Although Xu Zengping was only a businessman, he was bent on the motherland and preferred to give up his family property for the development of the motherland.
The name "Xu Zengping" is already relatively unfamiliar to many people.
But if the "Liaoning warship" is mentioned, no Chinese will say that they do not know. This is the first aircraft carrier owned by China.
The predecessor of the Liaoning was the Soviet Union's Varyag aircraft carrier, which went through twists and turns to reach China's hands, and after being transformed, it became a heavy weapon of the great powers.
And this aircraft carrier was bought by Xu Zengping.
He deceived Ukraine with lies, claiming to transform the carrier into a casino on the sea, and successfully acquired ownership of the Varyag.
For China, Xu Zengping is a well-deserved hero.
However, something strange happened: the day after the Varyag was taken to China, Xu Zengping went bankrupt!
The aircraft carrier, which cost a lot of money, was handed over to the state by him.
Nearly twenty years on, how is he doing?
Xu Zengping was able to buy the Varyag, which was a godsend.
In 1997, the Ukrainian government issued a message that the Varyag was now for sale.
As soon as the news was released, many countries were eager to buy this aircraft carrier back.
Strictly speaking, the Varyag is not a standard aircraft carrier.
● Varyag
It was originally built by the former Soviet Union, during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed for hegemony, the Soviet Union frantically expanded its armaments, and a large amount of military expenditure was invested in the construction of aircraft carriers.
This arms race dragged down the Soviet Union, and before the Varyag could be built, the former Soviet Union fell apart.
The Varyag witnessed the final glory and pathos of the "Red Empire" of the Soviet Union.
To use a more common metaphor among Chinese netizens, after the fall of the polar bear, the "big hair" and "two hairs" in the family began to divide the family property.
If varyag had been given to Russia, it would have most likely been built and served by the Russian army.
However, it was given to Ukraine.
Anyone familiar with the countries of Eastern Europe knows that Ukraine's economy is sluggish. In recent years, surrogacy has become an important industry of the country, known as the "womb of the world".
Such a country cannot afford to continue to build an aircraft carrier.
As a result, Ukraine could only "tearfully sell" and sell the Varyag. However, the Ukrainian government has left an eye on it and prohibits any country from buying it.
That is, the aircraft carrier is sold only to individuals, not to the state.
Because aircraft carriers are too sensitive, many countries want that after having aircraft carriers, national security will be more stable, and even enhance their voice in geopolitics.
Ukraine does not want to get involved in trouble, nor does it want to be splinted among the great powers, simply declaring that no government has the right to buy, only private people can buy.
This gave Xu Zengping a chance.
He was one of the most successful trendsetters in the wave of reform and opening up.
Born in 1952, this Chinese businessman is a native of Shandong and served in the military for 14 years when he was young!
Shandong was originally the province most deeply influenced by Confucianism, and loyalty to the country has been integrated into the blood.
Years of military career have made Xu Zengping's patriotism more and more fiery.
After retiring, he earned his first pot of gold through his clever mind. This young man with a broad vision quickly set his sights on Hong Kong, invested money in the Hong Kong region, and created his own business empire in Hong Kong.
His Creative Law Group is thriving.
Earning a lot of money, Xu Zengping's heart has never changed. He always wanted to do something for the country.
At that time, China was in the stage of "Taoguang yang obscurity", which was also forced by the times. The Soviet Union has fallen, the United States is the only one, and there is no buffer zone between China and the United States.
The United States is militarily dominant, and China cannot confront it directly. If only there were an aircraft carrier, this is the expectation of many people.
Therefore, xu Zengping saw the news of Ukraine's sale of the Varyag, and his eyes lit up with excitement.
In order to hide his eyes, he first registered a tourism and entertainment company and went to buy an aircraft carrier under the name of "transforming the Varyag into a casino on the sea".
Subsequently, he quickly arrived in Ukraine and personally negotiated with the captain of the shipyard.
In order to win the trust of the captain, he drank 6 pounds of liquor at the wine table! This is to give up the fate!
● Xu Zengping poses with Ukrainian government officials and the director of the Black Sea Shipyard in the director's office
After negotiating with the Ukrainian side, the bid there was 20 million US dollars, not a penny less! Xu Zengping agreed without hesitation.
