Chapter 768 Wuzhen
Lu Yiming went offline after chatting for a few sentences, but the excitement in the QQ group did not disappear.
Zhou Hongyi: @Jack Ma, where is Wuzhen? I seem to have heard of this name, but I don’t know where it is exactly. It’s not a big city, right?
Ma Teng: I know, Wuzhen seems to be not far from Hangzhou. But there seems to be nothing special there. @Jack Ma, you are in Hangzhou, please analyze why Mr. Lu chose that place.
Jack Ma was actually confused too - even more confused than everyone else, because Wuzhen was indeed right next to Hangzhou, and he had some understanding of the situation there.
"Is there anything special there?"
"Yeah, why did Mr. Lu choose to be there? @Jack Ma, tell us so we can understand a little bit more."
Jack Ma couldn't stand everyone's questioning and said, "To be honest, there is really nothing special about Wuzhen. If there is anything special, it is that it is extremely poor and backward!"
People in the group didn't seem to buy into Jack Ma's statement.
"Are you sure?"
"You are kidding me?"
"If that's the case, how could Mr. Lu hold our industry conference in Wuzhen? Stop joking, say something more reliable."
There is no doubt that everyone has tacitly agreed that Lu Yiming would not raise unreasonable opinions, so Lu Yiming must have had a special intention in choosing Wuzhen.
This made Jack Ma very embarrassed. He said, "I really don't know. They just started a Xizha protection project not long ago. I heard that they are going to build a tourist city there. Now they are carrying out large-scale development and construction."
He passed by Wuzhen once when he was a child, and his impression of the place could be summed up in three words - dirty, messy, and poor.
And this was not just his idea.
In 1990, tractors were running everywhere in Xiangyashan, but Wuzhen had just built its first village road.
It is said that having roads will bring wealth, but Wuzhen is an exception. Even after the road was built, the place is still as dilapidated as it can be, with stinking rivers and garbage everywhere.
Even the artist Chen Danqing once complained that Wuzhen at that time was like a hell with roosters crowing and water flowing.
This is Wuzhen, a shabby place with inherent deficiencies and slow development.
After Jack Ma gave a general introduction to Wuzhen, there was a brief silence in the QQ group.
After a long while, Ma Teng said, "Why did Mr. Lu choose that place?"
"Yeah, after hearing what you said, it's a bit too much, isn't it?"
"Did Mr. Lu say the wrong place?"
Everyone was confused and began to doubt the reason why Mr. Lu chose Wuzhen. After all, there are so many places in the country to choose from, why did he choose such a remote mountain place?
On the other side, Lu Yiming called Li Yiwen and asked him to prepare for the meeting in Wuzhen.
Li Yiwen was well-informed. After hearing the name Wuzhen, he immediately said, "Hu Xueyan once made his first fortune in the rice market in Wuzhen, and later became a famous businessman based on this. Are you going there to hold a meeting now to emulate Hu Xueyan? This is not your first fortune. Apart from this, is there anything special about this place?"
Lu Yiming smiled and replied: "As for the special features, there are none now, but there will be soon."
Li Yiwen complained: "You sound like a fortune teller. What? Have you learned how to read Feng Shui for people recently?"
Lu Yiming laughed and said, "I don't understand Feng Shui, but I can read people."
Li Yiwen asked: "So, this is not about Feng Shui, but about face reading?"
Lu Yiming said earnestly, "Cousin, can you please stop being so feudal and superstitious? Come with me to Wuzhen, meet someone, and listen to what he has to say. Then you will understand why I chose Wuzhen."
Upon hearing that Lu Yiming was going to Hangzhou, Li Quanwang, who was bored at home, immediately came over and insisted on going with him, so Lu Yiming had no choice but to take him with him.
The group flew from Baiyun City to Hangzhou on the plane that had just been overhauled.
Jack Ma, who had already received the news, was already waiting at the gate of Xiaoshan Airport.
"Mr. Lu."
"Boss Ma."
Lu Yiming shook hands with Jack Ma and said with a smile, "Long time no see."
