Growth Chapter

Tongcheng’s beautiful mountains and rivers were famous for centuries because of the “Tongcheng School”, and also became famous because of the “E-Henan-Anhui Revolutionary Base” of the Communist Party of China. In the new era, Tongcheng people are well-known for their pioneering spirit and hard work in the reform and opening up. Xia Jiguo is one of the typical representatives.

“My ancestors have been farmers for generations”, and even though he became the “top scorer in the college entrance examination”, he still did not get rid of his identity as a farmer and lost the opportunity to continue his studies. However, Tongcheng people have the tenacity and determination to not succumb to reality and destiny. Wisdom is best interpreted in Xia Jiguo.

The "top scorer in the college entrance examination" did not enter university

In 1977, the country restored the college entrance examination system. Xia Jiguo, who had graduated from high school for a year, signed up and scored 30.5 points higher than the undergraduate score line. The results made him the top scorer in the college entrance examination among three classes in their school.

After filling in his choices for Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nankai University, and Fudan University, Xia Jiguo hesitated in the "marital status" column.

It turns out that my father and his current father-in-law were family friends. When Xia Jiguo was 6 years old, the two adults quietly arranged to get married. That year, the girl was only 3 years old.

"If you score such a high score in the exam, if you don't fill in the word 'married', you will definitely not be my son-in-law in the future." The prospective father-in-law at the time told Xia Jiguo sadly.

"If you don't fill in the word 'married', you are not my son." The father threatened Xia Jiguo.

"At that time, I didn't know whether I loved or not, and I felt very shy." Xia Jiguo said that he had no choice but to obey his father, and because of this, he missed out on being the top scorer in the college entrance examination.

It was Xia Jiguo’s regret not being able to enter the university. Now, Xia Jiguo has fulfilled his university dream. Since October last year, Xia Jiguo has been studying in the International CEO EMBA class at Tsinghua University.

The son inherited his father's business and took on the role of a salesman

Xia Jiguo was born in a rural area, and his family was very poor. When he was still in his second year of high school, his father got cancer and his mother was bedridden for many years. As the eldest, Xia Jiguo had younger brothers and sisters. In order to survive, Xia Jiguo had no choice but to shoulder the burden of the family.

“My father is a ‘grocery seller’.” Xia Jiguo told reporters that the only thing he could do was to take over his father’s responsibility as a salesman. From then on, carrying a salesman's load, shaking a rattle in his hand, and shouting to sell small items - Xia Jiguo began to walk through villages and alleys. In addition to selling "matches", "small candies", "needle and thread" and other small goods, there are two large baskets under the salesman's basket, which are specially used to store goose and duck feathers collected from various households. of.

This is where Xia Jiguo’s down journey began. However, there was an episode. As a rare high school graduate in the village, Xia Jiguo was invited by the village to serve as a middle school mathematics and English teacher. In 1981, after working as a teacher for two years, his father, whose condition worsened, passed away. In addition to leaving a peddler to Xia Jiguo, his father also had 18 creditors, each with a debt of more than 2,000 yuan. The largest creditor owed more than 100 yuan, and the smallest debt was 4 yuan.

The monthly income of 14.7 yuan as a teacher is simply not enough to make ends meet. One year in the first month of the year, my aunt came to the house. After lunch, the mother secretly called Xia Jiguo aside and said: My son, I have finished eating all the rice at noon, and there will be nothing left for dinner.

Looking at the four walls of his family, in desperation, Xia Jiguo reluctantly left the students he had been with day and night and started to resume his old business. While selling retail items, he raised bees and earthworms, purchased honey, royal jelly, and animal skins; he even went to Jiangnan. Bamboo trees were cut down. Xia Jiguo said that at that time, he had no goals and did not feel tired. As long as he could ensure that there was food at home, that would be enough.

“I do whatever makes money, but the best thing is buying down.” Xia Jiguo, who was interviewed, said that this industry is inherited from his father, and he has become a master of it, whether it is goose feathers or duck feathers. You can tell when you touch Mao. In addition to supplying down jacket manufacturers, Xia Jiguo also purchases the "three feathers" from the rooster's neck for the brush factory to make pens, and the "feathers" from the wings of the goose for processing badminton balls.

The purchased feathers were handed over to the local supply and marketing cooperative. With his intelligence and hard work, Xia Jiguo was favored by the leader of the supply and marketing cooperative and proposed to cooperate with Xia Jiguo. Instead of focusing on customers, he changed door-to-door purchases to on-site purchases. Vendors in four townships and eight towns handed over the purchased feathers to Xia Jiguo's purchasing point every day, and then they sold them in batches to foreign manufacturers.

In fact, Xia Jiguo had replaced the functions of the rural supply and marketing cooperatives at that time, and the supply and marketing cooperatives were also willing to cooperate with him. While renting warehouses to Xia, they could also share in proportion.

Because of the experience of living in poverty, Xia Jiguo now always deliberately recruits some children from poor families in mountainous areas to work in factories every year.

The couple didn't say a few words before the wedding

"If you could choose, what would you like to see happen again?" the reporter asked.

“Have a good love affair!” Xia Jiguo, now 50 years old, added with a shy smile, “Of course with my family (the local name for daughter-in-law).” Xia Jiguo still doesn't know what it's like to fall in love. "From the time my parents decided to marry me when I was 6 years old until I graduated from high school, my family and I never exchanged a word." In the four years from graduation to marriage, the two of us had not exchanged a few words. Xia Jiguo said that their marriage was entirely about cultivating feelings after marriage.

