"I am already a person who can die. Everything I do now is just for social progress, which is a responsibility." Cao Dewang, who is praised as the "King of Glass" and "China's Most Good Person", once Such emotion.
Only with a clean window can you see the bright world. He is determined in his heart, concentrates on glass business, and never plays "cross-border"; he is persistent and fearless, even if he loses everything, he will lead the team to win the international lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Commerce; he is the only person in the Chinese business community to win an Oscar; he has single-handedly Make money and gather wealth, and scatter wealth with one hand to give away. Cao Dewang, who has multiple complex temperaments and opposites, makes people wonder, what kind of person is he?
Only do one thing in life
"Chinese people should have their own piece of glass and a sky that can be seen through their own glass."
Cao Dewang Coming from his hometown in Fujian, he dropped out of school at the age of 14 after his family fell into decline. He grew white fungus, worked as a chef, repaired bicycles, and worked as a fruit seedling salesman, experiencing the hardships of life at the bottom. In 1976, he worked as a buyer at the special-shaped glass factory in Gaoshan Town, Fuqing City. He discovered the huge potential of the glass market, so in 1983 he contracted this small factory that was on the verge of bankruptcy. In 1986, he began to get involved in repairing automobile glass. Soon thereafter, he used his own automobile glass to break the monopoly of Japanese automobile glass on the Chinese market. In 1987, he established Fujian Yaohua Automotive Glass Company. This is the predecessor of Fuyao Glass Group.
Everyone already knows a lot about the subsequent story. Fuyao became the world's largest automotive glass production supplier, and Cao Dewang also became the world-famous "Glass King." From poverty to global fame, Cao Dewang has his own rhythm. Since the establishment of Fuyao Group in 1987, Cao Dewang has been focusing on making glass and has never wavered. Many people are curious why Cao Dewang didn't choose the more labor-saving financial and real estate industries and diversify his business when he had sufficient funds. Cao Dewang's answer was: "I don't think that's my thing. They say I'm very It doesn’t matter. I believe I can make a lot of money by doing P2P and capital investment and financing platforms on the Internet, but I don’t do it for money.”
Because of focus, in 2009, he moved from the world. He stood out from representatives from 43 countries and regions and won the "Ernst & Young Global Entrepreneur Award 2009", becoming the first Chinese winner since the establishment of the award. In 2016, he was awarded the Golden Phoenix Award, the highest award in the global glass industry. The jury said, "Fuyao Group led by Cao Dewang has changed the pattern of the world's automotive glass industry."
Facing the flood of honors, Cao Dewang seemed extremely sober. He concluded to himself: "Everything you do in life, if you have pursuit, is your work. When When you do it, you should make it exquisite and use it to the fullest. I compete with myself and am the first one every day. I have only done one thing in this life, and that is to make a piece of glass that belongs to the Chinese people.”
"Bankruptcy" Anti-dumping
"I think your media should call for a ban on the selection of who is the richest man and who is the richest person. The selection of the rich list should be cancelled. The selection of the rich list It makes people itchy and is not conducive to educating our people. We must set an example like Yuan Longping."
In the face of national interests and national dignity, Cao Dewang has never been ambiguous in order to establish Chinese enterprises on the world stage. He does not care about the cost and the price.
At the end of 2001, China joined the WTO. Cao Dewang seized the opportunity and immediately took big steps to go global. Unexpectedly, as soon as he took a few steps, he was hit with a heavy blow. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled that more than a dozen Chinese companies had dumped goods into the United States and would conduct severe anti-dumping investigations against these companies, including Fuyao Group.
According to statistics at that time, from 1989 to 2002, of the more than 3,000 anti-dumping cases around the world, more than 500 were against Chinese companies. At that time, many Chinese companies going overseas had no choice but to accept the penalty because they were not familiar with international rules and faced deliberate difficulties from the United States. Although Cao Dewang believes that the loss of the U.S. market will have little impact on Fuyao, the important thing is that Fuyao has not dumped. Failure to file a lawsuit means acquiescence, which has brought shame to China's automotive glass industry for no reason.