Jack Ma said with emotion: "It's been a long time since we last met. A lot of things have happened during this period."
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. We want to go to Wuzhen for an inspection. Which way is more convenient?"
When he heard that Lu Yiming and his friends were going to Wuzhen, Jack Ma immediately volunteered, "You guys want to go to Wuzhen? Then I'll take you there. After all, I'm half a native, so I have to do my part as a good host."
In fact, Ma Jie was actually curious about why Lu Yiming chose Wuzhen as the meeting address, so he wanted to go and find out.
Lu Yiming was not familiar with Wuzhen, especially the current Wuzhen. Now that Jack Ma took the initiative to offer, he naturally wanted to do it. He said, "Since you are so polite, I will be honored to refuse."
A few hours later, Lu Yiming and his team entered Wuzhen in a business car provided by Jack Ma.
As the car drove past a street, Ma Jieke introduced enthusiastically: "The popular TV series "Like Water Years" in July this year was filmed here."
After a while, they passed another street that looked a bit run-down. Li Yiwen asked, "Where is this? Why is it being demolished?"
Ma Jieke looked back and his expression froze. After a long while, he said awkwardly, "Four years ago, there was a fire here. It was said that there was an old lady in the town who loved to chat. She ran to visit someone else's house to chat while cooking. In the end, she didn't watch the pot, and not only did she burn down the house, but also burned down seven historical buildings along the road. The town has been raising money over the years to repair this place."
If it was just an ordinary fire incident, it would be fine, after all, people make mistakes and horses stumble, but these buildings that were burned down were historical buildings, and the significance is completely different.
There has been a craze for ancient buildings in recent years, and antique-style buildings are being built in many places across the country. As a result, the real ancient buildings here have been burned down. The contrast between the two feels very inconsistent.
This matter is not only about the entire town, but also about the entire township and city. If Li Yiwen hadn't asked, Jack Ma wouldn't have wanted to say it.
As long as you fix it quietly, no one will know about it.
While speaking, Jack Ma was paying attention to Lu Yiming's reaction.
Because according to the results of everyone's private discussion, Lu Yiming is very likely to want to invest in Wuzhen. After all, Wuzhen has now determined the tourism development route, and development and construction are being carried out everywhere, and Lu Yiming has several real estate-related companies under his name.
This also explains why Lu Yiming chose to hold the conference in such a remote place.
Ancient buildings are extremely beneficial in attracting tourism investment.
Therefore, Jack Ma is now very worried that Lu Yiming will cancel possible investment plans after knowing this news.
After all, if Lu Yiming, the richest man in Asia, invests in Wuzhen, it was Jack Ma who brought Lu Yiming to Wuzhen. By then, wouldn't Jack Ma gain some fame and connections?
After seeing that Lu Yiming's expression didn't seem to change significantly, Jack Ma couldn't help but feel relieved.
At the same time, he was even more confused. If Lu Yiming was not here for construction investment, then why did Lu Yiming choose Wuzhen?
However, no matter what, it is good that Lu Yiming pays attention to Wuzhen. Jack Ma changed his tone and introduced: "Don't think that Wuzhen is just a small town. It has a history of more than 7,000 years and the culture of the Jiangnan water town is extremely rich."
Li Yiwen couldn't help but complain: "The historical buildings we saw earlier were burned down, so what else is there in this place?"
It has to be said that where the economy is backward, the thinking is necessarily backward. After experiencing this fire, Wuzhen began to pay attention to the protection of historical relics, especially those ancient buildings that have been passed down. In fact, the development in recent years can be more appropriately described as "rescue".
At the same time, the neighboring water town of Zhouzhuang has been around for more than 10 years, and the ancient city of Lijiang has also been included in the World Cultural Heritage List.
If Wuzhen wants to develop tourism economy, it has to work hard on its cultural heritage.
Li Yiwen's retort directly ended the topic. Jack Ma searched for a long time before he found an idea and asked Lu Yiming: "Mr. Lu, are you coming to Wuzhen this time to prepare for the conference?"
