One man’s struggle to be the best

　Newman HuoON the Forbes Global 2001 list of China’s 100 richest business people, the 52-year-old Xia Chaojia, CEO of Sichuan Hejia Industry Group Co. Ltd., was ranked 17 with total wealth of US$96 million, based on his personal share of the group’s estimated net assets in 2000.Now the Hejia group comprises more than 20 companies, covering industries such as agriculture, valve production, printing, packaging, helicopters, real estate, Tibetan medicine and information technology.Xia’s motto is “always and only strive to be the first.” This motto witnessed every major change in Xia’s life and business career.

　　Xia was born in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan in 1949, coinciding with the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.At the age of 14, he had to drop out of school because of his “birth problem,” in what was known at the time as the “class struggle.”In 1964, he was sent to work on a road-building team on the Qingzang Plateau. He spent eight years building roads on the largely untraversed remote plateau.In 1972, at the age of 23, he was allowed to return to his hometown. He remained jobless whenever the “class struggle” was raised, so books became his best companions and he read anything he could find.In 1977, he got a stable job in a small paper-packaging factory and he didn’t need to worry about where his next meal was coming from.Around this time, China began making historic changes with economic reform policies.In 1978, Xia sensed that there would be a huge market potential for the printing business. He decided to apply for a bank loan of 110,000 yuan (US$13,200). One rainy day when a woman section chief from a local bank was invited to visit the shabby factory, the empty workshop surprised her. Xia carefully submitted his development plan but she insisted on seeing something tangible. Just then, a strong wind blew the woman’s raincoat off into a nearby ditch. The conversation ended abruptly and the woman left.The next morning, Xia was waiting at the door of the bank. When he saw the section chief, he handed her a brand new raincoat. The woman was somewhat moved but it was another two months before he finally convinced the woman of a bright future in the printing business.However, the rest of Xia’s co-workers in the factory disagreed with his bold plan. The factory assets were estimated to be 6,000 yuan. Xia had no choice but to borrow money and distribute it among the workers. Thus the empty workshop became Xia’s personal property and the loan his personal debt.

　　But this was the beginning of an age of miracles.Xia soon received an order from a Tibetan pharmaceutical factory for medicine labels, the first deal of his business career.At the end of 1984, Xia declared at the employees’ conference that the 300 seniors in the factory who had reached the age of retirement could enjoy the same benefits as retired State workers. He won loud applause from the factory workers. After six years’ struggle, he finally saw his moment of success. The following year, 1985, with less than 100 workers, the factory made a total profit of 1 million yuan.In 1987, realizing there were limits to the printing business, Xia thought his company should diversify. He began to enter different industries.In 1989, his first fruit and vegetable chip processing project was promoted throughout the country by the Central Government. In 1992, his lemon-processing project was listed as one of the pillar industries in Neijiang, Sichuan.

　　After five years’ negotiation, in 1993, the Hejia group put out the first domestically made fruit and vegetable chip processing line, much cheaper than imported machinery. Orders came from all over the country.Xia became deeply involved in long-term investment, which at first may have looked like adventures but eventually brought huge profits. By this time, he had completed the transformation from printing to agribusiness. In 1996, his company linked up with Yuan Longping, well known as the father of hybrid rice. They began to cultivate new varieties of high-yield rice.In the same year, his company became one of the only two listed private enterprises in the country.In 1997, Xia set up Sichuan Hejia College to contribute to Chinese higher education.In 1999, when a large pipe project in the west of China with an estimated cost of 1,200 billion yuan was announced, the Hejia group had already merged with the Sichuan Feiqiu Group, the only enterprise in China that could provide valves for pipes.By the end of 1998, many sectors in China had been opened up to private companies on rather a large scale. Always ready to blaze a trail, Xia learned that the Shanghai Hualong General Airline Co. was having a difficult time, and was on the market. Although the airline industry was not in good shape at the time, Xia believed the industry would soon see a boom in expansion with the rapid development of China’s economy.The Hejia group bought the airline which had registered capital of 80 million yuan.Always on the lookout for opportunities, Xia was about to enter a new field.In Shanghai, they used to send ships’ pilots in speedboats to guide ships into port. But when there were strong winds and big waves, speedboats couldn’t be used, which meant foreign ships couldn’t enter the port on time. This often brought a negative impact on the image of Shanghai as an international port.Learning about this, Xia contacted Shanghai Pilot Station and suggested they use Hualong’s helicopters to pilot foreign ships into port. On Aug. 12, 1999, the first Hualong helicopter landed on a Dutch ship waiting berth in Shanghai.

　　As a Chinese citizen who grew up with the New China, Xia said: “Today, our country is not very rich and there are still millions of people who don’t have enough money for food and clothing and who don’t have jobs. “All we can do is to keep developing, solve the problem of unemployment, and pay the due taxes. These are the unavoidable social duties of all Chinese private entrepreneurs.”

