My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 496 With great power comes great responsibility and a heavy burden.

This is Shanghai.

An older man spoke up: "What Xiao Rang said, can I understand it this way, like how before liberation, our Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai regions were still using primitive hand-operated textile machines for production, while the Western powers used spinning and textile machines to directly improve production efficiency, completely widening the gap in the Industrial Revolution?"

Wei Dong quickly clapped his hands: "That's absolutely right, even more realistic. Look at this chip, about the size of an index finger. It's roughly equivalent to... I remember it being described as one million calculations per second. So, our Pingjing Automobile Factory uses this for attendance tracking, and Feiyan Sanitary Napkins uses it for nationwide financial accounting. You just give us the data from each province and city, and it comes out in a flash. The averages, gross profit, costs, taxes, inventory—everything is listed directly. The efficiency has skyrocketed compared to a textile machine versus hand weaving. And that's not all..."

Patting the computer case: "Citibank Silicon Valley has already figured out this approach and is going to vigorously develop and improve efficiency. This is a chip from ten years ago. It could increase tenfold or even a hundredfold in the next ten years. There are already computer chips in good cars, and there are chips in every TV. Domestic TVs are supported by chips from Xizhou Factory. In the future, there will be this thing in mobile phones, tanks, missiles, airplanes, and cannons. Who can predict the future?"

Speaking of this, he recalled a detail he knew: "For example, I saw a prototype in Silicon Valley. The aircraft had four propellers. When they all rotated at the same speed, it would ascend straight up. If you slightly adjusted the speed of one of the propellers, the direction would change. The human brain couldn't control four rotation speeds in time, but computer control could achieve precision. This completely revolutionized the concept of flight mode."

Civil servants in prefecture-level cities, with their stable incomes and few other hobbies, are prone to driving various consumption trends.

Self-driving tours, using DSLR cameras, and flying drones were all very popular for a time.

Wei Dong watched with envy.

His intention was to emphasize the importance of computer research and development, especially investment in semiconductor chip research and production.

I wasn't this harsh when I spoke in Kyoto last time, but this time it's in Shanghai.

Let's put the situation more precisely, so we don't miss anything.

This is something that manufacturers of learning machines, such as Xizhou Factory and Jinling Factory, have been describing with great distress to him over the past two months.

The process was interrupted precisely at the stage of introducing equipment and even exporting some semiconductors.

But now foreign exchange has really dried up, and the economic situation has reached a critical juncture.

Deciding which is more important and which is less important is truly difficult.

Anyway, I've laid out its importance for you all to consider.

But Wei Dong overlooked one factor.

he himself.

The abolition of welfare housing allocation was originally planned for several more years, but it involved a bumpy process of trying, observing the situation, and debating.

As a result, he cooperated with Shangzhou and Jiangzhou and they did it quickly.

In fact, since around National Day two years ago, when Brick TV started reporting on the free night market, Shangzhou's housing reform has been presented to visiting groups from all over the country.

Many places that were already struggling financially due to welfare housing allocation are now following suit!
The difference just in those few years can alleviate the problem of how state-owned funds are used.

There was also the situation at the beginning of last year where banks were lending recklessly, which could have almost caused the banking system to collapse. How could Wei Dong have the right to influence this situation? As a result, Jiangzhou publicly sold commercial housing with loans, especially Shangzhou publicly sold tens of millions of commercial housing units, and Jiangzhou Animal Village sold another one.

Major newspapers across the country reported and reprinted the story, even reprinting the real estate newspaper advertisements from Jiangzhou at the time.

This not only inspired other regions to follow suit and prepare for the sale of commercial housing, but also allowed banks to see a huge business opportunity.

Just as You Qili demonstrated, banks have been lending like crazy these past two years, desperately stuffing money into the hands of so-called capable people, hoping they can quickly make money and achieve performance targets so that they can get a share of the benefits in various places.

But in reality, the vast majority of these businesses lost everything. From state-owned enterprises and local governments to businessmen, everyone suffered heavy losses and paid a heavy price.

The former is the more stable performance.

The man in Shanghai listened thoughtfully and asked, "Weidong, is there anything else you need support for?"

Wei Dong shook his head instead: "My work has to be done steadily and practically. To be honest, I've been dragged down by this situation for the past six months or so and forced to speed up my pace. Right now, there are more than a dozen buildings under construction at the same time. I'm in the business of selling goods, and they all say that commercial housing is also a commodity. Sigh, it's a good thing that I've been taking care of my daughter these days, which has allowed me to calm down and focus on this. I think it's better than having to keep an eye on various construction sites every day!"

Honestly, I don't know how much of an achievement Xiaodie can be considered in this situation.

A two-year-old child will likely be impatient at this point and will cry and fuss.

The child sat quietly on his father's chest, seemingly unresponsive to Rang Weidong's words.

The gray-haired leader quickly turned his head and told his colleague about the situation of the young colleague with a sick child.

Everyone's eyes softened with kindness, and they were even more pleased with Wei Dong's work: "Indeed, this computer demonstration idea is fantastic. It didn't cost much, and it achieved such great results!"

"Haha, Xiao Rang, I think you're complaining that you don't want to develop the international community, but now the importance of the international community to Shanghai is becoming increasingly apparent. More international economic exchanges and more joint ventures are needed for better economic development. You should get the community up and running as soon as possible!"

"The burden is a bit heavy, are you running around here all by yourself? Where's your secretary, your assistant..."

