New China is about to celebrate its 60th birthday, and the magnificent reform and opening up has also gone through 30 years. Since the reform and opening up, earth-shaking changes have taken place in Wuchuan, and the people of Wuchuan have embarked on the broad road towards a well-off society. However, compared with the rapid advancement and high-flying of developed areas such as the Pearl River Delta, Wuchuan's economic development has been lingering in the trough for a long time, and the current economic situation is relatively backward. If we do not work hard and catch up now, the gap will inevitably be wider and the backwardness will become even greater. Far. Facing the rolling wheels of history, it is necessary for us to think rationally about past history and future directions, constantly sum up experience, draw lessons, look for patterns, actively explore new economic development trajectories in Wuchuan, and let the Jianjiang Plain bloom with rich and beautiful flowers. The following are some superficial thoughts on the economic development of Wuchuan when the spring breeze does not blow. They were first published on Wuchuan Business Network. We hope they can serve as a starting point.

1. Long-standing and profound history and culture

1. Wuchuan has a long history. According to research, humans have been thriving in the Jianjiang Plain since the Stone Age. Meilu Ancient Town has a history of more than a thousand years. Due to its developed inland river transportation and large economic hinterland, it has long been the most fertile soil for the development of commodity economy. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the town had developed into an important commodity distribution center in southern Guangdong and a Lingnan metropolis, as famous as Foshan and Shilong. The "Gaozhou Prefecture Chronicles" of the Qing Dynasty records that "the land of the Wu family receives the water of the three rivers, so it is called Wuchuan." The so-called "three rivers" are Jianjiang, Biaohuajiang, and Sanyajiang. The water of the Three Rivers originates from the old forests in the mountains of Xinyi, flows through Gaozhou and Huazhou, and flows into the sea from Wuyang Town, Wuchuan City. After countless years of alluvial erosion, the Jianjiang Plain of more than 800 square kilometers was formed in the lower reaches of the Jianjiang River.

2 Jianjiang Plain is full of outstanding people and talented people. In ancient times, there were Lin Zhaotang, the only number one scholar in western Guangdong, Chen Lanbin, China's first minister to the United States, and Lin Liangui, the magistrate of the Huangzhou Zhili Department. In modern times, there were anti-Japanese patriotic generals Zhang Yan and Li Hanhun. In modern times, there are Liu Huaqiu, former vice minister of foreign affairs and director of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Office. Nowadays, Wuchuan businessmen with strong financial resources are spread all over the country. It is not surprising that they have cultivated talented women like Yun Qing. Generations of famous figures in Wuchuan have left countless cultural heritages to future generations. The existing cultural monuments include the Wushanling Shell Mound Site, Maoshan Academy in the Jin Dynasty, Jipu Pavilion in the Song Dynasty, Wuchuan Academy in the Yuan Dynasty, and Shuanghuang Temple in the Ming Dynasty. Peak Tower and South Gate, ancient streets in the Qing Dynasty, Lin Zhaotang’s former residence, Zhuangyuan Square, Zhuangyuan Well, Chen Lanbin’s former residence, Zhang Yan’s former residence, Li Hanhun’s former residence, the former site of the South Road Office of the Guangdong Farmers Association in modern times, etc.

3. Folk art is unique and exquisite. The long history and civilization have given birth to Wuchuan's colorful folk art, which can be called the miracle of southern Guangdong. The "Three Wonders" of Wuchuan's traditional folk art - floating colors, clay sculptures, and ingenious flower bridges are famous at home and abroad. The flower tower, pottery drums, puppets, lions and dragons, etc., each have their own unique characteristics and are so amazing that they were awarded "Chinese Folk Art" by the country. "Hometown", "China's famous historical and cultural town" and other honorary titles.

2. The Glory and Decline of the "Wuchuan Model"

As early as 1978, 13 farmers including Pan Hanjin, a farmer from Wangcungang Fishery Commune, took advantage of the resource advantages of the local "Kui Township" , each person invested 50 yuan to 100 yuan in shares, with a total investment of 800 yuan, and established the Qinliao Brigade Kui Factory, which was the first joint-stock enterprise in Guangdong Province. Subsequently, the first household appliance factory in Wangcun Port, Wuchuan County Hongda Electric Co., Ltd. (the predecessor of Guangdong Hot Electric Co., Ltd.), and Wuchuan County Global Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. were also established one after another, creating Wuchuan City's "Small Workshop Creates a Home Appliance Industrial City" of miracles. At the same time, Bopu, Meilu and Dashanjiang have gradually formed "Ten Mile Shoe Streets", known as the "Plastic Shoes Capital", and were awarded the title of "China's Hometown of Plastic Shoes" by the country. In addition, Qinba's knitted gloves and Zhongshan's Linwu Machinery Factory are also quite large, and township and village enterprises have sprung up in various parts of Wuchuan and are developing vigorously. With the sudden rise and rapid development of Wuchuan's private economy, four wheels have gradually been formed: "One enterprise drives the neighbors, and one village factory drives the whole community" and "township enterprises, collective enterprises, joint production enterprises, and individual enterprises"*** The development model of simultaneous rotation was hailed as the "Wuchuan Model" by the provincial party committee and the media, and was vigorously promoted, making it famous throughout the country along with the "Wenzhou Model".

