Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1190 Zhongguan Village

In total, the computer and scanner cost over 600,000 yuan, which was a big deal. Xiaowei called the company and transferred 400,000 yuan over. Then, everyone left the market with a laptop and a desktop computer.

These laptops, though bulky, were sturdy; the one that smashed through two panes of glass only suffered minor scratches on the casing. The shopkeeper tested it, and once it booted up normally, he put it aside, leaving Xiaowei to worry about it. Who knows which unlucky person will end up buying this laptop?

Ping came out with an engineer. Back then, anyone who tinkered with computers was called an engineer. Computers were incredibly high-tech back then. Although they couldn't access the internet, they were still much more powerful than computers in later generations that could.

The boss also gave me a big bag of DVDs, including games, movies, and some software.

These things aren't worth much right now; they only retail for around ten yuan a piece, and they're all pirated. There aren't any genuine ones in China right now.

He also gave six maids and Qin Xuemei each a handheld game console.

Tetris, Snake, and Air Combat are just some of the low-resolution black-and-white games that have become incredibly popular in the last two years. A Tetris handheld console costs around 140 or 150 yuan, which is quite expensive these days, but that hasn't stopped it from selling like hotcakes.

Electronic pets were also popular, but they didn't exist in 95. They were an adult toy that started to gain popularity in Japan in 96. In retrospect, they were extremely rudimentary, with monochrome pixel images that were so crude that they were almost unbearable to look at. However, they were a global phenomenon in 96 and 97 and were incredibly popular.

However, unlike the wealth generated by handheld consoles, the popularity of electronic pets resulted in a loss of 45 billion yen for the inventor and his company. Piracy was rampant across the globe, including within Japan.

The 90s were a golden age for China's transformation, rapid development, and commercial growth. It was a pivotal era of transition from print information to online information, and also a time of explosive growth in science and technology and commerce worldwide.

Similarly, this was also an era in which various forms of piracy emerged and proliferated, eventually leading to the formation of various legal regulations. In the 90s, piracy was rampant worldwide, destroying countless businesses and companies. Then, the United States launched a war against piracy, which was subsequently echoed across Eurasia.

To date, Europe and America have been able to protect the interests of original creators. Only we and India are still entangled in disputes. People have become accustomed to enjoying various resources for free without feeling ashamed, and never consider how many hardworking and persistent original creators this will stifle.

A great nation that prides itself on its millennia-old cultural heritage is on par with a semi-slave state where illiteracy accounts for more than half of the population. Equally strange is that organizations capable of swiftly shutting down internet cleanup efforts with a single word from a powerful figure are 'helpless' against various forms of piracy.

……

The computers were put into the trunks of three cars, fourteen people got in, and they drove towards Renmin University.

The six girls squeezed into the SUV, laughing and joking, to look at the laptops. Xiao Wei, Chen Hui, and Qin Xuemei rode in the second car, while Ping Ge and the engineer sat in the last car.

Ping handed a cigarette to the driver, Zang Yuanwei: "Brother, what does your boss do?"

Zang Yuanwei held the steering wheel with one hand, took the cigarette with the other, lit it with a lighter, blew out a smoke ring, and handed the lighter to Brother Ping: "He's not my boss. We're just here to drive and ensure safety."

They're involved in a lot of businesses—real estate, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, etc.—but I haven't been here long enough to know much about the specifics. Just ask them directly; Xiaowei and Chen Hui are both very easy to talk to.

Ping paused for a moment, lit a cigarette, put the lighter in the storage box, and asked, "So, who are you?"

Zang Yuanwei said, "We are soldiers, out on a mission." He gestured to the license plate of the car in front of him.

Ping turned his head and noticed the military license plates. He said, "Damn, I didn't notice. This guy's got connections. Their company's in Kyoto? I've never heard of any big companies in Qianhai."

Zang Yuanwei said, "The headquarters is in Fengtian, and this is a branch office. It was only built before and after the Lunar New Year. But I heard from Brother Wang that there are several construction sites in Beijing, and there is one right here. Do you have any projects here that cover more than 100 acres? Buildings?"

Ping Ge paused for a moment: "Yes, it's right there. After you come out of the market and cross the overpass, there's a huge construction site behind it. This area has been under construction for the past two years, and that construction site is probably the largest one. We were still guessing what they were building, wondering if it would be a new electronics market. It's definitely not small, about ten times the size of this place."

At this time, most of the large areas of single-story houses in Zhongguan Village have been replaced by various small buildings of different sizes and heights. The once bustling Zhongguan Village Electronics Street has long been replaced by several large electronics markets. In the meantime, large-scale construction has begun, with various residential buildings springing up one after another.

The entire street was filled with yellow and red-and-white bread carts, bicycles, and pedestrians all crammed together. Just like Sanhao Street in the past, it had become an ideal place for people to get rich, and people from all over the country flocked here to seek their fortune.

Xiao Wei and his friends have indeed planned a multi-story electronics market in this plaza. This was a requirement put forward by Haidian District to replace the existing electronics markets for easier management. The current electronics markets are a mixed bag, with varying quality, which masks many problems.

In reality, no matter where you are, the management's grasp of the overall situation is unimaginable to outsiders; it's just a matter of whether they want to take action or not. It's like a primary school classroom: students might hide their faces with a book, thinking it's perfect, but the teacher can see everything clearly.

At this time, the major electronics markets of later generations did not exist. Instead, there were only a few-story buildings, scattered and overlapping, and each market had a small capacity. The population density was too high, which brought many hidden dangers.

Following several major fire incidents across the country, the government is now paying special attention to fire safety and population density, especially since this is the capital city.

Xiaowei's area will have a 450,000-square-meter indoor electronics market, a large shopping mall, a large supermarket, a five-star hotel catering to foreign guests, a two-star hotel catering to domestic guests, three office buildings, and three apartment buildings.

It can be said that once this place is completed and put into use, it will basically solve most of the major problems currently held by the Zhongguancun Management Committee. Moreover, after the market is integrated and unified, the other markets can be relocated and used for other purposes, which will create more space for them.

Therefore, Xiaowei received a five-year tax exemption. It was a win-win situation.

Moreover, Xiaowei's business is British-owned, which represents the recognition and optimism of foreign friends towards the development zone, a definite achievement.

Zang Yuanwei glanced at the rearview mirror and said, "That should be it. I heard it's in Zhongguan Village. You have Xiaowei's phone number, so keep in touch with him. Once it's all set up, getting a good spot shouldn't be a problem."

(End of this chapter)