In November 1978, Wang Zhen, then Vice Premier of the State Council, led a Chinese delegation to the United Kingdom. This is a critical period in the early days of China's reform and opening up, and Wang Zhen's trip is shouldering a major mission. After stepping off the plane, Wang Zhen was immediately shocked by the sight in front of him: high-rise buildings and modern cityscape made him feel both strange and surprised.
As a revolutionary who grew up during the years of war and construction, he had never seen such a sight with his own eyes. With a strong sense of curiosity and thinking, Wang Zhen began this unusual visit.
Shocking First Sight: From Perception to Reality
In November 1978, Wang Zhen, as Vice Premier of the State Council, led a Chinese delegation to visit the United Kingdom. Before his visit to the UK, Wang Zhen believed that the living conditions of British workers were very poor, because most of the information he learned came from books and newspapers in China. Most of these sources describe the gap between the rich and the poor and the oppression of workers in capitalist countries.
With these realizations, Wang Zhen stepped off the plane and entered this completely unfamiliar world. Ambassador Ke Hua was already waiting at the airport, and after they exchanged pleasantries, Wang Zhen immediately began his hectic visit. The convoy drove out of the airport and through the busy city of London, and the sights along the way surprised Wang Zhen even more.
The streets are clean and spacious, with a constant flow of vehicles, neat buildings along the streets, and a wide variety of goods displayed in the shop windows. The pedestrians were well-dressed and had confident smiles on their faces. All this is in stark contrast to Wang Zhen's previous impression of Britain.
The delegation first visited London City Hall, where the Mayor warmly received them and gave a brief introduction to the development of London and the living standards of the people. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the real living standards of ordinary workers in the UK, Wang Zhen proposed to visit an ordinary worker's family. Kehua quickly arranged the visit.
The home of an unemployed worker: the standard of living is beyond imagination
The vehicle pulled into a quiet side street and eventually stopped in front of a small two-story bungalow. The exterior of the house is simple and elegant, with white facades contrasting with green lawns, and the garden is filled with a variety of flowers, and the air is filled with a faint scent of flowers. This is the home of an unemployed worker, and the owner warmly greeted Wang Zhen and the delegation, and invited them to visit the house.
When you walk into the house, you will be greeted by a warm and tidy living room. A large sofa sits in the center, and next to it is a small coffee table with several magazines and a pot of hot tea. With several beautiful art paintings hanging on the walls and a floor lamp in the corner of the room, the whole space is neatly arranged and gives people a cozy feeling.
According to the owner, the furniture and decorations have been accumulated by them over the years, and although he is currently unemployed, the family's life has not been affected much. There are also some fresh fruits and vegetables on the countertop.
The homeowner said with a smile that although they were unemployed, the unemployment benefits provided by the government were enough to cover their basic living expenses and allow their children to continue to receive a good education. Wang Zhen was very interested in these situations, and he asked the homeowners in detail about unemployment benefits, health care and education.
The owner explained that during the period of unemployment, they do not have to pay any taxes, they have access to free medical care, and their children's compulsory education is also free. In addition, the government also provides a number of skills training courses to help the unemployed find new jobs as soon as possible.
These benefits enable them to maintain a decent living during their unemployment and not fall into hardship as a result of unemployment. Wang Zhen listened carefully to the introduction of the homeowner and gained a deeper understanding of the British social security system.
Salary comparisons: The disparity is staggering
After coming out of the homes of unemployed workers, Wang Zhen became interested in the wages of ordinary workers in Britain. So, under the arrangement of Ambassador Ke Hua, he had a discussion with several ordinary workers. These workers come from different industries, including cleaners, elevator workers, and factory workers.
Ambassador Kehua explained that these workers not only have higher wages, but also enjoy comprehensive social benefits. In addition to a basic salary, they receive free medical care, unemployment benefits, and free education for their children. These benefits greatly improve their quality of life, making it possible to maintain a decent life even when they are unemployed.
Later, Wang Zhen visited a factory in the United Kingdom. In the factory, the machinery and equipment are advanced, the workers are skillful in operation, and the production line is in order. The person in charge of the factory gave a detailed introduction to the operation mode and management mode of the factory. The factory implements a modern production management system, and the work efficiency and production quality of the workers are very high.
