"Anything that gambles with our lives must be the most exciting."

Many of Delong's subordinates have never forgotten Tang Wanxin's famous saying. Tang Wanxin likes hunting and often drives a Toyota off-road vehicle to hunt various parts of Xinjiang. It is said that the more ferocious the prey is, the more inexplicably excited he becomes. He has a farm in Yumin County, and a large plaque is hung in the conference room with the words "I am the only one who dominates".

In November 2006, in order to write this case, I made a special trip to the Delong headquarters in Xinjiang. The Hongyuan Building on Urumqi Literature and Art Road is inconspicuous in the noisy city center. Only two doors were opened. Because of the heavy snow, two thick military green cotton blankets were hung. The doorman was new. When he heard the word "Delong", he thought for a long time and said, "It seems to be on the 23rd floor. There is no one there for a long time."

There is no one on the 23rd floor for a long time. Most of the people who came in and out of here three to five years ago had a net worth of over 100 million. Now a steel lock has locked up all the secrets. I took a photo and hurried downstairs. My friend also took me to the entrance of People's Park, where Tang Wan opened a new color printing shop 20 years ago. It used to be a row of small shops, but now there is only one left. My friend gestured for a long time and said, "It seems to be at this location." . Back then, the Tang brothers held a military steel pot in one hand and steamed buns in the other here, talking about their business dreams with their friends. Nowadays, the Renmin Road in front of the door is very wide and busy with traffic. I look around and see the white snow, everything seems like a world away.

Where is that man from the northwest who gambled with his life, "alived himself", once controlled hundreds of companies, and could control 120 billion yuan?

This extremely tragic story makes us start to think about a completely opposite question: Is business really an unrestrained game?

After Delong fell, Tang Wanxin was detained. The eldest brother Tang Wanli was dismissed from his position as vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. The second brother Tang Wanping became ill and became a disabled person. The third brother Tang Wanchuan and Tang Wanxin's wife When I was young, I took refuge in the United States and was in constant fear all day long. Delong's important cadres were either captured or fled, scattered everywhere. Tang Wanxin's case involves a lot of complexity. The lawyer's litigation fees alone cost 2.65 million yuan. The Tang family could spend up to 1.2 million yuan. Some of his Xinjiang friends helped solve the rest. Tang Wanli even once wanted to raise money by publishing a book. partial funding. According to Tang Lijiu, who has followed the Tang brothers for many years, "I have already rummaged through everything. Wanxin really has no money."

Is business really just such a game?

In China’s business world over the past 20 years, many grassroots entrepreneurs seem to have never let go of any opportunity for growth, but they have also indulged a generation of people with unbridled wealth, causing them to He pays attention to interests regardless of the consequences, does not spare others easily when he is justified, and has the courage to spend all his life without leaving any way out. "The boat is burning, the boat is burning," "The fire is burning, the guts are burning," and "The opportunity must not be missed, the time will never come again." The bloodshed and decisiveness implicit in these idioms constitute the unique life genes of this generation. Economist Zhao Xiao said when commenting on the Delong incident: "The fall of Delong is the tragedy of Delong and the collective sorrow of China's private enterprises that are eager to develop rapidly."

Li Ka-shing, the richest Chinese man, started his business in In 1950, over the past 50 years, most of his contemporaries had withered away, and only Hutchison Whampoa's business continued to grow. When asked about the way to evergreen, the richest man in China said: "I often reflect on myself and ask myself, what are my wishes? I have grand dreams, but do I understand what controlled enthusiasm is?"

Business is an intellectual game that can always be quantified. Business is a spiritual game of fighting one's own desires, but in the final analysis, business is a controlled game. All providence or fate are actually projections of the entrepreneurial character.