　　Newman HuoON the Forbes Global 2001 list of China’s 100 richest business people, the 52-year-old Xia Chaojia, CEO of Sichuan Hejia Industry Group Co. Ltd., was ranked 17 with total wealth of US$96 million, based on his personal share of the group’s estimated net assets in 2000.Now the Hejia group comprises more than 20 companies, covering industries such as agriculture, valve production, printing, packaging, helicopters, real estate, Tibetan medicine and information technology.Xia’s motto is “always and only strive to be the first.” This motto witnessed every major change in Xia’s life and business career.

　　Xia was born in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan in 1949, coinciding with the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.At the age of 14, he had to drop out of school because of his “birth problem,” in what was known at the time as the “class struggle.”In 1964, he was sent to work on a road-building team on the Qingzang Plateau. He spent eight years building roads on the largely untraversed remote plateau.In 1972, at the age of 23, he was allowed to return to his hometown. He remained jobless whenever the “class struggle” was raised, so books became his best companions and he read anything he could find.In 1977, he got a stable job in a small paper-packaging factory and he didn’t need to worry about where his next meal was coming from.Around this time, China began making historic changes with economic reform policies.In 1978, Xia sensed that there would be a huge market potential for the printing business. He decided to apply for a bank loan of 110,000 yuan (US$13,200). One rainy day when a woman section chief from a local bank was invited to visit the shabby factory, the empty workshop surprised her. Xia carefully submitted his development plan but she insisted on seeing something tangible. Just then, a strong wind blew the woman’s raincoat off into a nearby ditch. The conversation ended abruptly and the woman left.The next morning, Xia was waiting at the door of the bank. When he saw the section chief, he handed her a brand new raincoat. The woman was somewhat moved but it was another two months before he finally convinced the woman of a bright future in the printing business.However, the rest of Xia’s co-workers in the factory disagreed with his bold plan. The factory assets were estimated to be 6,000 yuan. Xia had no choice but to borrow money and distribute it among the workers. Thus the empty workshop became Xia’s personal property and the loan his personal debt.

　　But this was the beginning of an age of miracles.Xia soon received an order from a Tibetan pharmaceutical factory for medicine labels, the first deal of his business career.At the end of 1984, Xia declared at the employees’ conference that the 300 seniors in the factory who had reached the age of retirement could enjoy the same benefits as retired State workers. He won loud applause from the factory workers. After six years’ struggle, he finally saw his moment of success. The following year, 1985, with less than 100 workers, the factory made a total profit of 1 million yuan.In 1987, realizing there were limits to the printing business, Xia thought his company should diversify. He began to enter different industries.In 1989, his first fruit and vegetable chip processing project was promoted throughout the country by the Central Government. In 1992, his lemon-processing project was listed as one of the pillar industries in Neijiang, Sichuan.

　　After five years’ negotiation, in 1993, the Hejia group put out the first domestically made fruit and vegetable chip processing line, much cheaper than imported machinery. Orders came from all over the country.Xia became deeply involved in long-term investment, which at first may have looked like adventures but eventually brought huge profits. By this time, he had completed the transformation from printing to agribusiness. In 1996, his company linked up with Yuan Longping, well known as the father of hybrid rice. They began to cultivate new varieties of high-yield rice.In the same year, his company became one of the only two listed private enterprises in the country.In 1997, Xia set up Sichuan Hejia College to contribute to Chinese higher education.In 1999, when a large pipe project in the west of China with an estimated cost of 1,200 billion yuan was announced, the Hejia group had already merged with the Sichuan Feiqiu Group, the only enterprise in China that could provide valves for pipes.By the end of 1998, many sectors in China had been opened up to private companies on rather a large scale. Always ready to blaze a trail, Xia learned that the Shanghai Hualong General Airline Co. was having a difficult time, and was on the market. Although the airline industry was not in good shape at the time, Xia believed the industry would soon see a boom in expansion with the rapid development of China’s economy.The Hejia group bought the airline which had registered capital of 80 million yuan.Always on the lookout for opportunities, Xia was about to enter a new field.In Shanghai, they used to send ships’ pilots in speedboats to guide ships into port. But when there were strong winds and big waves, speedboats couldn’t be used, which meant foreign ships couldn’t enter the port on time. This often brought a negative impact on the image of Shanghai as an international port.Learning about this, Xia contacted Shanghai Pilot Station and suggested they use Hualong’s helicopters to pilot foreign ships into port. On Aug. 12, 1999, the first Hualong helicopter landed on a Dutch ship waiting berth in Shanghai.

　　As a Chinese citizen who grew up with the New China, Xia said: “Today, our country is not very rich and there are still millions of people who don’t have enough money for food and clothing and who don’t have jobs. “All we can do is to keep developing, solve the problem of unemployment, and pay the due taxes. These are the unavoidable social duties of all Chinese private entrepreneurs.”