Lu Yiming said: "This is just one of the reasons. The most important thing is that I came here to meet someone."
"Meet someone?"
When Jack Ma heard this, he immediately became interested and asked, "Who is it?"
He lives in the neighboring city of Hangzhou, and has never heard of any outstanding figures emerging from Wuzhen that would be worth Lu Yiming's personal trip.
Lu Yiming slowly said a name: "Chen Xianghong."
"who?"
Jack Ma racked his brains but could not remember ever having heard of a famous person named Chen Xianghong.
Ten years later, Chen Xianghong, who was called the "Godfather of Ancient Towns" by the industry and nicknamed "Contractor Chen" for the glory of Wuzhen, is now just a small figure who has to beg for help from everyone.
Of course, although he is a small figure, Chen Xianghong has also made achievements.
First, in 2002, he was named one of the top ten influential figures in the tourism industry of Xiaguo by the Xiaguo Tourism Newspaper. A year later, he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award for Heritage Conservation in the Asia-Pacific Region by the UNESCO World Heritage Center. He became famous in the tourism industry and achieved some success.
However, this little achievement is nothing in the eyes of the real big guys.
At this time, in Wuzhen, in a very ordinary house. Chen Xianghong took off the towel on his forehead, and he was a little dazed. He yawned and asked, "What time is it? Is it almost time to leave for the cocktail party?"
A young man in his twenties advised, "Mr. Chen, don't you still have a fever today? Why don't we not go to the party?"
His name is Long Zhan, and he is Chen Xianghong's assistant.
Chen Xianghong said firmly: "How can that be possible? Manager Gong is at this cocktail party. If we don't go, we will be giving him no face. Do you still want the loan?"
Chen Xianghong knew that his subordinates were concerned about him, but if Wuzhen wanted to develop, it would not be possible without money, so he was more concerned about whether the funds could be received than his health.
"But……"
"No problem. For our team, all resources must be obtained for me."
Chen Xianghong said it with absolute certainty.
What is most needed to develop an ancient town?
money!
How to get money?
The first thing to do is to find a bank loan.
In order to get the loan, Chen Xianghong took the risk this time.
As he was talking, Chen Xianghong had already changed into his suit. He urged Long Zhan, "Hurry up, don't be late."
Seeing that persuasion was ineffective, Long Zhan had no choice but to follow Chen Xianghong out.
In the hotel box, among a large table of delicious dishes, the most eye-catching thing is a box of Moutai.
As soon as Chen Xianghong entered the door, a bald man with a big belly stood up and said with a smile: "Mr. Chen, you are finally here."
Chen Xianghong forced a smile and said, "How dare I be late for dinner with Manager Gong?"
"Hey, what are you talking about? We are friends, don't be so distant. Come on, take a seat first. The waiter can serve the food."
While Manager Gong was talking, he had already pulled the liquor box on the table in front of him, removed the tape sealing it expertly, and said, "Don't go home until you're drunk tonight."
Looking at the box of liquor, Chen Xianghong felt his heart beating fast, but he had no choice but to smile and say, "Everyone needs to work together to make Manager Gong happy."
After a while, the food was served, and Manager Gong said to Chen Xianghong, "Mr. Chen, I've heard that you can drink a lot, and I've also felt that you can drink quite well. How about this today? I drink a bottle and you drink one too. Isn't that fair? I can lend you tens of millions based on how many bottles you can drink. The interest rate will be the lowest."
Everyone present knew that Manager Gong had a huge drinking capacity and there was no limit to his drinking. It was obvious that he was going to make fun of Chen Xianghong today.
Long Zhan looked at Chen Xianghong with some concern. Chen Xianghong met Long Zhan's gaze, but did not retreat. He smiled and brought a bottle of wine in front of him, saying, "Manager Gong is an open-minded person. I haven't drunk for a few days. How about two glasses to moisten my throat first?"
"Look at you, you are being petty, aren't you? It's so troublesome to pour with a cup, come on, just blow the bottle directly."
“Ah, this…”
Chen Xianghong choked up for a moment.
