Yuan Geng
Yuan Geng | |
---|---|
袁庚 | |
Born | Ouyang Rushan (欧阳汝山) 23 April 1917 Golden Bauhinia Star |
Yuan Geng (
Early life and career
Born in Bao'an County, now part of Shenzhen, he joined the Chinese Communist Party at age 21 and fought guerrilla operations against the Japanese occupation army in the Dongjiang (East River) Column of the CPC-led Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Aggression Guerrilla Force from March 1939.[5] In 1942 he led a noted rescue operation of 800 people,[5] and in 1944 became head of the Dongjiang Column's liaison division. In this capacity he provided crucial information to the US military (Pacific Fleet and 14th Army Air Force) about Japanese operations in Guangdong.[6][7]
In September 1945, he created a liaison office for the Communist guerrillas in
From November 1949, Yuan Geng pursued a career as an intelligence officer, seconded to
In October 1975, he was rehabilitated and appointed Deputy Director of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs in the
Father of Shekou
Transport Minister
The policy context became even more favorable following the
The Shekou Industrial Park then became the template for Deng Xiaoping's subsequent policy to establish China's special economic zones (SEZs), which took shape in April 1979 on proposals by Guangdong officials led by Xi Zhongxun.[13] In Guangdong, the policy was actively pursued by Xi Zhongxun's successor Ren Zhongyi, who worked closely with Yuan Geng.
Throughout the 1980s, Yuan Geng pioneered policies that were unprecedented in post-1949 China, such as merit-based recruitment, promotion and pay, open access to housing, competitive procurement bids, local elections, local press freedom, and attracting foreign direct investors.[5][6][14] The approach he developed for access to housing, freed from individual dependence on work unit, has been credited as a key enabler of the Pearl River Delta's success.[15] In 1985 he organized local elections in the Shekou Industrial Park, in which 2,000 residents and workers participated.[5][11] The microclimate of freedom Yuan Geng fostered in Shekou was illustrated by the incident known as "Shekou tempest" in 1988.[16]
In 1981 Yuan Geng coined the slogan “
Later ventures
Yuan Geng went on to create a number of
In July 1982 he created China Nanshan Development (Group) Incorporation, China's first Sino-foreign
He followed up with the creation of Shenzhen Chiwan Wharf Holdings Limited, now known as Chiwan Base, as a joint-venture with Singaporean partners.[19]
In 1984 he created China Southern Glass Holding Limited, now China's largest architectural glass manufacturer.[9]
In 1987 he created China Merchants Bank, the first joint-stock commercial bank on China's mainland, with support from the People's Bank of China Governor, Ms Chen Muhua.[14]
In May 1988, he steered the creation of Ping An, the first joint-stock insurance company on the Chinese mainland, initially with support from China Merchants Bank.[5][14][20]
Death and legacy
Yuan Geng retired in 1992. He was never very senior in the Party hierarchy, did not amass personal wealth, and was highly respected for his integrity, loyalty and humility. He died on January 31, 2016, in Shenzhen.[8]
The local and national press immediately paid tribute, celebrating him as a significant protagonist of China's
A statue of Yuan Geng by local sculptor Lu Zengkang, sponsored by China Merchants Group, was inaugurated in Shekou's Sea World downtown development on 23 April 2017, his 100th birthday.[17] As of 2018 the statue stands in front of Sea World Culture and Arts Center, in which the third floor hosts a display celebrating the history of Shekou and Yuan Geng's legacy.[21] Another sculpture, a larger-than-lifesize bust of Yuan Geng by sculptor Yìshùjiā Wèizhī, was erected in 2017 in Shenzhen Talent Park, near Shenzhen Bay Park and close to the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base business district.[22]
See also
References
- ^ "为开发蛇口呕心沥血 袁庚穷其一生愿为后人铺路". Sina. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ 沈杨. "袁庚31日在深圳蛇口逝世 少年时期参加抗日救亡". china.com.cn. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ a b Mary Ann O'Donnell (1 February 2016). "Yuan Geng Memorial". shenzhennoted.com.
- ^ "袁庚一生堪称传奇". Tencent. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "DEATH OF CHINA'S REFORM AND OPENING UP IMPORTANT EXPLORER YUAN GENG". Hub Gold. 31 January 2016.
- ^ a b Cary Huang (1 February 2016). "Yuan Geng: Chinese guerilla spy turned economic pioneer, dies at 99". South China Morning Post.
- ^ a b c d Zhang Yi (1 February 2016). "Veteran, reformist dies at 99". China Daily.
- ^ a b c "REVIEW SOUTHERN WEEKEND YUAN GENG STORY TO BE CONTINUED". Hub Gold. 31 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d Xu Shuyuan (2016). "Yuan Geng, Father of Shekou". China Pictorial.
- ^ "About Us / History". China Merchants.
- ^ a b c d Peter Cai (2 February 2016). "China bids farewell to a pioneer of reform". The Australian.
- The Belknap Pressof Harvard University Press. p. 397.
- ^ a b Min Ye (January 2014). Diasporas and Foreign Direct Investment in China and India. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ a b c d "China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone was planned to set up by the central government on January 31st,1979". China Merchants Hong Kong.
- ^ Vijay Vaitheeswaran (8 April 2017). "Welcome to Silicon Delta". The Economist.
- ^ Mary Ann O'Donnell (5 June 2009). "The Shekou Storm". Shenzhen Noted.
- ^ a b Li Jing (24 April 2017). "Statue of Shekou Industrial Zone Creator Unveiled". Shenzhen Daily.
- ^ "CMG History". China Merchants Group.
- ^ "Address from Chairman". Chiwan Base.
- ^ Ma Mingzhe (27 May 2015). "Chairman Ma's Speech on the 27th Anniversary of Ping An's Birth" (PDF). Ping An.
- ^ Stuart Heaver (27 December 2018). "Unsung hero of China's opening up 40 years ago remembered at Shenzhen museum". South China Morning Post.
- ^ "Bust statue of Yuan Geng (aka Ouyang Rushan) in Shenzhen Talent Park". iStock Getty Images. 2019.