"In the most difficult time, she also suffered a lot with me." When talking about his wife, Xia Jiguo praised "she is very good."

In 1980, Xia Jiguo got married, and his new house at that time was a thatched cottage. "In order to have a sheltered house, she, a lesbian, worked with me to build a warm home with both hands. We farmed and raised pigs together. She didn't dislike the fact that our family was so poor. "Me." When talking about those days, Xia Jiguo always lamented sincerely that there are indeed many temptations in the outside world, but people cannot be without conscience, and they cannot abandon others now that their living conditions are better. "Life is a one-way journey, and you cannot go back and forth." , so people should cherish the past life journey more."

“She also understands and supports me very well when it comes to managing the company.” Xia Jiguo said that he has a principle that for many years he has not talked about work at home, and he is not allowed to talk to him beyond the scope of his duties at work. Work. Since the beginning of her career, she has never interfered with any development or affairs of the company. This is very valuable.

Don’t be a family business and give back to society

“If you don’t smoke or drink, you won’t see what hobbies the chairman has. As for hobbies, he just runs a business and is busy with work.” Hongrun Employees of the group all commented on Xia Jiguo in this way when interviewed by reporters.

“Back then, I went into business just to make money and survive. Now I am worth over 100 million. My wealth does not belong to me personally, but to the whole society.” Xia Jiguo raised his mobile phone to reporters and said: I I have been using it for many years and I can’t bear to throw it away. I also have a Buick that I once used, which had been driven for nearly 600,000 kilometers. Many people suggested changing to a better one, but these things have been with me for many years. Not willing to throw it away.

Xia Jiguo, who was born in a farm family, cherishes all things and has deep feelings for the folks living in his hometown. Xia Jiguo not only repaid all the debts left by his father back then, but also gave more rewards in different forms, such as arranging jobs for their children. He built the enterprise into a model of international market + company + farmers, and invested in the establishment of Tongcheng Hongrun Egg and Duck Industry Development Company to help farmers become rich. More than 100 million geese and ducks are used every year. He initiated the establishment of Tongcheng People's Livelihood Guarantee Company, which provides loan support totaling more than 70 million yuan to 600 to 700 small businesses every year. Xia Jiguo said that doing this has a lot to do with his experience of difficulty in getting a loan.

“The kindness of a drop of water should be repaid by a spring of spring.” Xia Jiguo said that Hongrun’s development to today’s scale has been deeply rooted in the hometown of Tongcheng, and he must do his best to contribute to this homeland. Responsibility, so the company headquarters will never move to a big city as the company becomes stronger.

Today, in order to pursue the development of the capital market, Xia Jiguo, who is devoted to his work, has completed the transformation of the company's shareholding system. Unlike most entrepreneurs who maintain absolute controlling rights, Xia Jiguo personally only holds about 40% of the shares. He told reporters that both of his sons are still studying at university, and one of them is working abroad to earn living expenses while studying. When the two brothers came back during the holidays, Xia Jiguo also consciously asked them to exercise in the factory. The two of them dragged the sacks and could draw blood from their ten fingers.

"Hardship is the real wealth," Xia Jiguo said more than once when interviewed by reporters, "Currently I have no idea of ??running a family business. I hope that my children can start their own business independently, even if they fail at first." .

At 260 yuan per gram, it is much more expensive than the price of one gram of gold.

When Xia Jiguo made the decision to develop this patented product "loop velvet", it caused a shock in the world's down industry. When the technology product was just announced to be successfully developed, there were merchants from various countries asking for it. Joint venture with Hongrun.

"You can buy our raw materials, but they must OEM Hongrun and use Hongrun's trademark brand." Xia Jiguo did not make any concessions, and the foreign businessmen backed down. At this time, a Japanese company came to the door again, offering a one-time purchase of 30 million yuan for the loop velvet patent. Xia Jiguo did not agree, "I am not a company that makes a living by transferring patents. If that were the case, Hongrun would have no potential for development."

“We need to build Hongrun’s own brand with the help of core products.” Xia Jiguo said that it is difficult to create a brand, but it is easy to be eaten by others. To this end, the group has registered the Hongrun trademark in more than 10 countries and regions. Domestically, Hongrun Group has also become the only enterprise in the industry that has the honors of China's well-known trademarks, China's famous brand products, and national inspection-free products.

The Story of the Integrity Duck

In the product showroom of Hongrun Group, the reporter found a photo of a duck hanging in a prominent position. Behind the photo is the story of Integrity Duck.

In 1997, Xia Jiguo signed an order worth US$7 million with Danish businessman Harry, but later the price of raw materials rose sharply. If it continued to ship goods at the original price, Hongrun would suffer huge losses. . According to the text of the contract, Xia Jiguo could renegotiate the price with the other party and sell the company's down inventory at a better price. However, Xia Jiguo chose to keep his promise and bear the 2 million yuan loss caused to the company by the increase in raw material prices.

After hearing this, Harry was very moved and brought a duck from abroad to Xia Jiguo to express his respect and gratitude. The duck was also named "Integrity Duck". Since then, the trade volume between Hongrun Group and Mr. Harry has been fixed at more than 10 million US dollars every year. Xia Jiguo and Harry also changed from partners to friends. The duck became a witness to the friendship between the two. "Credit is very important when doing business, especially when doing business with foreign businessmen. It represents the image of Chinese enterprises and more importantly, integrity."

Because of insisting on this belief, Xia Jiguo has won more awards foreign friends. In Hongrun's base factory, reporters can see "blue eyes" from different countries at any time, and they all hug Xia Jiguo very warmly when they see him.