During the Meiyu season in Tongxiang, Zhejiang, the beautiful emerald Phoenix Lake is located just north of the city. Several tall and upright modern buildings stand here, which is the headquarters building of Tongkun Group.
Chen Shiliang welcomed us in the hall. He is 60 years old this year, about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a white shirt and very straight. As the Chairman of Tongkun Holdings Group, he led us to visit the exhibition hall and explain in detail the Tongkun territory with assets exceeding 100 billion yuan. In the Honor Exhibition Area, various awards and certificates are hung on both sides of the wall, with two National Science and Technology Progress Second Prize certificates displayed in the most prominent places. This not only reflects Tongkun's technological strength, but also highlights Tongkun's leading position in the industry.
In one corner of the exhibition hall, there are tubes of dazzling white synthetic fiber rolls, all of which are extracted from petroleum and made into ubiquitous items in daily life, such as curtains, bedding, clothing, luggage, and so on. The products of Tongkun, which swim in the sea, run on the ground, and fly in the sky, are now widely used in various fields such as sea, land, and air. The belief of Chen Shiliang and the people of Tongkun is that "one heart, one muscle, one thread" and "doing fiber business is beneficial to the country and people's livelihood", which has led Tongkun from a township enterprise on the brink of bankruptcy to one of the global leaders in the chemical fiber industry.
In the conference room, Chen Lei, Chen Shiliang's eldest daughter and Vice Chairman of Tongkun Holdings Group, rushed over. She is 36 years old and has a relatively thin physique, making her even busier since being elected as the Chairman and President of Tongkun Group in May this year. This young woman in charge of a billion dollar enterprise, with 13 years of experience in Tongkun, exudes confidence and determination in her eyebrows, eyes, and words.
Chen Shiliang, the captain of the "giant ship" of Tongkun, has been standing for more than thirty years. Now he takes his daughter to the steering wheel and guides her to steer. Tongkun Holding Group has total assets and annual sales exceeding 100 billion yuan, with over 80 holding enterprises and over 36000 employees. Its polyester filament production capacity ranks first in the world; Realize a complete industrial chain from "a drop of oil" to "a piece of cloth", spanning multiple fields such as petroleum refining, PTA (purified terephthalic acid), polyester, polyester filament, new materials, new energy, logistics, hotels, real estate, finance, and comprehensive investment.
Over the past few decades, Tongkun has experienced multiple international economic crises. Why can Chen Shiliang lead it to "counter cyclical development"? When the economy faces downward pressure again, how does he plan to turn crisis into opportunity?
Counter cyclical development, from insolvent to global leader
In 1963, Chen Shiliang was born in Zhouquan Farmhouse, Tongxiang, which is the most remote township in Tongxiang. During his youth, his biggest goal was to step out of the farming sector. In 1980, he was hired as a substitute teacher for the local primary school, which was considered to have achieved his goal.
I worked as a teacher for a generation. In 1981, Tongxiang County Chemical Fiber Factory (predecessor of Tongkun) was established. At that time, chemical fiber was a popular industry. The year I entered Tongxiang County Chemical Fiber Factory, Chen Shiliang was 18 years old. Being a technician is completely different from being a teacher. He enjoys learning and delving into technology, and enjoys it tirelessly.
After working for a few years, Chen Shiliang joined Tongxiang Fengming Chemical Fiber Factory, responsible for new project preparation and production management. Six years later, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Factory Director. At the end of 1989, the chemical fiber factory in Tongxiang County was insolvent and the leaders wanted to transfer him back to Tongxiang