The significance of word clouds lies in their ability to display high-frequency words from a certain period in a visual way, enabling a prominent display of issues concerned by the public, government, and media. By looking at this year’s online word clouds, it’s not hard to see that the word “life” occupies the “center stage”. It might be the ambition fresh out of school, the hustle after turning thirty, or the yearning for health in one’s twilight years; everyone has their own understanding of life.
When we set out with questions and a purposeful direction, it seems more conducive to finding the answers to life.
As for how to answer this grand question of life, Mr. Li Zhiqiang, the chairman of Hunan Zhongjun Technology who comes from a humble background, has his own set of answers.
Mr. Li Zhiqiang is directing work at the construction site of the new park (Mr. Li Zhiqiang is in the middle).
Recently, Mr. Li Zhiqiang, Chairman of Hunan Zhongjun Technology, detailed his emotional journey in an interview. Taking this opportunity, this article will elaborate on Chairman Mr. Li Zhiqiang’s understanding of personal and corporate responsibilities throughout life’s journey.
Question 1: As an entrepreneur, what do you think makes a good entrepreneur? How can one become a good entrepreneur?
01 Be a good person.
1
houlder moral responsibilities and give back to society.
“First of all, I think one should be a good person.， One should shoulder moral responsibilities and give back to society. I was born into an ordinary vegetable farming family in Changsha, Hunan Province. Since I was young, I didn’t know the taste of meat. The happiest time of the year was the New Year when we would buy some lard and soy sauce to make lard rice, which was incredibly fragrant.Even after conditions improved, compared to the simple bowl of lard rice from my childhood, it seemed to lack a certain flavor.。
Due to the lack of financial support from my family during my childhood, I had to start working to earn money before completing high school. It was this reason that drove me to join various cooperative training programs, such as the EMBA CEO training program organized by Tsinghua University, Soochow University, and China National Heavy Machinery Corporation, in order to make up for the gap in my education. Of course, that’s a story for another time.
Later on, Deng Xiaoping drew a circle by the seaside, marking the beginning of China’s takeoff. Our generation was fortunate to embark on the train of reform and opening up, bound for spring.
Therefore, I always believe that we should be grateful to our motherland, society, and the era. It is the era that has bestowed opportunities upon our generation (those born in the 1960s). Nowadays, as our country enters a stage of high-quality development, industrial agglomeration and intense competition have become the dominant themes of the times. Young people are facing increasingly complex international competition. That’s why I want to lend them a helping hand.
I have always heard about the family conditions of the Jin sisters. After visiting their home myself, Mr. Ximixi Liu (Chairman of Ximixi) and I decided unanimously to sponsor them to go to university, which can be considered as a way to make up for the regret of not having the opportunity to receive a good education in their childhood.
I want to say that embracing the new generation is embracing hope. The future of a country lies in the students of the new generation. Our generation has endured too much hardship, so why should we let the new generation continue to suffer? This has always been my viewpoint.
Question two: I heard that you chose to undergo a second transition (entrepreneurship) when you were in your forties. What was your initial reason for making this decision?
02 Walk the right way
2
Shoulder quality responsibility, adhere to development and sharing
When I initially chose the manufacturing industry, there were many reasons, among which one of the most simple reasons was to pursue a dignified life. At that time, the market was full of opportunities, and making money was certainly an important goal for the business. However, since my elders often told me that a person should be honest and earn money through legitimate means, I viewed the booming machinery equipment every day as if they were my own children, fearing that they might get hurt or damaged somewhere. From that moment on, I started demanding excellence from a single screw and, under such requirements, piece by piece, parts gradually took shape through the craftsmanship of skilled workers and the precision grinding and assembly of equipment.
From growing alongside Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in the early 21st century to gradually forging our own path after 2012, it was not easy for us.
Different from many industry peers who learned from certain companies, we had nothing. During the initial stage of transformation, due to expenses such as research and development, annual losses started in the hundreds of millions. My hair turned much whiter during that period, and people around me even advised me to give up on the transformation and instead comfortably collect rent for a living.
I must admit, I also considered giving up, but when I thought about the hundreds of families and thousands of people behind the business, and when I thought about the dream of developing our own products, I remembered a saying: ‘Humans are great because of their dreams, and a good company should have dreams before products.’ For the sake of this dream, I chose to start again.
Of course, opportunities only favor prepared entrepreneurs. Our company, with an excellent team and decades of experience in the fiercely competitive construction machinery market, managed to carve out a path through sheer determination. We not only emerged but also did so quite beautifully! Proudly, we have become one of the first specialized and new small giant enterprises in Hunan Province, which is far ahead in the industry.
Therefore, it is important for a person to have enough perseverance and determination. No matter how big the challenges in life may be, you should take action first and figure things out later!
Hunan Province’s then Vice Governor He Baoxiang was listening to Mr. Li Zhiqiang’s introduction of the products.
What has achieved Zhongjun? It is the most competitive talents in the industry! How do we retain talent? By adhering to development and sharing!
Last year, our company’s average wage increase was around 6%, and we deeply understand the importance of high salaries for the company’s development.
Since the inception of the company, I have attached great importance to the income and sense of achievement of employees. The development of the company cannot be separated from its employees. If the company is a body, then the employees are individual cells. The company’s development not only requires making contributions to society but also sharing the success of that development, helping every employee achieve their dreams. Because employees are the cells and driving force of this large collective body of the company, we take action to encourage and support every employee in bravely pursuing a better life.
Question three: What do you think is the most important task for a company besides profitability?
03 Bearing responsibility
3
Shouldering the responsibility of service, steadfastly supporting clients
"We started organizing collective blood donation and donations in 2008. Doing charity work well is also an important task for us.
We don’t just make products, we also provide related support services. Our customers’ demands are our demands. The company has spent a lot of manpower and resources to establish offices in more than a dozen locations nationwide. These offices are always on standby as the forefront of our after-sales service, providing customers with 24-hour strong after-sales service and operation and maintenance capabilities.
This advantage quickly became apparent. For example, during the special period in 2021 and the heavy rain period in Henan, when customers faced a rare natural disaster, we spent a lot of manpower and resources to support them and solve their urgent needs.
In fact, this is also a kind of corporate culture, a spirit of service. Many times, I feel that the significance of running a business is reflected at these moments, creating value for society. We refuse to just talk about creating value, we value practical actions.
Every step we take while bearing responsibility is solid and reliable."
