Recently, at the graduation ceremony of the 2024 class of students of the School of Management of Fudan University, Dean Lu Xiongwen delivered a graduation speech entitled "The Power of Faith Will Eventually Blossom and Bear Fruit". A paragraph in the speech about egg cracking caused widespread heated discussions.
In recent years, in an extraordinary way, the egg has swept the country from a local poker game to become a "social darling". Sports authorities have also included it in official competitions, and egg-breaking associations have sprung up in various places, not to mention the number of egg-breaking players that are increasing exponentially.
Why is the egg so magical? And why is there concern and apprehension?
President of Fudan Management Institute
The wind of judging eggs prevails
Dean Lu Xiongwen said in his speech, "At present, the wind of egg breaking is prevalent, ordinary people are playing eggs is a game and leisure, and officials, entrepreneurs, and professional managers who shoulder the mission and heavy responsibilities occasionally break eggs, which is also relaxation and adjustment, but the wind of egg breaking sweeps across the north and south of the river, blowing into all levels and corners, but it is a manifestation of the loss of motivation and entrepreneurial spirit in society, and it is the wind of escape and decadence." I hope that our graduates will not join this ever-swelling ranks. At present, when all graduates embark on their journey, it is also a time when various cycles are intertwined, and we must awaken the entrepreneurial spirit hidden in your heart, and wait for the opportunity to rise. ”
Source: Fudan Management Institute
Why is the egg on fire?
"If you don't break eggs before eating, you don't eat. If you don't break eggs after a meal, you are equal to eating for nothing. ”
In recent years, the egg is occupying many people's leisure life with lightning speed. According to incomplete statistics, more than 20 million people in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces alone regularly participate in various egg breaking activities, and the number of egg lovers in the country has reached 140 million.
Eggs originated in Huai'an District, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, so they are also known as "Huai'an Eggs" and "Huai'an Runs Fast". People who are new to the egg will always find that there is always a familiar part of the game, this is because the egg is a combination of the characteristics of many poker games such as fighting the landlord, double lifting, running fast, etc., which can be called eclectic and unique. With its unique entertainment, participation, ornamentation, science and competitiveness, this card game originated in Huai'an, and quickly went to the whole country.
With the promulgation of the "Competitive Egg Breaking Competition Rules (Trial)" (formulated by the Chess and Card Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China) at the end of 2022, Egg Breaking has initially completed its gorgeous transformation from a folk game to a formal sports competition. In 2023, the egg will be listed as a performance event in the 5th National Mind Games, competing on the same stage as traditional events such as chess, bridge, and backgammon.
In recent years, it has gradually become a social tool sought after in the financial circle. In July last year, a fund company held a 25th anniversary egg breaking competition, which attracted a lot of attention. Previously, there were also incidents of brokerages distributing "egg gift boxes" that were widely spread on social platforms.
In addition, there are also financial giants who have made a move to lay out eggs. According to the company's information, Oriental Fortune completed the V1.0 version of the "Oriental Egg" software on April 10, and the registration date was June 11.
In January this year, the first meeting of the first general meeting of the Shanghai Egg Sports Association was held in the Shanghai Chess and Card Sports Management Center. The General Assembly elected the first board of directors with the chairman of Oriental Wealth Information Co., Ltd. as the chairman.
Some analysts believe that the explosion of eggs in the financial circle is not unrelated to a trend of capital changes in the capital market in recent years. The Yangtze River Delta has a large number of LPs, active capital contributions, but is relatively scattered, and is considered by investors to be a low-cost way to break into the group. Texas Hold'em, the former darling of the financial circle, has "fallen out of favor" due to the decline in US dollar LP investment in recent years.
Taking Jiangsu, the birthplace of the egg, as an example, it is one of the regions with the highest concentration of PE/VC in the country, with a large number of local LPs and active investment. According to the statistics of the ZERONE data platform in Zhizhong, the number of LP contributions in Jiangsu Province in 2023 will be 1,266, only after Zhejiang Province and Guangdong Province; The annual investment amount exceeded 100 billion yuan.
At the same time, LPs are also active in Shanghai, Anhui and other regions near Jiangsu, and they are also key areas for GPs to visit and "haunt". As an important participant in the local egg cracking bureau, these GPs have naturally become the direct promoters of the "cultural export" of egg cracking to the whole country.
There is still more room for eggs
Xu Chongchong, technical director of Huai'an Egg Federation, has been committed to the promotion of egg breaking for many years, and in his opinion, the popularity of egg breaking across the country is also because it has an important attribute - social function.
Eggs come with social functions and are known as "social artifacts". In many places, the eggs bring neighbors closer together and create a harmonious atmosphere. "Cracking eggs to defeat I people and E people", no matter what type of personality they have, they are very friendly and have a unique interpersonal lubrication value.
Egg hunting requires teamwork, sportsmanship, fun and competition. Memory, information gathering ability, decision-making ability, and teamwork ability required for the project are equally important in work and life. The intellectuality of the eggs is also self-evident, "The eggs are not afraid of frying, which means that they are bold; If you win, you don't squeak, which means that the city is deep; Do not surrender if you lose, and have strong competitiveness; The eggs are carefully calculated, which shows that they understand the economy"...... These slips of the tongue show that the eggs are given a lot of value. According to the "2023 China Annual Emerging List", Egg was awarded the "Game of the Year", and the award-winning comments wrote, "Insight into human nature, opening up the pattern, expanding cognition, workplace wisdom, business wisdom and even life philosophy are all in it".
Eggs suitable for all ages, with their high social attributes, are now constantly infiltrating into various social scenes. Li Sen, director of the Propaganda Department of the Huai'an Municipal Party Committee, believes that the development of the egg has changed from a puzzle chess and card sport to an important carrier for narrowing the distance between each other and spreading the excellent traditional Chinese culture this year.
As a project with a strong mass base, the business opportunities of egg breaking are also emerging. All kinds of egg-breaking competitions have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain; Open the online shopping platform, and derivatives such as special poker cards, egg tables, card dealers, and egg cheats are also selling well; Some places have also tried to hold large-scale egg-breaking events, with the intention of using the events to stimulate consumption and activate the tourism industry.
There are two sides to everything. There are many benefits to egg hunting, but as a game, you also need to participate in it in moderation to avoid indulging in it.
Let the egg really become an intellectual sport to relax the body and mind and help the society, which is the starting point of the development of the egg, and it should also be its destination.