In this land of wonders in China, there is a village that was once known as the "first village in the world", and it is Huaxi Village in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province. From an ordinary small village in the sixties and seventies of the last century, to becoming a well-known model of affluence, to facing the dilemma of huge debts in recent years, the rise and fall of Huaxi Village is a legend.
From poverty to affluence
In the late 1950s, Huaxi Village was still a small and inconspicuous village, and the villagers lived a hard life. It was not until the 1960s that Wu Renbao, the soul of Huaxi Village, appeared, and he led the villagers to start the arduous struggle.
Wu Renbao knew that in order to change the fate of Huaxi Village, he must first change the mode of production. He mobilized the villagers to vigorously build water conservancy, improve farming conditions, and increase grain production. Subsequently, he guided the villagers to set up a small hardware factory, which started the industrialization process of Huaxi Village.
In 1978, Wu Renbao keenly captured the pulse of the times. He led the villagers to expand the scale of industry, and successively established textile mills, steel mills and other heavy industrial enterprises. Huaxi Village's economy has taken off rapidly, and the villagers' incomes have also risen.
From affluence to prosperity
In the 1990s, Huaxi Village's economic development reached its peak. In 1996, Huaxi Village was successfully listed, becoming the first village in the country to be listed, marking that Huaxi Village entered a new stage of development.
With the growth of its economic strength, Huaxi Village began to focus on improving the quality of life of its villagers. Luxury villas have been built in the village, and almost every household has one or more limousines. Not only that, Huaxi Village has also invested heavily in the construction of the five-star Longxi International Hotel, as well as a series of tourist attractions, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to visit and play.
From prosperity to challenge
After entering the 21st century, with the changes in the global economic pattern and the transformation of the social and economic system, the traditional industries of Huaxi Village began to encounter problems. Due to the impact of environmental protection policies, industries such as steel and textiles have seen market demand decline and profit margins narrow.
At the same time, Huaxi Village's management model has also begun to be questioned. The Wu Renbao family has long controlled important positions in the village, and this family-style management style has made the villagers dissatisfied with the distribution of benefits. Some young villagers choose to go out to work, resulting in a loss of labor.
In 2013, Wu Renbao died, and Huaxi Village lost its soul
Although the successor, Wu Xieen, tried to maintain the development of Huaxi Village, Huaxi Village fell into an unprecedented predicament due to the failure to adjust the industrial structure in time. In 2016, Huaxi Village's financial situation was made public, with debts accumulating close to 40 billion yuan, while total assets were only about 7 billion yuan. Such a huge debt has put Huaxi Village under extreme pressure, and many companies have been forced to close their doors or lay off employees.
If the story of Huaxi Village were made into a movie, perhaps no one would believe that it was real
It tells us that both individually and collectively need to constantly learn and adapt to change in order to be invincible in the fierce competition. Although the story of Huaxi Village has come to an end, its experience and lessons will always be worth learning from and thinking about.