He still has a fever today. If he drinks one cup slowly, as long as he takes a long time and the alcohol evaporates quickly, it won't be a problem to finish a bottle.
But now Manager Gong wants to drink quick alcohol. Not to mention plain wine, even if it's beer, it's very easy to get drunk.
Manager Gong raised his eyebrows and said unhappily, "Why? Mr. Chen doesn't want to drink with me?"
Chen Xianghong quickly said, "Of course not. Since Manager Gong wants to drink, how can I not accompany him? I hope Manager Gong will keep his word."
"Of course. Come, drink."
"good."
Chen Xianghong grabbed the wine bottle, clenched his teeth, made up his mind, took out the cork and blew into his mouth.
The sharp and pungent liquor went down his throat, stimulating him so much that his whole body shivered, as if a ball of fire was flowing from his mouth into his internal organs.
He hadn't eaten anything when he came here, and now he was drinking directly. After drinking only half a bottle, Chen Xianghong couldn't hold on any longer. He put down the bottle and said to Manager Gong with a big tongue: "I drank half a bottle, can I borrow 5 million?"
Seeing Chen Xianghong's red face and staggering appearance, Manager Gong laughed as if he had seen a clown's funny performance, "Okay, keep your word, I'll approve five million for you."
"Thanks."
"Come on, have some food, and we'll continue. You still have five million in your hand."
After drinking a bowl of hot soup, Chen Xianghong felt much better. He looked at the bottle of wine in his hand and started drinking again.
President Gong gave a thumbs up and said, "Good job!"
As a result, after just one sip, Chen Xianghong couldn't bear it anymore, rushed out of the box, and went to the toilet to vomit.
Long Zhan followed quickly.
"This Gong Xingzhi is too much. He knows you can't drink but still tries to get you drunk. It's obvious that he's making fun of us."
Long Zhan complained while patting Chen Xianghong's back to induce vomiting.
Chen Xianghong held the wall with his left hand, bent over 90 degrees, and vomited violently. He waved his right hand behind him and said weakly, "I'm fine. I just drank a little wine. I'm not going to die. Now I have 5 million, right? I can finally do something good next time."
In 1999, Chen Xianghong took over the position of director of the Wuzhen Protection and Tourism Development Management Committee. At that time, he had no team and even no office.
When he arrived in Wuzhen, he only had a car, 150,000 yuan in start-up costs, and 13 million yuan in company capital allocated by the government.
Until now, no one could have imagined that Chen Xianghong would be able to transform this impoverished town into the No. 1 ancient town in Xia State ten years later.
After vomiting for a while, Chen Xianghong felt like he was about to collapse. It was impossible for him to drink or eat anymore, so he had no choice but to say goodbye.
On the way back, Chen Xianghong sat in the back seat with his eyes closed to rest, while Long Zhan drove in the front.
Not long after they drove out, Chen Xianghong's cell phone rang. He took out his phone in a daze and pressed the answer button.
"Hello?"
The voice of another assistant of Chen Xianghong came from the phone: "Mr. Chen, why couldn't I get through to your phone just now?"
Chen Xianghong had a fever and had drunk some wine, so his consciousness was a little fuzzy. He just replied casually: "I was drinking with Manager Gong just now, so my phone was turned off."
"Oh, this is a big mistake. Just now, a big shot came to our office and wanted to see you, but you were not here and the phone call was unavailable."
"See me? Who?"
"It's Lu Yiming, the richest man in Lu, who wants to see you! You weren't here when he came just now, and he said he would come again tomorrow."
"Oh, I'll see you tomorrow then."
After Chen Xianghong hung up the phone, he shook his head. It was obvious that having a fever and drinking alcohol was really uncomfortable. He now had a splitting headache.
Long Zhan asked, "Who called?"
Chen Xianghong pinched his brows and replied, "It was Xu Yi. He said someone wanted to see me."
"Who is it?"
"They said Lu Yiming, the richest man... Shit, the richest man!?"
Chen Xianghong sobered up instantly.