Moreover, the Americans said that Fuyao took subsidies from the Chinese government and then brought the products to the United States at low prices for dumping. This accusation was seriously inconsistent with the actual situation and slandered the country. Cao Dewang could not accept it. He dismissed the case. He said, "Okay, I'll fight you to the end." He spent a lot of money to hire a team of famous American lawyers and took the U.S. Department of Commerce to court with a complaint. During this period, he constantly emphasized to everyone in the company that this battle was not only related to the U.S. market, but also crucial to Fuyao's expansion into the international market. No matter how much money was spent, this lawsuit must be fought to the end. This protracted war lasted for more than four years. Cao Dewang persisted regardless of the cost, and Fuyao finally won a complete victory.
As soon as the news came out, the whole country was excited. This was the first case in which China won a dumping investigation case after joining the WTO. This extraordinary victory can be called an international advertisement. It not only allowed Fuyao to successfully enter the US market, but also increased its market share in Europe, Japan and Australia. Cao Dewang finally realized his ambition to go from China to the world.
"Entrepreneurs have national boundaries"
"Business has no national boundaries, entrepreneurs have national boundaries"
After going global, the cost issue also Subsequently, the freight for cross-border transportation of automotive glass is high. In order to reduce costs, it has become a general trend to build factories overseas. In October 2014, Fuyao's U.S. factory was officially put into production. This was the largest investment project by a Chinese company in the United States. However, the construction of a factory in the United States was misinterpreted by many media. For a time, "Cao Dewang wants to run away, Fuyao "Yao has become an American company" has exploded in China.
Speaking of being “misunderstood” when he went to build a factory overseas, Cao Dewang was a little excited, “We are the world’s largest glass manufacturer and are responsible for the glass used in automobile factories around the world, so I have to work in To produce products all over the world, we must have global supply capabilities. All of Fuyao Group’s foreign investments are approved by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce. “Fuyao’s manufacturing market is in China, so why should I go out?”
Later, in a video interview, Cao Dewang "complained" about the domestic investment environment, compared the costs of manufacturing in China and the United States in detail, and calculated that setting up a factory in the United States can "earn 10% more than in China" Several". The interview brought him further infamy. But Cao Dewang does not regret what he said. "China treats me well, so I said these words to improve the country's competitiveness."
"I speak on many occasions without concealing my views because I love my country. My mother told me that a son does not think his mother is ugly, and a dog does not think his family is poor." Cao Dewang said. In fact, as early as 1995, in order to facilitate the development of the enterprise, Cao Dewang and his family all obtained American green cards. However, in 2005, he realized that Fuyao Glass had become synonymous with Chinese automotive glass. If they immigrated, China would lose an important ethnic group. brand. Cao Dewang resolutely withdrew his U.S. green card and imposed a mandatory requirement on the whole family, "They must return to China to live. Anyone who does not return will have their property inheritance rights revoked." Cao Dewang, who has long been successful, believes that making money is the job of an entrepreneur, and only giving back to the society can It is the obligation of entrepreneurs.
"Inferior people" who "talk without restraint"
"Gui Guzi divides people into three classes: the superior people cherish words like gold and don't say a word. The middle class people beat around the bush, Let’s talk about it in a roundabout way. People like me talk straight and unobstructed. I’m a farmer and entrepreneur. It doesn’t matter. I’m just a lower class person and just talk nonsense.
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“Don’t reduce my taxes, I’m fine and living a pretty good life.”
At the 2018 Boao Forum for Asia tax reform sub-forum, he was upright and bold in speech The "Glass King" Cao Dewang said a lot of truth again: "I suggest that large companies should not reduce the amount, and small and micro enterprises will be exempted directly, because small and micro enterprises cannot borrow money from banks. Each country has its own national conditions. "
As an "Internet celebrity" figure among entrepreneurs, "dare to tell the truth" has become a label that Cao Dewang cannot take off. In recent years, he has been pushed to the forefront of public opinion many times for this reason. He was dismissive of Li Ka-shing's huge profits from real estate, and believed that Jack Ma only wanted to brag and make quick money. He even commented on Pan Shiyi as a "cunning person" and even predicted that "real estate will collapse sooner or later" due to a huge tax burden caused by him. During the discussion, he also showed some complicated "double-sidedness". "I am warning the Chinese people to be careful and consider how to improve the country's competitiveness, and not to flatter and talk nonsense all day long. "Cao Dewang mercilessly criticized the problems existing in the development of China's real economy, pointing out that China's "comprehensive tax burden is 35% higher than that of the United States."