　　Newman HuoON the Forbes Global 2001 list of China’s 100 richest business people, the 52-year-old Xia Chaojia, CEO of Sichuan Hejia Industry Group Co. Ltd., was ranked 17 with total wealth of US$96 million, based on his personal share of the group’s estimated net assets in 2000.Now the Hejia group comprises more than 20 companies, covering industries such as agriculture, valve production, printing, packaging, helicopters, real estate, Tibetan medicine and information technology.Xia’s motto is “always and only strive to be the first.” This motto witnessed every major change in Xia’s life and business career.

　　Xia was born in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan in 1949, coinciding with the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.At the age of 14, he had to drop out of school because of his “birth problem,” in what was known at the time as the “class struggle.”In 1964, he was sent to work on a road-building team on the Qingzang Plateau. He spent eight years building roads on the largely untraversed remote plateau.In 1972, at the age of 23, he was allowed to return to his hometown. He remained jobless whenever the “class struggle” was raised, so books became his best companions and he read anything he could find.In 1977, he got a stable job in a small paper-packaging factory and he didn’t need to worry about where his next meal was coming from.Around this time, China began making historic changes with economic reform policies.In 1978, Xia sensed that there would be a huge market potential for the printing business. He decided to apply for a bank loan of 110,000 yuan (US$13,200). One rainy day when a woman section chief from a local bank was invited to visit the shabby factory, the empty workshop surprised her. Xia carefully submitted his development plan but she insisted on seeing something tangible. Just then, a strong wind blew the woman’s raincoat off into a nearby ditch. The conversation ended abruptly and the woman left.The next morning, Xia was waiting at the door of the bank. When he saw the section chief, he handed her a brand new raincoat. The woman was somewhat moved but it was another two months before he finally convinced the woman of a bright future in the printing business.However, the rest of Xia’s co-workers in the factory disagreed with his bold plan. The factory assets were estimated to be 6,000 yuan. Xia had no choice but to borrow money and distribute it among the workers. Thus the empty workshop became Xia’s personal property and the loan his personal debt.

　　But this was the beginning of an age of miracles.Xia soon received an order from a Tibetan pharmaceutical factory for medicine labels, the first deal of his business career.At the end of 1984, Xia declared at the employees’ conference that the 300 seniors in the factory who had reached the age of retirement could enjoy the same benefits as retired State workers. He won loud applause from the factory workers. After six years’ struggle, he finally saw his moment of success. The following year, 1985, with less than 100 workers, the factory made a total profit of 1 million yuan.In 1987, realizing there were limits to the printing business, Xia thought his company should diversify. He began to enter different industries.In 1989, his first fruit and vegetable chip processing project was promoted throughout the country by the Central Government. In 1992, his lemon-processing project was listed as one of the pillar industries in Neijiang, Sichuan.

　　After five years’ negotiation, in 1993, the Hejia group put out the first domestically made fruit and vegetable chip processing line, much cheaper than imported machinery. Orders came from all over the country.Xia became deeply involved in long-term investment, which at first may have looked like adventures but eventually brought huge profits. By this time, he had completed the transformation from printing to agribusiness. In 1996, his company linked up with Yuan Longping, well known as the father of hybrid rice. They began to cultivate new varieties of high-yield rice.In the same year, his company became one of the only two listed private enterprises in the country.In 1997, Xia set up Sichuan Hejia College to contribute to Chinese higher education.In 1999, when a large pipe project in the west of China with an estimated cost of 1,200 billion yuan was announced, the Hejia group had already merged with the Sichuan Feiqiu Group, the only enterprise in China that could provide valves for pipes.By the end of 1998, many sectors in China had been opened up to private companies on rather a large scale. Always ready to blaze a trail, Xia learned that the Shanghai Hualong General Airline Co. was having a difficult time, and was on the market. Although the airline industry was not in good shape at the time, Xia believed the industry would soon see a boom in expansion with the rapid development of China’s economy.The Hejia group bought the airline which had registered capital of 80 million yuan.Always on the lookout for opportunities, Xia was about to enter a new field.In Shanghai, they used to send ships’ pilots in speedboats to guide ships into port. But when there were strong winds and big waves, speedboats couldn’t be used, which meant foreign ships couldn’t enter the port on time. This often brought a negative impact on the image of Shanghai as an international port.Learning about this, Xia contacted Shanghai Pilot Station and suggested they use Hualong’s helicopters to pilot foreign ships into port. On Aug. 12, 1999, the first Hualong helicopter landed on a Dutch ship waiting berth in Shanghai.

　　As a Chinese citizen who grew up with the New China, Xia said: “Today, our country is not very rich and there are still millions of people who don’t have enough money for food and clothing and who don’t have jobs. “All we can do is to keep developing, solve the problem of unemployment, and pay the due taxes. These are the unavoidable social duties of all Chinese private entrepreneurs.”