75-Year-old Kingkian: The biggest wish is to grow a good orange, alive

75 years old to start a business, to describe the 80-year-old scene, this picture is unimaginable. Should be at home to recuperate age, but created an annual output of tens of millions of industries. Kingkian, a legendary old man who has experienced ups and downs, composes a chapter of self-help with his life. Why did he start a business? What is his future wish? Tamaka the latest issue of "GQ" column, for you to show the old entrepreneurial story. The following is a full interview:

75-Year-old Kingkian

Because of curiosity, I asked Mr. Kingkian a question, "When is it that you are happiest when you are old?" When is the hardest time? The old man's answer was: "I am not happy when others think I am happiest." ”

Two months ago, in the town of Ailao, Yunnan, I met the legendary Mr. Kingkian. He wore yellow shirt, the collar was washed, black trousers baggy, standing in the village of small restaurant waiting for us to eat. I heard that we are coming, he is here 10 o'clock in the morning more than two hours.

Many people know the story of the old Chu, there are several labels can be posted to him: After the reform and opening-up of the first generation of outstanding entrepreneurs, the Chinese tobacco king, has been a legendary figure of ups and downs. In other people's eyes, he is the happiest time, should be the tobacco King era, he spent 18 years, will be close to the collapse of Yunnan Hongta cigarette factory, into the annual tax up to more than 30 billion of the super enterprise. This is the last century http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/16333.html ">90 age data, 30 billion yuan to put today is what concept?"

At that time, "Kingkian" three words is a gold-plated, he readily write a note on the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of, Chu door difficult to enter, one side difficult to ask. In the eyes of the outsider, when the Kingkian scenery Infinite, who can say not happy?

Although others think I should be very happy, but I am not happy, business trip to Beijing also dare not let too many people know, I do not dare to appear, looking for my people too much, too many have no way, I am very not easy. Although we have to talk about indicators, the 10 indicators of China's industry, we are far ahead, but my pressure is very heavy! "There is a sense of being too cold.

But the real unhappiness should be followed, in 1999, when he was 72 years old, he was behind bars, and the three words "Kingkian" became the object of a generation of disputes among entrepreneurs. In his own words, "to reform, there must be someone pay the price", he became China's reform and opening-up process, one of the most iconic tragic figure.

75 years old because of severe diabetes is allowed medical, Kingkian at this time is now, from any point of view, this through the bumpy old man, should be in old age. But he did not, he chose to "Start again".

I asked him why, he said that when he was out of prison has no wages, only his wife's pension, one months two thousand or three thousand, "Not Idle, also restless." In my understanding, just like we a door he tightly hold my friend's hand for half a day, said that sentence, "More than 80 years old, heart or unwilling!" He is unwilling to unutterable, in fact, do not want to die of cowardice. On one side heard this remark, somehow, I began to wipe the tears. His wife saw, said to me, "Don't you cry, we are not very good now?" "The more she comforted me, the more I didn't know where it came from," she said.

Chu old began to want to mining, but this is a big business, to his economic situation, think about it. So I want to do some small business, for example, selling rice noodles. He passed by a very good noodle shop, where the guests want to long line, he asked the boss a bowl of rice noodles earn how much, one day can sell how much, the boss said, "a bowl of rice noodles to make a dollar, a day to sell 1000 bowls", Chu old one, one months can earn 30,000, so tempted to plan to do rice noodles He asked the master to develop two bowls of rice noodles, but a bowl made sweet, and a bowl made sour. In this way, the rice noodle was not made.

Later, he thought of young when the family has two orange trees, in addition to Yunnan water and soil is conducive to the species of Hunan oranges, and began planning. People familiar with the situation told me, "to grow oranges, sell oranges, this threshold is the lowest, no one to say what gossip."