On the other hand, he also expressed in response to some sharp criticisms, “You have to have confidence in the government and believe that the government will do its job. Why do you say so many things that shouldn’t be said? "He also said, "From my personal opinion, these things (high tax burden) are not a matter of the government, nor are they a matter of the Internal Revenue Service or the Ministry of Finance. Everything that exists makes sense. The finances were really difficult at the time. According to the past, (the implementation of such standards) is understandable. ”
This reflects his simple and lovely side, as well as his personal standards and philosophy.
In the storm of public opinion, Cao Dewang also received many well-intentioned reminders. , “My friends are all trying to persuade me not to talk nonsense, but I just talk about the problems realistically and remind me to pay attention to the real economy. I am Chinese and the focus of my career is in China. ”
Of course, there are many people who misinterpret his meaning out of context. But he doesn’t seem to be very good at protecting himself. If you ask about tax cuts, he will still answer frankly. Because he thinks that he did not do it. Never do anything that is unsatisfactory to society or the country. In his view, China is the China of the Chinese people. He puts forward opinions for the good of the country, not for its disadvantages, so he has no ideological burden. Cao Dewang is using his actions to implement a couplet hanging in his office - "Be cautious even when you are alive and never forget hell, be open-minded and open-minded despite adversity."
The only Oscar winner in the Chinese business community.
“You can film whatever I dare to do, and you can broadcast whatever I photograph. "
On February 10, 2020, the documentary "American Factory" invested and produced by the Obamas won the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature. When the director accepted the award, In Chinese, he expressed his gratitude to Cao Dewang, who was unable to arrive at the scene due to the epidemic. The documentary uses the 2008 financial crisis as the background and tells the story of the collapse of General Motors' Dayton, Ohio, factory, and the Chinese Fuyao Group taking over and converting it into a glass production plant. The story of employing thousands of blue-collar American employees. Cao Dewang and his Fuyao Glass once again entered the international spotlight because of this documentary.
After the Oscar ceremony, the "actor" Cao Dewang recorded a video. The video was posted on the official WeChat platform of Fuyao Group. He congratulated the two directors and said frankly: "I know that you have criticized me for your own methods, but I still thank you and I will be very grateful. Accept your criticism objectively. This will be of great help to me in the future when I continue to develop in the United States, what kind of attitude I should adopt, how to overcome shortcomings, and make the factory more American. "My character is upright and aboveboard. I told him that you can film whatever I dare to do, and you can broadcast anything I dare to do." I am proud to tell you that I have been upright and aboveboard throughout my life. "Cao Dewang said.
It is precisely because of his broad mind and magnanimous personality that he conquered the harsh Oscar judges in the United States and also made the world understand China's corporate culture.
Entrepreneurs who do not pay bribes, Buddhists who do great good deeds
"The wealth God gives you has its own destiny. Money is money to you, but to me I am Losing weight means getting rid of fat. ”
Cao Dewang has many dual sides. He cares about operating costs, but spends a lot of money on charity; he pursues money and luxury houses, but he also lives in poverty; he fights and advances in business. , but as a Buddhist, he was chanting sutras and silently reciting "let go" at night... Looking at the Chinese business community, there are few entrepreneurs like Cao Dewang who integrate their faith into business operations and personal practice so devoutly. As one of the most successful entrepreneurs in China's manufacturing field, Cao Dewang, who today has a net worth of more than 12.5 billion, admitted that he only regards this wealth as extra fat on his body and the basis for self-discipline.
Cao Dewang commented that he is an entrepreneur who does not pay bribes. He "never gave a box of mooncakes" and he never lent a penny to others. However, since his first donation in 1983, he has accumulated too many personal donations. Donations have exceeded 12 billion yuan. This year, he invested another 10 billion to build Fuyao University of Science and Technology. "I think that a truly accomplished man must return the money he earns to society before I die! I am not doing business for money, but for the prosperity of the country. Because we are Chinese, our country's Prosperity depends on our own efforts as Chinese people," Cao Dewang said.
Over the past thirty years, times have created heroes. The once-persistent young man is now over seventy years old. Cao Dewang used his experience to explain what is the spirit of Chinese entrepreneurs. The background of the times forces every entrepreneur to strive forward. Cao Dewang and Fuyao Group are the epitome of this background. Nowadays, Chinese entrepreneurs and Chinese companies have made great strides towards the world stage, and will begin another thirty years that we cannot imagine. (Jiao Wenjin)