Wang Zhen noticed that the factory has a high degree of automation, and many processes are completed by machines, which greatly reduces labor costs and improves production efficiency. In the factory's canteen, Wang Zhen and the workers ate together. The canteen is spacious and bright, the meals are rich, and the working environment and conditions are very good.
A worker told Wang Zhen that the factory not only provides free lunches, but also has a full range of rest and recreation facilities, including a gym, library and lounge. These facilities allow workers to get a good rest and relaxation after work, which further improves their work motivation and productivity.
Wang Zhen also visited a large shopping mall in central London. Not only is the mall huge, but it also offers a wide range of goods, from everyday goods to high-end luxury goods. According to the person in charge of the shopping center, it receives tens of thousands of customers every day and annual sales reach hundreds of millions of pounds.
The prosperity of shopping malls allowed Wang Zhen to see the developed business system and strong consumption power of the United Kingdom. At the shopping mall's food supermarket, Wang Zhen saw a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and meat products neatly arranged on the shelves, and the prices were relatively reasonable.
A British housewife who was shopping told Wang Zhen that they came here every week to buy daily necessities, and the household expenses were not large. The goods in the supermarket are not only complete, but also the quality is guaranteed, and the trust of consumers in the goods is very high. Wang Zhen also visited some ordinary residential areas in London.
In these communities, the residents live in an orderly manner, the community environment is clean and tidy, and the greenery is very good. There are excellent public facilities within the community, including schools, hospitals, stadiums and parks.
Residents have easy access to these public services and live a very convenient life. Wang Zhen noticed that most of the residents in these communities own their own houses and private cars, and their living standards are generally high.
Reflections and actions after returning home
After an inspection of the life and work of British workers, Wang Zhen and his entourage returned to China. At the Central Work Conference, Wang Zhen shared what he saw and heard in the UK. The meeting brought together senior leading cadres from all over the country and was an important occasion for discussing and formulating major state policies. Wang Zhen's speech has aroused widespread attention and heated discussions.
In his speech, Wang Zhen gave a detailed account of Britain's economic development and workers' living standards. He mentioned that the wages of ordinary British workers are much higher than those of Chinese workers, and workers not only have higher incomes, but also enjoy perfect social benefits and a good working environment.
Wang Zhen pointed out that the social security system in the UK is very sound, and workers can receive unemployment benefits during the period of unemployment, enjoy free medical services and free education for their children, and the quality of life has been effectively guaranteed. After returning to his post, Wang Zhen immediately set about implementing the recommendations he had made at the meeting.
He went deep into the defense industry sector and pushed for reforms in various departments and enterprises. He stressed the need to break the "big pot of rice" and the "iron rice bowl" and implement the system of lump sum profits to arouse the enthusiasm of enterprises and workers. At the same time, he also vigorously promoted the export of military products, opened up the international market, and increased foreign exchange earnings.
Wang Zhen also paid special attention to the construction of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. He went to Shenzhen on many occasions to conduct on-the-spot inspections to learn about the development of the SEZ and the difficulties it encountered. He encouraged the cadres of the SAR to make bold explorations and innovations, and not to be afraid of making mistakes. In order to support the construction of the special zone, Wang Zhen transferred a number of technical backbones and management personnel from the national defense industry department to help Shenzhen develop high-tech industries.
Firmly support reform and opening up
In February 1982, Wang Zhen came to Shenzhen again and went directly to Shekou Industrial Zone. Shekou Industrial Zone is an important part of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, where a large number of factories and enterprises are gathered, and it is the core area of the economic development of the Special Economic Zone. Wang Zhen walked into the industrial zone and first visited an electronics factory.
The plant is spacious and bright, the machinery and equipment are advanced, the workers are busy on the production line, and the production is in order. The person in charge of the factory introduced the production situation and future development plan of the factory to Wang Zhen, and explained in detail the introduction of foreign advanced equipment and technology. Next, Wang Zhen came to a garment factory.
