It will make the two cities work harder, as seen in Tang Yingnian's dialogue on the healthy competition between Hong Kong and Shanghai
The exclusive interview with Tang Yingnian was in the guest room on the 8th floor of the Peninsula Hotel. Looking out through the french window on both sides, he saw the brown Shanghai Building on one side, the Garden Bridge of Shanghai on the other side, and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in the distance.
Tang Yingnian is very familiar with this area, from his grandfather Tang Junyuan to his father Tang Xiangqian, the Tang family has left many marks in the modern textile history of Shanghai. Tang Yingnian came to Shanghai from Hong Kong to attend the 100th anniversary of his father Tang Xiangqian's birth, and then returned to his hometown, Wuxi.
You can hear Tang Yingnian's reverence for his father. In his view, whether he took over a large family business from his father, or served as the Director and Director of the Special Administrative Region Government, or now serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the West Kowloon Cultural District Management Bureau, his father's teachings have always been remembered in his heart: "He told me to love my country, to contribute to society, and to work hard and be simple.".
Our communication starts with Mr. Tang Xiangqian's investment in mainland China.
The picture shows Mr. Tang Xiangqian.
Talking about Father: All family letters are not allowed to be written in English
Liberation Daily · Shangguan News: Mr. Tang Xiangqian is regarded as the "first person in the Shanghai Hong Kong joint venture".
Tang Yingnian: That's because in the early stage of the reform and opening up in 1981, my father invested in and established Shanghai United Woolen Textile Co., Ltd. in Pudong, Shanghai. This was the first Shanghai Hong Kong joint venture, and its business license number was "001".
The picture shows the business license number 001.
In fact, as early as 1976, my father decided to return to the mainland to invest and start a business. In 1984, my father led a large delegation from the Hong Kong business community to visit Beijing and was received by Mr. Deng Xiaoping. Mr. Deng Xiaoping told his father about the importance of Hong Kong to the country and the importance of reform and opening up to the outside world. Father brought this important information back to Hong Kong, thereby driving more Hong Kong entrepreneurs to invest and develop in mainland China.
Jiefang Daily · Shangguan News: At that meeting, Comrade Deng Xiaoping referred to Mr. Tang as the "001" number for Hong Kong's investment in mainland China.
Tang Yingnian: I think the biggest driving force behind my father's investment in mainland China is his patriotic spirit, which deserves the admiration and inheritance of our siblings. For example, when I was in high school, my parents sent me to study in the United States. At that time, the main way to contact my family was through letters. My father demanded that all family letters be written in Chinese and English was not accepted, which shows his persistence in Chinese culture.
Liberation Daily · Shangguan News: What kind of person do you think Mr. Tang is in the impression of your siblings?
Tang Yingnian: From the children's eyes, my father is a serious even a bit severe person. Even though he never hits us, we dare not be naughty in front of him. He is always very busy from morning till night. On Sundays, my father occasionally takes our whole family for a walk on the beach and gathers at a restaurant.
In 1976, while I was still studying in the United States, my father called me and asked me to return to Hong Kong to help him manage his family business. At first, I didn't understand anything, so I followed his instructions and started as a runner. My father is like my mentor, asking him for advice when encountering problems and learning many methods and experiences from him. After I gradually mature, my father can entrust me with independent management of the clothing company.
Liberation Daily · Shangkan News: How do you evaluate the connection between your family and Shanghai?
Tang Yingnian: Our family originated in Wuxi, but we have been living in Shanghai since our grandfather Tang Junyuan. My grandfather was a patriotic industrialist who owned a textile factory in Shanghai and served as the Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The current Tang Junyuan Education Foundation was established by his father in 1987 at Datong Middle School according to his grandfather's wishes.
My father Tang Xiangqian was born in Shanghai. Although he has been living in Hong Kong for a long time, he has a kind of affection for Shanghai and is particularly excited every time he returns to Shanghai. For example, my father speaks Cantonese, English, and Mandarin with a Wuxi accent. Few people in Hong Kong can understand this accent. When taking a taxi, he always gives the address to the driver, otherwise Hong Kong drivers won't understand his Wuxi Cantonese at all. But when he spoke Wuxi dialect in Shanghai, many people could understand it, so he was particularly happy.
My father's feelings for Shanghai go beyond that. At the beginning of the reform and opening up, Shanghai was in a state of waste waiting to be revitalized, and the Shanghai industry and commerce hoped to establish economic organizations to support construction. According to my grandfather's wishes, my father deposited 1 million yuan into the company account. This company will be the future Shanghai Industry and Commerce Patriotic Construction Company.
The picture shows Tang Yingnian being interviewed.
Talking about entering politics: income sharply decreases, but inner wealth increases
Liberation Daily News: After the return of Hong Kong in 1997, you gradually participated in the work of the SAR government. Does your father support you when you step into politics from the business world?
Tang Yingnian: At that time, Mr. Dong Jianhua invited me to join the SAR government. At that time, my father was almost 80 years old and I was in charge of the family business. If I participate in the work of the SAR government, it means I cannot manage my family business. Whether to go or not, I consulted my father's opinion. My father asked me for my thoughts first, and I said I am willing to serve the SAR government. He fully supports my idea and has come back to shoulder the heavy burden of managing the family business.
Jiefang Daily · Shangguan News: In 2002, you served as the Director of the Bureau of Industry, Commerce and Technology of the Special Administrative Region Government. What is the biggest advantage of being a government official from the business world?