The 75-Year-old Kingkian began to grow oranges in the mountains. Seedling species down, he told friends six years after the scene of the harvest, friends calculated, 6 years later, 81, "a more than 70-year-old person to start a business, to describe the scene of more than 80 years old, can not imagine." "The initial planting area is 2500 acres, cost 20 million, because the mountain to spend money, seedlings to spend money, many friends lend him money to say no, but he promised" must also ", there is a retired worker gave him 200 yuan, Shang couple don't, but the workers cried," You have been good to us, now in distress, You must accept the money.

"Dare not Imagine" things became reality, 10 years later an orange difficult to ask. "Tobacco King" changed to "King of Oranges." Coupled with too many life stories, "Zhe Shijian" three words have other meanings. Chu Orange is not only a fruit, I heard that some children take a big test to eat a Chu orange, eat "inspirational orange" incredibly become a new custom.

When asked when he was happiest, he said, "I think it's pretty much right now." I do not have patent protection, earning 50 million or 60 million a year, the scale is expanding. These 12 years, the most important is the fruit, every year to see the fruit long, slowly grew up again the past year, to 2007 to pay off the debt, just feel that this matter is successful, talent relaxed. ”

Yes, oranges can make 50 million or 60 million a year. When he expounded what is happy at that moment, I think of Hemingway's "The Old Man and the sea." Think of the scene, and then see today's Orange in the national honor, it is confirmed by General Patton's sentence, "The measure of a person's success is not to see the person standing at the peak, but to see the person from the peak to the bottom of the rebound force." ”

Some people have said that he used to be in the tobacco factory brilliant is the policy of the then, said that the Kunming Street to pick a pole can be the smoke factory tube well. Today, when he succeeds his farm without any patent protection, he proves that he has the same level of happiness.

I was thinking, the old man was planted orange, if he chose to do rice noodles, may become "Noodle King." I asked the old man, "what do you think your greatest accomplishment so far?" He said, "It's hard to find out when you're doing the actual thing. "He made a lot of money in high school, he was a guerrilla, he was a local official, he managed a sugar factory, a tobacco factory, and now he is an orange, and he has a consistent attitude in these seemingly disparate areas." He said, "The thing is done, the fun is in it, regardless of big things, things do not good, heart uneasy, sleepless night sleep, bad temper, a little things are so." ”

Friend told me that 2003 he went to see Chu old, when the old was in order to repair water pump with others, asking for 80, he just want to bid 60, two people contend for a few back and forth. Friends almost tears, a tax for the country nearly billions of enterprises boss, at this time for 20 yuan bargaining.

The kind of oranges is not simple, at the beginning, he came to the farmers can not stand the pain, two days to go. Without hands, two old couples aged 140 and older were allowed to come and live in the fields, sleeping in a shed and looking up at the sky.

The rainy season, the orange will drop a land, insect pests, the orange will rot, Chu old thought a lot of ways to find experts, not to find farmers, can only find their own books to see, often one night a night to sleep. I am very curious about his reading these years, he brought me a pile of books, including "Citrus technology 100", "Citrus pest diagnosis and control", "navel orange quality and high-yield cultivation techniques", "Citrus cultivation disease, prevention and control of color Atlas" ... I look at these books, there are two details I was impressed, one is in the book with Orange leaves, neat, and the other is a book with a dense note, these notes are mainly about how to use pesticides. These books, the price is not expensive, more than 10 pieces of a, I think in these books, it is difficult to find the secret of the kind of oranges. Chu old said, "each place the situation of the oranges are different, soil, climate, variety, have their own uniqueness, can be a good orange, in addition to reading also to explore their own." "It's hard, only he knows."

Now, when the rain is much, oranges still often fall, the wife is very distressed, Chu old coax his wife said, "Don't be afraid, we can increase prices!" After that, the people present laughed. Now the Chu old, smoking less, from three or four packs a day, to three or four days a pack. However, his smoking posture is very special, thumb and forefinger holding a cigarette. The way he looked at the smoke gave a mixed heart.

When I left, I asked the Chu old, "What is your biggest wish now?" He wanted to say, "Grow good oranges, live".