in 1993, Liu Jianguo and Joseph were worried about a faulty engine in the workshop.

The old man suddenly hummed "Katyusha" and took out a special wrench from the bottom of the toolbox. "In Prague, we call this 'grandfather's tool'." He said in broken Chinese, "Every master has a secret weapon."

When the engine finally started to roar, the workers who came upon hearing the noise saw two people ballroom dancing in the oil pit.

At the prototype vehicle review meeting, leaders of the development zone circled around the silver-gray sedan.

Named "Jingchi 100", the front of the car retains Skoda's genes, but the body is significantly taller and the trunk is particularly larger - this was modified based on Wang Guihua's suggestion: "When we Chinese visit relatives, who doesn't bring some fruits?"

The district leader got into the driver's seat and touched the imitation mahogany gear lever: "Old Liu, is this really made by us?" Liu Jianguo handed over the key with a smile: "Please experience the car we made. How is it?"

On National Day in 1994, the first batch of mass-produced vehicles rolled off the assembly line.

As the new car, decorated with red and colorful ribbons, drove past the gate of Liujiazhuang Central Primary School No. 2, the children counted the chrome letters "Jingcheng Auto Group" on the rear of the car, and pronounced them phonetically: "JINGCHE!"

At a cadre meeting in late autumn, Liu Jianguo pointed to the development zone's planning map and said, "Next year we will build a parts industrial park here, and the year after we will start building an engine factory."

At the factory gate, newly-produced cars are being shipped to all parts of the country.

In 1995, the sales volume of Beijing Auto Group's "Beijing Chi" sedan exceeded units, becoming one of the best-selling domestic sedans in China.

Liu Jianguo's office is hung with banners. City leaders, dealers, and even the counselor of the Czech Embassy have visited this rising automobile kingdom.

However, a crisis was brewing in the dark.

On a rainy night in June 1995, Liu Jianguo was awakened by the urgent ringing of the phone.

"Chairman, something happened!" Zhang Jianjun, the technical section chief, said in a trembling voice, "We just received feedback from three 4S stores in North China that more than a dozen 'Jingchi' vehicles suddenly stalled while driving at high speeds, almost causing an accident!"

Liu Jianguo's sleepiness disappeared instantly.

He put on his coat, rushed into the rain, and headed straight for the car factory.

In the laboratory, Joseph and several engineers gathered around a disassembled engine with serious expressions.

"The oil pump design is flawed," Joseph said in broken Chinese. "The original Czech factory drawings do not provide enough oil in high temperature environments. The summer in Xia Country is hotter than in Europe..."

Liu Jianguo stared at the engine that had been dismantled into pieces, as if he saw the brand reputation he had just established collapsing.

"Recall." He gritted his teeth and said, "All vehicles sold will be inspected free of charge!"

The financial director, Lao Ma, was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands: "Director, how much money do we have to pay for this?"

The recall incident caused heavy losses to the newly-born Beijing Auto Group, and some foreign competitors took the opportunity to publish an article in the newspaper: "Is it a joke for township enterprises to make cars?"

Liu Jianguo stood at the factory gate and looked at the empty parking lot - originally there were dozens of new cars waiting to be shipped every day, but now there are only a few broken-down cars waiting to be repaired.

"Dad, maybe we can try this." A young voice came from behind. Liu Jianguo turned around and saw his son Liu Benzhi standing there with a stack of printed paper in his hand.

"This is my graduation project at Huaqing University - an improvement plan for the electronic fuel injection engine." Liu Benzhi pushed his glasses. "Traditional carburetors are unstable at high altitudes and high temperatures, but the electronic fuel injection system can automatically adjust the air-fuel ratio..."

Liu Jianguo took the drawing and was dazzled by the densely packed formulas and circuit diagrams on it.

But the simulation data on the last page made his pupils shrink - "... fuel consumption reduced by 12%, power increased by 8%! ..."

“When did you study this?”

"I have been studying automotive electronics for four years in college." Liu Benzhi smiled. "Electronic fuel injection has been popularized abroad. We can't always use the old Czech technology."

Liu Jianguo was silent for a long time, then suddenly slammed the table and said, "Okay! Let's make our own EFI!"

Due to the tight funds, Liu Jianguo, who had been competitive all his life, had to grit his teeth and apply for financial assistance from his family, and persuade the Development Zone Management Committee to provide scientific research support.

In the laboratory, Liu Zhiyuan and several university teachers and classmates debugged the circuit board day and night, while Joseph was responsible for mechanical matching.

The veteran technicians were skeptical at first about these "student kids", until the first improved engine ran on the test bench for 48 hours without any malfunction, and the entire workshop burst into cheers.

Last spring, the second-generation "Beijing Chi" was launched on the market, with a striking golden letter "E" on the rear of the car - "Electonic Fuel Injection".

At the press conference, Liu Jianguo personally drove the city leaders on a winding mountain road. Regardless of steep slopes or sharp turns, the engine was always stable and powerful.

In the evening news broadcast, the announcer reported in clear voice: "my country's first self-developed electronic fuel injection car was born in the Beijing Liujiazhuang Development Zone, Beijing Capital Automobile Group, marking a new stage for the domestic automobile industry!"

The market quickly recovered and orders came in like snowflakes.

But Liu Jianguo knew that the real challenge had just begun.

One evening, he stood on the roof of the group's headquarters building and looked at the "Beijing Automobile Industrial Park" under construction in the distance.

His son Liu Benzhi came over and handed him a document.

"Dad, Volkswagen and Shanghai Automobile will launch the Santana 2000 next year."

Liu Jianguo narrowed his eyes, and the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky red.

"Scared?"

"No." Liu Benzhi smiled, "I was thinking, should we develop 'Jingchi 200'?"