20 million US dollars is a huge amount of money, but it is worth buying an aircraft carrier for the country.
Just when Xu Zengping was ecstatic, there was a sudden change.
The United States has stepped in, and things are changing.
The Americans certainly do not lack aircraft carriers.
From the beginning of the US-Soviet hegemony, the Aircraft Carrier owned by the United States was enough to make it act as the world's policeman and rampage everywhere.
This time, Xu Zengping was prevented from buying the Varyag for only one reason: the United States would not allow China to have an aircraft carrier.
Xu Zengping was able to hide from the Ukrainian government, but not from the Americans.
They are all big countries that play cards at the table, who would be so naïve?
Under the wild entanglement of the United States, Ukraine had to tell Xu Zengping that they had broken the treaty and that the original agreement did not count. The Varyag will be auctioned publicly.
However, man is not as good as heaven.
The Varyag is important to a country's military power, but it is not cost-effective for an individual to spend $20 million on it, and no one can guarantee that it will be returned.
Taking a step back, even if a country entrusts a private buyer, it may not be able to successfully build it.
At the auction, no one bid higher than Xu Zengping.
This aircraft carrier is destined to belong to the Chinese.
● On January 31, 1998, Xu Zengping took a group photo with the leaders of the Ukrainian Black Sea Shipyard
Xu Zengping, worried that the night would be long and dreamy, seized the time to drag the Varyag back to China.
Unexpectedly, the United States inserted another bar, and this time it was Turkey that pioneered the United States!
When the aircraft carrier was transported to Turkish waters, it was detained by Turkey for various reasons and refused to let it go.
Buying an aircraft carrier is Xu Zengping's private act, and the Chinese government is not good at publicly exerting excessive pressure on the Turkish side.
Xu Zengping had no choice but to pay various fees in accordance with the requirements of the Turkish side.
The Chinese government has also helped its citizens speak out through other reasonable channels.
After a long tug-of-war, things finally took a turn for the better.
Turkey is not really doing things for the United States, after all, the two countries have a lot of discord in history. When the money is enough, Turkey is relieved.
After a rough ride, the Varyag finally reached China's waters.
On 4 March 2002, the Varyag docked at the port of Dalian, China. At this moment, Xu Zengping made up his final mind.
When he first bought the aircraft carrier, he had promised that it would be used only for commercial purposes, and now it was against the contract to want to openly give the aircraft carrier to the Navy.
On the other hand, in order to buy an aircraft carrier, his wealth has almost been hollowed out, and the company's capital chain is facing a serious crisis.
After careful consideration, Xu Zengping declared bankruptcy.
● Mr. Xu Zengping, his wife, son and friends boarded the Liaoning warship for a visit, and Vice Admiral Su Shiliang and Captain Zhang Zheng, former deputy commander of the Navy, personally accompanied the inspection
The Varyag was also transferred to the army.
Later things, everyone knows. After a complex renovation and construction, the Varyag became China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
The reason why it can be successfully built is thanks to Xu Zengping's mind.
When he first negotiated with Ukraine, Xu Zengping wanted to buy the blueprints of the aircraft carrier at all costs.
If there is no drawing, it is difficult to climb the sky if you want to truly build the aircraft carrier.
As a result, the Ukrainian side raised the price, and the price of the aircraft carrier, which was originally 18 million US dollars, became 20 million US dollars.
Xu Zengping promised to come down without saying a word.
After that, he personally stared at the Ukrainian side, got all the drawings in his hands, and transported them back to China.
As it turns out, the money was spent unjustly!
Comrade Mao Zedong once sighed: "I have been engaged in politics and military affairs all my life, and the most unwilling thing is that I have not seen a Chinese aircraft carrier so far!" ”
The launch of the Liaoning marked a historic step forward for China militarily, and also comforted the dreams and long-cherished wishes of the martyrs.
So, what happened to Xu Zengping, who gambled all his wealth for the aircraft carrier?
He became a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and his career has taken off again.
Our country will never treat any patriots badly.
He repays the country with the heart of a national soldier, and the country will certainly treat him with the courtesy of a national soldier. Text/Gu Jingyan