Tang Yingnian: In my opinion, business people not only understand enterprises, but also understand the market, including market demand, development trends, and the market cycle of ups and downs. Such people entering government services can leverage their strengths.
During my tenure as the Secretary for Industry, Commerce and Technology or the Financial Secretary, I have developed some new policies. Many policies have been proven successful over time. For example, we have turned Hong Kong into an international asset management center, which has added over HKD 100 billion to Hong Kong's fiscal surplus and laid a solid foundation for its fiscal stability; We also encourage the Hong Kong telecommunications industry to introduce a competitive mechanism, as competition can promote market efficiency and benefit consumers.
Jiefang Daily · Shangkan News: Many people are curious about how to be the "third in command" Financial Secretary and "second in command" Administrative Secretary of the Special Administrative Region Government?
Tang Yingnian: The first thing is to make your subordinates understand you and be willing to follow you. I first need to understand their situation, especially the difficulties they are facing, and at the same time, try my best to help them solve the difficulties. Once this happens, they will be convinced and willing to work with you,
The second thing is to satisfy the citizens. In fact, Hong Kong citizens, like Shanghai citizens, have very high demands on the government. This is a spur on our government officials. The higher the demands of citizens, the better the government's work must be done.
Liberation Daily · Shangguan News: During your tenure, what breakthroughs have been made in the cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong?
Tang Yingnian: In October 2003, Hong Kong and Shanghai established the Shanghai Hong Kong Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference mechanism. Through this platform, they communicated and exchanged information on cooperation between the two regions, discussed important issues, and studied important work. This arrangement created more opportunities for equality, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation between the two regions. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Hong Kong cooperation mechanism. We hope that this platform can play a greater role and truly achieve complementary advantages between the two regions.
Liberation Daily · Shangkan News: Are you worried that competition between the two places outweighs cooperation?
Tang Yingnian: I hope the cooperation between the two regions can be continuously optimized and take it to the next level. Hong Kong and Shanghai should have a certain level of healthy competition, because with healthy competition, everyone will strive harder and work harder. Otherwise, everyone will become lazy and gradually feel like they are lying flat, which is not good.
Jiefang Daily · Shangguan News: Your former Financial Secretary, Mr. Leung Kam song, once said that his income sharply decreased after working in the government. Will this situation occur to you?
Tang Yingnian: Our situation is different. He works, while I work as a boss. Of course, my income did sharply decrease while working in the government, but my inner wealth did not decrease, but rather increased.
The picture shows Tang Yingnian being interviewed.
Talking about Culture: Selling Bags is Not the Only Mode to Promote Consumption
Liberation Daily · Shangkan News: Many people have found that in the past, some mainland tourists came to Hong Kong mainly to "buy, buy, buy". Now, more and more people go straight to the West Kowloon Cultural District after getting off the West Kowloon High Speed Rail Station.
Tang Yingnian: This is a good change. Consumption is very important for the Hong Kong economy, but the only way to promote consumption is not only by selling high priced bags, because the added value of selling bags is not high. On the contrary, if we hold a cultural exhibition, it can not only attract top artists from around the world, but also attract a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. They will walk on the streets of Hong Kong, try our tea restaurants, and browse our small shops outside of exhibitions and exhibitions.
Similar deep contact not only drives consumption, but also allows more people to understand Hong Kong, which reflects the value of Hong Kong without diminishing. Such interaction will also help Hong Kong citizens better understand the mainland and develop products that cater to the tastes of mainland consumers. For example, now Hong Kong merchants will post their content on Xiaohongshu to attract more attention from mainland tourists.
One more thing, culture and art won't end after just watching them once, it's not "be there, end there". Every time tourists come to the Palace Museum in Hong Kong, they can see new exhibits, and every time they come to the Opera Center, they can see new plays. The West Kowloon Cultural District strives to keep up with the constant updates and updates. Currently, 60% of the tourists who come to West Kowloon are friends from out of town.
Liberation Daily News: What is the attitude of Hong Kong locals towards the West Kowloon Cultural District?
Tang Yingnian: Hong Kong people are eager to have access to world-class cultural and artistic facilities. Xijiu has become their IG point and check-in point. For example, from November 2023 to early 2023, "M+" located in West Kowloon had approximately 3 million visitors, mostly locals.
I have noticed that there are many elementary school students visiting the Forbidden City in Hong Kong, and many of them visiting "M+" with their parents. Because the exhibits in the Forbidden City are easy to understand, while contemporary art exhibits in "M+" have a certain threshold. The parents came to visit "M+" with two children, who are only nine or ten years old. The family watched slowly, and the parents explained softly, not casually.
This indicates that both Hong Kong and mainland audiences are very eager for world-class cultural and artistic products.
Liberation Daily · Shangguan News: As the "leader" of West Kowloon Cultural District, do you think there is still room for improvement in West Kowloon in the future?
Tang Yingnian: The first point is that we should continue to inherit Chinese culture through the West Kowloon Cultural District, and better play the role of the West Kowloon Center for Cultural and Art Exchange between China and foreign countries, so that overseas people can better understand Chinese culture. Secondly, due to our limited financial resources, we have not done enough in the education sector. This is not only for children, but I have found that many adults, although they enjoy art, do not know how to appreciate it. This requires us to conduct some cultural education to make it easier for everyone to enter the world of art. This is also the direction we will strive towards in the future.
The picture shows Tang Yingnian being interviewed.
