Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1277 Feng Geng

Xiaowei and Chen Hui came out of the temporary office and went to the conference room.

Wu Guolin, Wang Lihua, Du An'an, and a few others were all there; they had just been playing cards in this room.

The job applicant was a middle-aged man, around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, wearing glasses, carrying a leather bag, and looking like he had walked quite a distance, covered in sweat.

Seeing Xiaowei and Chen Hui enter, the middle-aged man applying for the job stood up from his chair and nodded to them. Xiaowei smiled and replied, "Sit down. Shili, pour me a glass of water. Where did you come from? Why are you all sweaty?"

The middle-aged man wiped his forehead with his hand: "It's not far, but I haven't been here long and haven't gotten used to the climate yet." He spoke with a northern accent. There are too many northerners living in Hainan.

Xiao Wei pulled up a chair and sat down, took out cigarettes and tossed one to each of Wu Guolin and the other man, then asked the middle-aged man, "Want a smoke? What's your name?"

The middle-aged man took a cigarette. He lit it with his lighter and said, "My name is Feng Geng. I'm from Beijing, but my hometown is in Jibei. I used to work at the tourism bureau. These past few years, even stable jobs are hard to come by, so everyone's heading south to make big money."

My family is of modest means, and we wanted to see the world, so we took a leave of absence and came here. I've been here for six months now, and I've done a few jobs, mostly in real estate companies. A couple of years ago, there were many real estate companies around here.

Two years ago, my company went bankrupt, the boss ran away, and I didn't even get my salary. I was too ashamed to go back, so I just drifted along. I saw your company's job posting; it's for tourism real estate. I figured I have a background in the tourism bureau and some experience in real estate, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Xiao Wei took Feng Geng's resume from Wu Guolin, flipping through it as he asked, "Do you regret coming here?"

Feng Geng scratched his head a few times, looking a little embarrassed: "I wouldn't say I regret it, but my initial ambition has been worn down, and I still feel a bit guilty towards my wife and children. I originally came here to make money, but now I'm even struggling to afford food."

The phrase "100,000 talents going to Hainan" is more than just seven Chinese characters. And this "100,000" doesn't simply mean 100,000 people came to Hainan. Since 1988, the number of inland people from all over the country who came to Hainan to seek their fortune far exceeded one million. These people included students, workers, business people, and a large number of high-ranking officials who left their posts to pursue their careers in business.

Seven or eight years have passed, and Hainan's development has been full of ups and downs. These people have witnessed the whole process firsthand. Some people have made a fortune, some have left, and many more are still looking for opportunities with their dreams undiminished.

Or rather, they were unwilling to accept it. Most people were like Feng Geng; they had thought about leaving, but felt ashamed to face their hometown elders.

Besides those who rushed in like moths to a flame, there were many others abandoned here. This was a characteristic of the 1990s.

In the 1990s, reforms were carried out not only on the economy, but also on the system.

In those years, the higher authorities were constantly breaking up, merging, establishing new departments, and abolishing old ones. Several major departments were completely dismantled, and the same thing happened in various places below. Today a bureau was established, tomorrow a sub-bureau was spun off, and the day after an office was set up. Everyone was busy.

By the late 1990s, many places had a number of such units: they claimed to be government departments, wore uniforms, had their own office buildings and vehicles, but did not belong to any unit, had no business, and did not receive salaries, relying entirely on their own efforts.

Take Feng Lun of Vantone, for example. He went from Beijing to Hainan to set up an institute for economic reform, but they weren't given any funding. The province approved 10,000 televisions for them to sell, with the profits as start-up capital. They didn't make any money. Eventually, the institute was dissolved on the spot.

Yes, it was dissolved without any arrangements. General Manager Feng could only go and work for Mu Qizhong for a while, and later he and a few others founded Nonggao Technology, which is the predecessor of the famous Wantong. However, we have never heard any stories about the fates of the other people in the Institute of Economic System Reform.

No matter the era or the place, there will always be people laughing and people crying, successes and failures. We often only see the smiles of the victors, but we never hear the cries of the losers. Yet, they are the majority.

……

"We're in the tourism real estate business, investing in tourism infrastructure. Can you share your thoughts on this?" Xiaowei asked, closing his resume and looking up.

Feng Geng drank some water, organized his thoughts, and said, "I don't know if what I'm thinking is right or wrong. Please don't laugh at me if I'm wrong, leaders."

Tourism real estate is a relatively new concept. Strictly speaking, there are currently few successful companies in China in this field, or rather, there are no representative cases at all.

The tourism industry has only gradually taken off in the last two years, and the real estate industry has been around even shorter. But I feel that combining these two industries could work.

Domestic tourism in China currently relies mainly on local natural landscapes, political influences, and historical relics; frankly, it remains superficial. I've met many international tourism industry professionals and studied numerous case studies. Abroad, tourism has become a culture, a way of life.

We're far behind. Tourism, simply put, is about someone going from a familiar place to an unfamiliar one, experiencing a completely different lifestyle, relaxing, having fun, and seeing different scenery and cultures.

However, domestic tourism in China is currently too homogenized, with countless famous mountains and rivers that lack unique features and entertainment value. I've visited many scenic spots, and they were tiring, expensive, and I didn't eat or sleep well.

If I understand correctly, our company wants to use the natural coastal landscape of Sanya to create a man-made tourist attraction that integrates eating, drinking, accommodation, and entertainment. I'm not bragging, but this coincides with some of my ideas from when I was working before.

People spend money to travel, eat well, stay in comfortable accommodations, see different things, and enjoy abundant entertainment—that's true tourism, and it's what truly attracts more people. Only by maintaining a steady stream of visitors can tourism thrive and be sustainable; only by satisfying tourists can it be profitable.

I am familiar with domestic scenic spots and their management, understand all aspects of the tourism industry, and know about successful tourism companies in various regions. At the same time, I am also familiar with the real estate industry. I think this position is a perfect fit for me. I am confident I can do a good job.

At the same time, I really need such an opportunity right now.

Feng Geng swallowed nervously, sizing up the several future bosses opposite him who were clearly much younger than him. He analyzed their general personalities and observed their subtle movements and expressions. He felt like he was awaiting judgment. He had been looking forward to this opportunity for a very long time.

Xiao Wei looked at Chen Hui and asked Wu Guolin, "You two just talked, right? How did it go? What are your thoughts?"

Liu Jiaming said, "I think it's alright. You and Xiaohui should decide on this. We're not experts in this area, so making this decision will be difficult."

Chen Hui said, "Um, Feng Geng, right? Let me tell you about the situation first. We are a new company, so new that we were just established. Even this office is temporary. The employees outside probably arrived a few days earlier than you."

None of us have experience in tourism, let alone tourism real estate. We're still in contact with the government about investing in this area; we don't have any concrete plans yet, just this idea.

Then, none of us can stay here for long; we'll mostly be in Kyoto. The others are students at Renmin University, and so are the two of us. So, we'll have to leave this entirely to you.

If you can come to work here, you'll be involved in planning, construction, project implementation, landscaping, operations, services, restaurant and hotel management, and customer acquisition. Of course, we won't ignore everything; you'll receive all the necessary support once your proposal is approved.

Meanwhile, Guolin and his team also have a travel agency in Kyoto. They plan to entrust the handling of customer acquisition here to their travel agency in the future. You will need to provide guidance on this, and you will also need to take care of the initial planning and business development.

"Anything else?" Chen Hui asked Xiao Wei. Xiao Wei shook his head. Chen Hui said, "That's all for now. That's the situation. Think about it."

(End of this chapter)