At this time, Shunde had just emerged and Dongguan was overgrown with weeds. However, good flowers do not always bloom and good situations do not always exist. In the 1990s, Wuchuan people did not make full use of the advantages of township enterprises and the small commodity economy. They failed to seize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of the country's vigorous development of the market economy. Hundreds of industries across the country are waiting to flourish. They could not further transform the "Wuchuan model" Carrying forward, the economic development has become increasingly lagging behind, and its decline has caused eternal pain in the hearts of contemporary Wuchuan people! At this time, the Pearl River Delta, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places are disappearing at a speed of thousands of miles, leaving Wuchuan and even Zhanjiang far away Left behind. Wenzhou, which was equally famous at that time, has also developed into an important international light industry base and distribution center, with more than 500 companies with an output value of over 100 million yuan. The "Wenzhou model" is still famous around the world, and Wenzhou consortiums have traveled around the world, but the "Wuchuan model" has gradually faded away. , accidentally turned around and shook off the dust on the ground.

Looking back at history, the glory of the "Wuchuan Model" makes people proud, and its decline makes people sigh with regret. To get out of the shadow of failure, you must find out the reasons for failure and improve them to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Why can’t Wuchuan’s township enterprises grow? Why is the "Wuchuan Model" declining? To this day, people still have different opinions. Spring Breeze Does Not Blow believes that there are at least the following reasons:

1. Small farmers have a strong consciousness and the concept of "small wealth means peace" is widespread. The "Wuchuan Model" was formed by relying on a large number of farmers to go to the fields and start small businesses for rolling development. However, the ideas and concepts of early entrepreneurs could not keep up with the development process of reform and opening up. The concepts of "small-scale peasant economy" and "small wealth means peace" that have been formed among farmers for thousands of years are deeply ingrained. They lacked awareness of worries and lacked a long-term vision for the development of enterprises. and strategic thinking, which ultimately restricted Wuchuan's economic development. If you sail against the current, you will retreat if you don't advance. While the national economy is booming and township and village enterprises and private enterprises in various places continue to reform and innovate, develop and expand, and gradually occupy the national market and go abroad, Wuchuan's private economy is stuck in its ways and is unable to move forward. For example, Wuchuan's shoe industry once led the country and initially formed an industrial cluster in the 1980s. However, it still has not produced a provincial famous brand. Most of them are still handmade workshops producing the lowest-end products, even due to the lack of technical content and quality. Because of their low status, they are called "week shoes".

2. The level of operation and management is low and a modern enterprise system has not been established. The early township enterprises in Wuchuan were generally family-run handicraft workshops. The cultural level of the business operators was relatively low, and the management level was not high. The vast majority of enterprises did not establish standardized enterprise management systems and operating procedures, and did not even conduct industrial and commercial registration. , and there is no brand trademark or bank account number. For example, Bopu's shoemaking industry and Qinba's knitted glove industry are almost one factory. Production and sales are mainly handled by family members, and most of the helpers are neighbors or relatives and friends. It is the so-called "Aunts nurse and brothers work." , the management style of "the husband produces and the wife takes care of the accounts", "father and son factories" and "brother companies" abound. This is the inherent shortcoming of the "Wuchuan Model" enterprise. Due to the low level of management and management of these enterprises, the lack of funds and technology, and the weak market competitiveness of their products, these enterprises have restricted the upgrading of enterprises, causing them to become smaller and smaller. Because some companies have not established a modern corporate management system, different shareholders are prone to conflicts in aspects such as capital management, business decisions, and profit dividends. The risk of corporate dissolution or spin-off is relatively high, which restricts the further development of the company and misses the opportunity to grow and develop. good opportunities.

3. Local government mismanagement and lack of services. The "Wuchuan Model" was spontaneously generated by the people and was created by the long-term accumulation of Wuchuan people with keen commodity awareness. When the "Wuchuan Model" was initially formed, the local government played a certain role in strongly supporting the establishment of township enterprises, and planned and guided the industrial layout of each township, allowing the "Wuchuan Model" to develop rapidly. However, the local government has failed to emancipate its mind and keep pace with the times. It has insufficient understanding of the importance and long-term nature of reform and opening up, and lacks crisis awareness and strategic awareness.

After Wuchuan township enterprises developed to a certain extent, many officials were busy publicizing and praising their virtues, but they failed to perform the functions of government departments in managing the economy and serving the economy well, and failed to scientifically plan and guide the further development and growth of township enterprises. , did not create a good soft and hard environment for enterprise development, did not follow the trend of reform and opening up to carry out in-depth reforms of economic management, and did not create a policy platform for industrial transformation and upgrading. Instead, unhealthy habits such as "eating, taking, getting stuck, and asking for" were formed. , causing some operators to flee to other places to seek greater development. For example, the sugar and wine industry enterprises in Wuchuan were once prosperous, and their products sold well all over the country. In addition to some bankruptcy due to poor management, at least dozens of enterprises moved to the Pearl River Delta, Shijiazhuang and other places for development, resulting in the loss of employees of the once popular sugar and wine industry enterprises. When the building was empty, people started rioting over unpaid wages.

Four. The economic climate across the country and the province is not conducive to Wuchuan. Both China as a whole and Guangdong Province are characterized by vast territory, large population, diverse cultures, and uneven economic development. In the process of reform and opening up, the economic growth pole of each round is determined by national strategies. The economic take-off of the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, and Bohai Rim Economic Circle has strong national policy support. In the early days of reform and opening up, Wuchuan people seized the opportunity of the national commodity economy to start and the state encouraged the establishment of township enterprises, and created the "Wuchuan Model" in one fell swoop. However, around the 1990s, the development focus of the country and Guangdong was on the Pearl River Delta, and the economic system gradually moved towards a market economy. The strategic status of western Guangdong declined rapidly, and Wuchuan neither received policy care from his superiors, nor had capital, technology, or talents. It lacks the support of the Pearl River Delta and lacks the advantages of geographical location and hometown of overseas Chinese, and gradually distances itself from the rapid development of the Pearl River Delta. This is also the objective reason why Wuchuan's capital and talent flow to the Pearl River Delta, slowly forming a vicious cycle of capital and talent loss and Wuchuan's stagnant economic development.