Wei Dong dared not admit that he had brought a little assassin and a little maid, as that would be truly outrageous: "I am not making excuses or complaining, absolutely not. My real estate assistant is a Vietnamese-Chinese who grew up in Jiangzhou. He obtained Hong Kong residency a few years ago and is now rushing back to Hong Kong to invite Hong Kong businessmen to work on a project. I do not have the financial strength to undertake such a large-scale community construction, but I will act as a firewall for this Hong Kong businessmen's construction, and I will not be greedy for profits in building this international community. Our current expectation is to complete it in batches over ten years, in three to five-year phases. The first phase will take two to three years. If anything is not right or good, we will make adjustments. We will cross the river by feeling for stones."

This statement naturally pleased everyone, and they prepared to leave.

They all urged me to contact them directly with any problems, saying that the glass pyramid was the benchmark for my work that I displayed in front of the government building every day, and I should strive to make it just as spectacular. In 1986, there wasn't much to see on the other side, let alone many tourists crossing the river to visit.

In reality, the Bund is more of a park at the end of a commercial street lined with several large department stores, such as Sujing Road.

There weren't many tourists from all over the country; most were people on business trips who came to see the Shanghai scenery, stroll through the exotic streets, and finally visit the Bund to take photos of the river view.

Therefore, having Wei Dong build a glass pyramid here right now would be far less unorthodox than building one in front of the Louvre.

It can truly be considered a new scenic spot added to the Bund.

It doesn't cost the government a penny, except for the fact that I have to pay for the electricity myself when I get a connection, and it promotes domestically produced computers and the light of technology. Otherwise, it's all beneficial and harmless.

very satisfied.

Wei Dong hurriedly saw everyone off.

As it turned out, the traffic outside was so congested that they had to clear a path to ease the congestion for a while. A kind-looking person casually asked, "If you didn't have so much real estate work to do, what would you most like to do right now?"

Perhaps they were still amazed by the young man's endless stream of brilliant ideas, and it was a bit like testing the academic genius.

Wei Dong almost blurted out, "Hehe, build a big building across the street, and then keep the X Computer neon sign lit up every day to show the spirit of Chinese brands striving for excellence."

The group of people were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The government building is right there in this row of international buildings; they're the ones who watch the other side of the river every day.

I can easily imagine a towering building standing out from the crowd across the street, flashing neon lights every day.

Right now, the area opposite is indeed low and flat.

Looking out, apart from a few factory buildings that are three or four stories high, the entire skyline is flat.

It looked like countless tiny matchboxes laid out flat, and from a higher vantage point, you could almost see the distant sea beyond the ground.

Someone immediately pointed out: "Well, you can still repair it now, right? Go, go, I'll arrange demolition work for you and see how you repair one!"

Wei Dong remained unmoved: "Didn't I just say that without taking on so much real estate work, one building is really nothing? But now there are nearly twenty buildings in Jiangzhou, about ten in Shangzhou, about ten in Pingjing, and nearly a hundred in Shanghai. There are also about ten buildings under construction at the same time. So we must calculate the funds for each building. Why would I build it on the other side of the river?"

He even counted on his fingers: "I have nearly a hundred full-time employees and three or four hundred part-time employees in Shanghai. The construction workers on the construction site are a mobile force, so I have no need to work on the other side of the river. Of course, if the other side can form a situation where international business institutions gather, then the Bund will be the most beautiful and the most appreciated viewing platform in the world."

I wonder when the Shanghai authorities realized that the best vantage point for appreciating the Bund's collection of international architecture is actually across the street.

At this time, the promotional shots all seemed to be taken from this side, using the curved angle of the Bund to capture the magnificent riverside buildings.

These words might not be useful in Heijing. The prevailing attitude in Heijing is that I'm the most powerful here, and whether the whole world sees it or not, I'm the boss.

Shanghai is eager to have an international status, and everyone looked up and around upon hearing this.

Look at the cluster of international buildings here, and then look at the endless flat and ordinary landscape across the way.

Someone nodded: "Didn't the TV transmission tower just get approved? The plan includes an observation deck, which is indeed the most beautiful place to see the Bund."

But more often, they would advise the younger comrades: "If you don't build it, and I don't build it, who will drive the gathering of international business institutions? Ordinary people still have concerns about going to Pudong. You can see that the opposite side should be able to form a cluster of international business institutions. Shouldn't you take the lead?"

Wei Dong, holding the baby, was surprised: "Shanghai is so big, when did it become the turn of a private enterprise like mine from Jiangzhou to take the lead?"

They all laughed at him, saying, "That's right, a private enterprise... Tell me, how many private enterprises like yours are there now?"

That's right. Those with connections and influence wouldn't risk going down the private sector route; they would directly establish large state-owned companies and thrive.

Having attended an economic conference the year before last, Wei Dong is a rare top performer among private enterprises.

Jiangzhou is a national pilot area for private economy, and the private shipbuilding company established by the descendant of that shipping magnate is among the top in the country.

Even the Wanshang Trading Company established by You Qili was a pioneer in the trial of the private economy!

This allowed Wei Dong to simply ride on You Qili's coattails and securely benefit from the policies of Jiangzhou's separate planning status, making him the best example of a frenzied expansion.

If he hadn't established a sanitary napkin factory in 1984 as a foundation, and then expanded to other products like cameras to achieve scale...

In 1985, the company expanded into a jeans factory, a computer brand, and a shampoo business, resulting in explosive growth in revenue.

What he said made Wei Dong's scalp tingle. Was he already the richest man in the country?

(End of this chapter)