Liu Jianguo laughed and patted his son on the shoulder.

"Let's go home and have dinner. Tomorrow, we'll go meet these foreign giants!"

……

On this day, "Beijing Automobile Group" welcomed an uninvited guest.

Hans Krauss, president of Volkswagen Germany in Summer, stood in Liu Jianguo's office, tapping the second-generation "Beijing Chi E" car model with his fingers, with a polite and distant smile on his lips.

"Mr. Liu, your progress is amazing," he said in English with a strong German accent, "but the future of Xiaguo's auto market belongs to globalization."

Liu Jianguo asked the translator Xiao Wang to translate word for word, then picked up the teacup and took a sip slowly.

The tea is jasmine tea produced in Liujiazhuang, and its fragrance quietly permeates the office.

"What does Mr. Claus mean?"

"Cooperation." The German pushed a document over. "Volkswagen is willing to provide the latest 1.8T engine technology in exchange for 15% of Beijing Auto's shares. In addition, we also want to invest capital..."

The number on the document made Lao Ma gasp - a full 40 billion RMB!

But Liu Jianguo noticed that the terms and conditions stated that "the right to use the technology belongs to the public."

After seeing off the guests, the conference room exploded.

"Chairman, this money is enough for us to build three new factories!" The vice president in charge of production's eyes lit up.

Liu Benzhi threw the document on the table and said, "Dad, we can't agree to this. This is a trap! If we take their engine, our own research and development will have to stop!"

Liu Jianguo walked to the window.

The factory area was brightly lit in the twilight, and workers who were leaving get off work pushed their bicycles and laughed as they left. Twenty years ago, these people were still farmers who worked hard in the fields.

"Xiaozhi, how long will your automatic transmission project take?"

"At least two years, Dad. But we lack ..."

"We are short of money and people. We can't always rely on family support," Liu Jianguo turned around and glanced at everyone, "Old Ma, mortgage our land west of the development zone.

Jianjun, come with me to Liaodong tomorrow. FAW has a retired gearbox expert..."

The winter in Liaodong is bitterly cold.

Liu Jianguo, wrapped in a military coat, stamped his feet in front of an old tube building.

The door opened, and a gray-haired old man squinted his eyes and looked at them: "Are you from 'Beijing City Motors'?"

"Engineer Han, we would like to invite you to come out." Liu Jianguo directly took out the blueprint, "This is our automatic transmission design..."

Han Xudong, former chief engineer of FAW Transmission Factory, retired early due to "differences in concepts".

He stared at the blueprint for ten minutes, then suddenly turned and went into the house: "Come in, it's cold outside."

The kettle hummed on the stove, and the three of them talked all night.

At dawn, Han Xudong made the decision: "Give me half a year, and I'll give you a usable 4AT!"

At the same time, Liu Benzhi and his R&D team worked day and night in the laboratory of Huaqing University.

When the first electronic control module was successfully lit up, the young engineers cheered, but they didn't know that a crisis was approaching.

One month after rejecting Volkswagen Group, Beijing Auto's suppliers suddenly raised prices collectively.

"Bosch refused to provide the core components of the electronic fuel injection system." The purchasing manager was sweating profusely, "They said that the production capacity was insufficient..."

Liu Jianguo sneered: "Someone called us." He picked up the phone and called Joseph, "Old Joe, can the fuel injector we made ourselves work?"

The Czech old man laughed heartily on the other end of the phone: "We have already prepared the research and development! We are just waiting for you to say this!"

"Okay, let's get started. Damn Bosch..."

After 1997, Beijing Auto held a grand press conference.

At the booth, the third-generation "Beijing Chi" slowly unveiled itself - a streamlined body, a self-developed 1.8T engine, and the country's first 4AT automatic transmission.

Liu Jianguo's voice spread throughout the audience through the microphone: "Today, we will no longer catch up, but start to lead!"

In the audience, the representatives of the German Volkswagen looked livid;
In the corner, Mr. Han and Joseph were touching "Taihang 1968", and the two old men were laughing like children.

This year's spring came especially early.

At the gate of Beijing Capital Automobile Group, a banner with white characters on a red background fluttered in the morning breeze: "Warmly celebrate Beijing Capital Automobile's annual production exceeding 10 vehicles! Sincerely recruiting talents to create brilliance together!"

The long queue at the recruitment office stretched from the factory gate all the way to the poplar trees at the gate of the industrial park.

The team includes newly graduated college students, skilled workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, and even some dark-skinned veterans.

Personnel Section Chief Li Hongmei wiped the sweat from her forehead and shouted to the team, "Those with sheet metal experience, please step forward! Those who can weld will be given priority!"

A girl with a ponytail suddenly squeezed to the front and said, "I'm from the Automobile Department of Yanjing University of Technology! I can draw with CAD!"

Li Hongmei looked at her cheeks that were red from the sun: "A country kid?"

"Yes! My home is in Lige Village, 30 miles west of Liujia Village." The girl's eyes sparkled, "My father said that this place was still a wheat field 30 years ago!"

In the final assembly workshop, veteran technician Sun Daniu is debugging the production line with a group of young people.

"This torque wrench is adjusted to 98 Nm. One twist more or one twist less won't work!" His thick fingers turned the tool flexibly, "When we installed the first 'CC50'."

"I know, I know!" The new apprentice Taozi replied with a smile, "You've told me eight hundred times that I just used the tools to repair the tractor to make it!"

The workshop erupted in laughter.

Amid the laughter, no one noticed that Sun Daniu quietly wiped his eyes - the old buddies who used to swing the sledgehammer with him, some are now workshop directors, and some have retired and are enjoying their grandchildren.

(End of this chapter)