The two clues of Zhou Xiaodi's life run parallel to each other. They happened at the same time. It is difficult to say which one is the bright thread and which one is the hidden thread.
From Zhang Rongkun, Huang Guangyu to Zhou Xiaodi, the history of grassroots fortunes is being revealed bit by bit. From the first pot of gold to the road to climbing, the plots are very similar.
Personal struggle is not guilty, charity is not guilty, the crime lies in "struggle" without rules.
Who gave them such an opportunity? Who gave "countryman" Zhou Xiaodi the space to move around? Someone must take responsibility, not just Zhou Xiaodi.
The crimes and punishments of Zhou's brothers are exactly on the two charges that have not been prosecuted.
More than a year ago, this businessman who grew up in rural Shanghai still had the aura of being a philanthropic celebrity in Shanghai; now, he is sitting on the prison table with a hint of arrogance like a leading boss.
December 25, 2008, the traditional Western Christmas.
After many times of cooling, Shanghainese finally felt the cold of winter.
In the First Courtroom of the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court, Shanghai businessman Zhou Xiaodi appeared in front of the media for the first time in more than a year. Under the escort of the bailiff, he walked to the prisoner's box with a calm and indifferent expression.
He was dressed as in the full-body photo circulated on the Internet, with a dark suit and gold-rimmed glasses. When answering questions, he spoke Mandarin with a strong Pudong accent.
In the gallery behind him, the seats were already occupied by Zhou Xiaodi's family members and reporters who had heard about it.
Zhou Xiaodi's wife and daughter also appeared at the court hearing, and all relatives looked calm.
During the trial, Zhou Xiaodi said that he had a bad temper and was easily impulsive. He repeatedly emphasized that his ears were not good and could not hear the prosecutor's statement clearly. At the same time, he excused many details in the case by citing his "bad memory."
More than a year ago, this businessman who grew up in rural Shanghai still had the aura of being a philanthropic celebrity in Shanghai; now, he is sitting on the prison table with a hint of arrogance like a leading boss.
Zhou Xiaodi was born in 1956 in the home of an ordinary farmer in Yangsi Town, Pudong.
The family's house is simple and crude, with dirt on the ground.
When he was a child, little brother Zhou ran to his chicken coop to pick up eggs and ate them. Then he told his parents, "The chickens didn't lay any eggs today."
Studying, farming, and marrying a wife, before the age of 25, like many young people at that time, Zhou Xiaodi lived a leisurely and hard life like a typical rural youth.
The wave of reform and opening up may have an even greater impact on rural areas.
In 1982, the market economy was in its infancy, and the supply of goods was limited. Urban residents in Shanghai carried various coupons in their pockets. If they wanted to eat braised pork or pork chop, they would have to accumulate meat coupons for several months.
Zhou Xiaodi's village began to try collective pig farming.
After some fighting, Zhou Xiaodi became the leader, and after raising funds, he started a prosperous pig-raising business.
Zhou Xiaodi later recalled that the number of pigs raised at that time reached an astonishing 10,000. Based on this number, it was considered a large-scale pig farm at the time.
However, this cooperative pig-raising experience seemed unhappy. Not only did the investment partners not make any money, but they also lost money, and the group broke up unhappy.
Zhou Xiaodi's role in this collective pig raising process is intriguing.
The pig farmers had no harvest, so they naturally found Zhou Xiaodi to settle the score. In August 1982, Zhou Xiaodi was charged with theft and fraud, and was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison by the former Chuansha County People's Court (in court,
Zhou Xiaodi said that he was imprisoned for smuggling).
Two years later, Zhou Xiaodi miraculously obtained his first start-up capital, and his savings of 100,000 yuan became the first pot of gold for this rich man who would become a fish in water in Shanghai's political and business circles.
After that, Zhou Xiaodi, who had tasted the life of a household worth ten thousand yuan for the first time, began to plan to escape from the countryside.
With the first money, Zhou Xiaodi opened a shop selling auto parts.
From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, the automobile industry was booming, and the profits from auto parts could be described as staggering. On Shanghai's famous Weihai Road, the annual rent for a small auto parts shop with a front door could reach more than one million.
Relying on this store, Zhou Xiaodi accumulated a considerable amount of initial capital.
In 1992, Zhou Xiaodi registered and established the New Century Entrepreneurship Group (later the predecessor of Shanghai Zhou Group) and proclaimed himself the chairman. Since then, this company has covered many fields and is diverse.
The first business run by Zhou Xiaodi, who became the chairman, was to open the "New Century Hotel". Since then, Zhou Xiaodi, a Shanghai farmer, has become a decent hotel owner.
In 1993, New Century Entrepreneurship Group started the taxi industry, and Zhou Xiaodi founded his own taxi company "New Century Taxi Company".
Relying on this taxi company, Zhou Xiaodi earned his first million in life.
In 1995, Zhou Xiaodi opened a nightclub somewhere on Yaohua Road in Pudong. The nightclub was named "New Century International Club".
It closed down in 2000. During the five years, this nightclub became an important place for Zhou Xiaodi, a rural youth who almost broke out overnight, to accumulate contacts.
Since then, Zhou Xiaodi's company has continued to develop in many ways.
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