Zhang Xi's Family History

Twenty-nine years ago in winter, on a night when the north wind was blowing, Zhang Xi and his family dived into the water in Shajiao, Humen Port. On a calm night, I rowed on a boat that I had contacted in advance for five hours and arrived in Hong Kong. At that time, 40-year-old Zhang Xi made an important decision in his life at 1979, which seems puzzling today. 1July, 1979, Zhang Xi's younger brother, Zhang Ming, as a Hong Kong businessman, just signed the documents (1979) No.02, No.03 and No.04 on Dongguang Industrial Co., Ltd.' s return to China, and set up longan hair tools factory, bleaching and dyeing factory and Dongguan electric appliance factory in Humen, Dongkeng and Fucheng respectively. The "Three Supplements" enterprise, which Zhang Ming cooperated with Longyan Village, was later called the first factory for attracting investment in rural areas after China's reform and opening up. But for Zhang Xi, 1962 didn't escape from Hong Kong with his younger brother, and he always regretted it. A few years later, my brother came home in rags and became the "god of wealth" who brought hope to the whole village, and he was still a farmer.

Escape and stay, even within a family, have formed a completely different life.

In the wave of 1962, Zhang Xi's two younger brothers and one younger sister went to Hong Kong, and about 40 young and middle-aged people disappeared in Longyan village with a population of 1000. Zhang Xi, who didn't leave, was criticized during the Cultural Revolution 10 years, because her family was once a "bankrupt landlord". The state buys grain at the price of 9.8 yuan 100 Jin. After working in the country for a day, Zhang Xi only earned a few cents. Although his younger brother Zhang Ming suffered a lot in Hong Kong, he succeeded in obtaining legal status, taught himself English and Korean after work, and finally set up a foreign firm in Hong Kong to trade wigs and became a promising businessman among fugitives.

Before leaving, Zhang pondered for several days and nights. "There are not many big opportunities in a person's life. You should seize the opportunity. I am too wronged here, and I can only plant land if I have much skill. " He said to his five children, "Take you to Hong Kong, at least we don't have to farm any more." . Finally, Zhang Xi's family of seven successfully fled in three batches. Among the fugitives, Zhang Xi's conditions are quite good: his brother can get a boat to pick him up; More importantly, my brother is already the boss, and Zhang Xi went to Hong Kong to help him expand his foreign trade.

From 1979 to 198 1, Guangdong has ushered in a new wave of fleeing from Hong Kong, and it is difficult for the new reform wind to improve life immediately. Sun Yaoquan, then secretary of the Party Committee of Chang 'an Commune, recalled to me that one of his most important tasks as a commune leader was to suppress smuggling. "The widest part of the Shenzhen River has the loosest management. Some people go by cargo ship, some by fishing boat and some by swimming." A border post was set up at the junction of Chang 'an and Shenzhen Baoan, and cadres went to the post to intercept the people leaving Hong Kong. However, Hong Kong's fugitives are in an endless stream, walking and cycling day and night, and they can't persuade them.

Because Chang 'an in Dongguan is closest to Hong Kong, 60% ~ 70% of young adults have gone to Hong Kong. People who go to Hong Kong will soon get Hong Kong resident status. They often send sugar and oil home, or buy televisions and refrigerators to build several tall buildings in the village. If no one escapes to Hong Kong, the villagers will think they are stupid and lack access. Once someone successfully escapes from Hong Kong, he will call the post office or the village from Hong Kong to inform his family that he has arrived in Hong Kong, and the family will set off firecrackers to celebrate. Sun Yaoquan said that in those three years, firecrackers were set off every day. When people hear firecrackers, they will say, "Wow, this family went to drink milk and coffee." "Milk coffee" is synonymous with local life in Hong Kong.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the second round of industrial development in Hong Kong reached its climax. Entrepreneurs seize this new opportunity to produce artificial flowers and other plastic products, watches, toys and other labor-intensive consumer goods. At the end of 1960s, due to Japanese industrial upgrading, Hong Kong enterprises produced inferior electronic products instead of Japanese products, which formed the climax of the third industrial development. The most scarce land problem in Hong Kong has emerged in the process of industrialization. The government rents newly developed land, supports leather industry and electrical appliance industry which are financially strong and unable to compete with the real estate industry, and protects industrial development. The long-term shortage of labor force has caused the rise of labor price in Hong Kong, and fugitives have also become the source of labor force in Hong Kong to some extent.

Seeing the world of Hong Kong, Zhang Xi found that women's wigs were very popular. Like changing clothes, women in Hong Kong often wear a wig in the office building during the day and another wig in the nightclub at night. In the early days, wigs were made like hats and worn on the head. Later, this kind of wig was not very popular, but the hairdressing industry rose in large numbers. Zhang Xi and his brother carefully studied the hairdressing training industry. They groped for the real hair they collected to make practice wigs for use in hairdressing training schools.

Zhang Wen is the only eldest brother among the five Zhang brothers and sisters who has not escaped from Hong Kong. He works in a foreign trade company in Dongguan County and is well informed. 1978, as soon as the central government opened its door, the Zhang brothers were optimistic about this opportunity. Zhang Ming's hair accessories company has a good development momentum in Hong Kong, but because of the high labor cost, a skilled worker earns 3,000 to 4,000 Hong Kong dollars a month, so he uses machines to produce wigs. However, the shortcomings of machine manufacturing are very obvious: it can not achieve the realistic effect of natural trends like real hair, and the original loss is very large. The longer the hair is collected, the more expensive it is. 10 inch long hair cost per kilogram 100 yuan, 12 inch per kilogram of 200 yuan, 14 inch of 400 yuan, which increased exponentially. If it is produced by machine, two people can make 100 wigs a day. If it is handmade, a worker can produce 4 ~ 5 wigs a day, but the price is high.

Zhang Xi, who stayed in Hong Kong for a year, found herself in a "forest". This mature cement forest has an international business operation mode, but the starting point of individual entrepreneurship is too high. Looking back at the rural hometown across the river, "a blank. If you plant some saplings, you can grow into a forest. " 1980, Zhang Xi returned to Longyan village as a Hong Kong businessman and founded a wig factory with his younger brother. The income of a small factory exceeds the annual agricultural income of the whole village. 1978, the collective income of Longyan village was several hundred thousand yuan, equivalent to per capita 183 yuan, while the profit of Zhangxi wig factory in the second year was more than 20 million yuan.

Hong Kong businessmen who immigrated from the mainland like Zhang Xi became the matchmakers of the first batch of "three to one supplement" enterprises. They are familiar with the contacts and etiquette in their hometown. Once they go to Hong Kong for "gilding", they will become intermediaries between the two sides after returning home. At present, the output value of Zhangxi factory with a history of 70 years exceeds 1 100 million yuan, and it consumes 15 tons of hair every month. His legend of becoming rich helped him gain the unanimous respect of the local people and was elected as the president of Dongguan Hometown Association. People in Longyan Village still call him "Xi" or "Uncle Xi".