This garment factory mainly produces high-end clothing exported to Europe and the United States, and the factory is a busy scene. Workers operate sewing machines, sewing a variety of garments quickly and skillfully. The factory director told Wang Zhen that they have signed long-term cooperation agreements with a number of European and American brands, and the products are in short supply.
Wang Zhen said to the factory director: If China wants to develop its economy, it must, like you, actively explore the international market, introduce advanced technology, and improve product quality and competitiveness. At the other end of the industrial zone, Wang Zhen visited a high-tech company that had just been put into production. The company mainly develops and produces computer and communication equipment, and the factory is covered with a variety of high-precision instruments and equipment.
The person in charge of the company led Wang Zhen to visit the R&D center and production workshop, and introduced the company's core technology and market prospects in detail. Wang Zhen highly appreciated the company's development model and technological innovation capabilities, and encouraged them to continue to work hard to achieve technological breakthroughs as soon as possible and contribute to the development of China's high-tech industry.
Subsequently, Wang Zhen went to the Shenzhen Municipal Government and listened to a report by the city leaders on the construction of the special zone. The city leaders gave a detailed introduction to the infrastructure construction, investment attraction and future development plan of the special zone. Wang Zhen listened carefully to the report and put forward some specific suggestions and opinions.
He stressed that the SEZs should continue to play their role as a window for reform and opening up, dare to make bold explorations and innovations, and constantly sum up experiences to provide an example and reference for the reform and opening up of the whole country. During his stay in Shenzhen, Wang Zhen also visited several ordinary residential communities to learn about the living conditions of residents in the Special Economic Zone.
In a newly built community, Wang Zhen walked into a resident's home, saw a neat and bright living room and a complete set of household appliances, and told the residents that Shenzhen's development gave him hope for China's economy. He encouraged everyone to continue their efforts and contribute to the development of the SAR.
Wang Zhen also paid a special visit to a newly built primary school. The school is well-equipped and has an excellent teaching environment, and the students listen carefully in the spacious and bright classrooms. The principal said that since the establishment of the Special Economic Zone, the government has attached great importance to the development of education, continuously increased investment in education, improved the conditions for running schools, and raised the remuneration of teachers, thus attracting a large number of outstanding teachers to Shenzhen.
Wang Zhen expressed satisfaction with the school's achievements in running the school, stressing that education is the foundation of the country's development, and it is necessary to continue to attach importance to and strengthen education work and train more outstanding talents for the SAR and the country. During his few days in Shenzhen, Wang Zhen inspected a number of projects and enterprises non-stop, and had extensive exchanges with cadres and the masses of the Special Economic Zone.
He fully affirmed the development achievements of the SEZ and held that Shenzhen's practice has proved the correctness and necessity of the policy of reform and opening up. He encouraged the cadres of the SAR to continue to make bold experiments and innovations, constantly explore new development models, and provide more successful experiences for the country's reform and opening up.
After the inspection, Deng Xiaoping and Wang Zhen conducted an in-depth summary and discussion on the development of the SEZ. Deng Xiaoping pointed out that the development experience of the SEZs shows that the policy of reform and opening up is correct, and that in order to achieve modernization, China must continue to promote reform and opening up, constantly absorb and draw on advanced foreign experiences, and explore a development path suited to China's national conditions in the light of China's actual conditions.
Wang Zhen also stressed in his summing up that the development of the SEZs is inseparable from the correct leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the joint efforts of the people of the whole country. The successful experience of the SEZs has provided a valuable reference and demonstration for the reform and opening up of the whole country. He expressed the hope that all parts of the country will learn from and draw on the experience of the special zone, actively promote reform and opening up in the light of their own actual conditions, and contribute to the realization of the country's modernization.
Deng Xiaoping's and Wang Zhen's visit to Shenzhen not only further strengthened their confidence in reform and opening up, but also pointed out the direction for the reform and opening up of the whole country. Under their propulsion, China's reform and opening up has entered a new stage, and all parts of the country have learned from and drawn on the experience of the special zones, actively promoted various reforms, and worked hard to achieve comprehensive economic and social development.
As a staunch supporter and active promoter of reform and opening up, Wang Zhen's practice and experience have provided valuable reference for China's modernization drive.
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Resources:
来自 主编褚钰泉. 悦读MOOK[M]. 2008