"Mr. Chen, although I am not in the political arena, I am in the business world. In China, no matter what business you do, you ultimately have to deal with the political sphere. The business world has many rules, and the political sphere has even more. To be frank with you, Mr. Chen, over the years, I've spent no small amount of money on the political sphere. If you don't properly "serve" these influential figures in China's political circles, it's impossible to expand your business. Producing ordinary items isn't a major issue; a little appeasement is enough. However, producing specialized products, like the control valves in this rocket recycling project, is a government-regulated product. Without strong political connections, it's simply impossible to produce them."
Fang Shan explained with a serious expression.
"Mr. Fang, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."
Chen Feng said with a faint smile.
"Mr. Chen, if you were in other parts of China, I wouldn't dare to make such a guarantee. But here in Wenzhou, I absolutely can. The reason Wenzhou businessmen are so renowned in China is their pioneering spirit. It's not just the businessmen; Wenzhou's political circles are also pioneers. As long as the project isn't seriously anti-Party or anti-society, they're willing to give it a try. That's why many businesses in China were first pioneered by Wenzhou people. For instance, the first privately chartered airline was run by Wenzhou people. The first privately funded railway construction was by Wenzhou people. The first privately invested bank was by Wenzhou people. The first privately owned supermarket in China was by Wenzhou people. The first privately funded highway construction was by Wenzhou people... These examples are telling. Wenzhou's political circles are quite different from those in inland areas. Wenzhou's political circles are pioneering. Of course, without greasing the wheels, it's still difficult. The practice of officials extracting money in China is a tradition thousands of years old."
Fang Shan continued to explain with a serious expression.
"Mr. Fang, with what you've said, a heavy stone has been lifted from my heart. Regarding the control valves for the rocket recycling project, I'll entrust it entirely to you."
Chen Feng said with relief.
This trip to Wenzhou not only secured the control valves for the rocket recycling project but also imparted the "Wenzhou spirit."
The spirit of Wenzhou's business and political circles, frankly, was very inspiring to him. Applying the Wenzhou spirit to the development of Mingshan City would undoubtedly yield excellent results.
"Mr. Chen, you're too kind. You are the customer, and I am the merchant. It is we merchants who should be truly grateful, thanking you customers for bringing us business. By the way, Mr. Chen, now that the control valve order for the rocket recycling project is settled, how about I take you out to relax?"
Fang Shan said earnestly.
"That sounds good."
Chen Feng did not refuse.
It was good to mingle with the merchants. If their relationship was good, he could naturally raise specific requirements for products in the future.
"In that case, I'll make arrangements. First, dinner, and then a nightclub."
Fang Shan suggested.
"No problem."
Chen Feng replied calmly.
Men, regardless of their origin, entertainment tends to be similar. A grand meal followed by a nightclub – these are standard operations!
"Oh, by the way, the top leader of Wenzhou will also be attending."
Fang Shan added.
"Mr. Fang, did I hear you correctly? The top leader of Wenzhou, such a hugely influential figure, would come out to accompany a small boss like me for dinner and entertainment?"
Chen Feng exclaimed. In other places, wanting to have dinner or entertainment with a city's top leader was impossible without an invitation from a major magnate, and even then, it required multiple invitations. Wenzhou was such a peculiar place; the top leader of Wenzhou seemed to have no airs at all. Any small boss who came over, and the top leader of Wenzhou would proactively accompany them.
"Mr. Fang, you might not understand the characteristics of coastal political circles coming from inland China. Let me put it this way: all officials in China's inland political circles, including the top brass, are focused on economic development. If there are good economic projects, they get excited and proactive. Take the control valves for the rocket recycling project, for instance. It's a project with immense prospects, a high-tech project, and highly profitable. Crucially, it's also an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the country. Wenzhou can leverage this project to gain considerable favor with the high-level political circles in China. With that in mind, the top leader of Wenzhou naturally wants to engage with you."
Fang Shan explained calmly.
Upon hearing this, Chen Feng felt another wave of emotion. The reason for the strong economic atmosphere in coastal areas, besides the unique pioneering spirit of Wenzhou people, was another important point: the coastal political circles, from top to bottom, had a deep-seated imprint of serving the economy in the hearts of every official. For the sake of economic development, whether they were high-ranking or low-ranking officials in the coastal political circles, they would proactively lower their stances and integrate into the front lines of economic development. This point left the political circles in inland China far behind.
Inland political circles largely retained the feudal remnants of China's past. They believed that as political officials, they were inherently superior, hence they projected an air of being high-class and sophisticated in front of ordinary people. In coastal areas, a top political figure might eat instant noodles to discuss business, which was normal. However, in inland areas, a top political figure eating instant noodles was absolutely unthinkable. The bigger the business deal, the more elaborate the occasion needed to be. Spending millions on a business worth billions was common.
To legitimize extracting money from engineering projects, China's inland political circles would deliberately complicate simple procedures, turning something that could be done in a month into a year-long process. Coastal areas were the exact opposite. Top political figures in coastal areas deeply understood that the business world was a battlefield, and time was life. Therefore, as long as an economic project wasn't anti-Party or anti-society, no matter how tricky, they would proceed first, and the procedural paperwork could be slowly filled in later, saving the boss the hassle of constantly worrying about political approvals.
Of course, money was still involved. When it came to accepting money, there was a significant difference between coastal and inland political circles. Describing how inland political circles accepted money, "insatiable greed" would be apt. In some places, this greed was outrageously rampant. For a highly profitable large company, every inland political department would come to "fleece" it. Frankly, several groups would come openly each month under fabricated pretenses to demand money. For example:
"Has the company's donation arrived this month?"
"Has the environmental protection fee been paid?"
"Has the social welfare fee been paid?"
"Has the tax surcharge been paid voluntarily?"
"Has the sponsorship for official hospitality been provided?"
"Has the company fulfilled its poverty alleviation responsibilities?"
...
In short, throughout the year, there would be various reasons to extract money from companies. Refusal meant: "Sorry, we'll suspend your business operations tomorrow." Once the administrative seal was affixed, the company boss would obediently pay. This endless exploitation would ruin even the most resilient companies. This was also why inland economic development lagged. Inland political circles had no bottom line! Therefore, smart bosses generally avoided doing business in inland China. To succeed in business in inland China, one had to be incredibly powerful, someone who could crush the political circles. However, such powerful individuals were extremely rare.
In this regard, coastal political circles were much better than their inland counterparts. Coastal political circles generally accepted benefits once. Not only was it a one-time affair, but after accepting benefits from a boss, coastal political circles would provide various forms of protection for that company. This created a peculiar phenomenon in China. In inland China, even the largest companies would eventually fail. In coastal China, even the smallest companies would eventually grow.
"Mr. Fang, I want to establish a good relationship with the top leader of Wenzhou. How should I appropriately offer money?"
Chen Feng directly stated his intentions.
"Mr. Chen, don't worry about offering money; I'll handle it. I am the manufacturer, and I'll manage the local connections."
Fang Shan said seriously.
"Mr. Fang, that's generally how it works. However, my thinking is this: although I am here to invest this time, there's no telling whether Wenzhou City might need to invest in our Mingshan City in the future. Therefore, it's very necessary for me to build a good relationship with Wenzhou's top leader to pave the way for Mingshan City's future economic development."
Chen Feng explained earnestly.
"Mr. Chen, I truly didn't expect your vision to be so grand and your thoughts so thorough and far-sighted. Since that's the case, I'll be direct. Actually, offering money to Wenzhou's top leader is very convenient; you just need to..."
Fang Shan lowered his voice instinctively.