Chapter 157 The Caotang Association
The next day, as the host, Su Yuanshan led the group to tour several famous sites around the provincial capital, such as the Temple of the Shu Emperor and Du Fu's Thatched Cottage.
Of course, even while sightseeing, the topic of discussion among the group remained centered around the future of the industry and analysis of the software sector. While resting at Du Fu's Thatched Cottage, Shi Dazhu once again brought up the idea of forming an alliance.
Shi Dazhu, the boss of Giant, was full of confidence—both because he trusted himself and because he had confidence in the country's economic development.
Giant had risen rapidly, so quickly that Shi Dazhu once believed it was the top private enterprise in China—at least among high-tech companies.
But after Xinghai burst onto the scene, and Yuanxin swiftly amassed five hundred million U.S. dollars in cash, building multiple production parks in the Special Economic Zone and the provincial capital, Shi Dazhu realized... he had been too naïve.
He began to analyze, study, and learn from Yuanxin. The more he understood, the more he realized how terrifying this company was.
He didn't even have the qualifications to be considered a real rival.
Thus, Giant decisively sold off its computer assembly business to Chengdian High-Tech—because Chengdian's major shareholder was Zhongxin. And Zhongxin, even though it seemed to rise from selling pagers, was itself a joint venture partially owned by Yuanxin.
After offloading the computer business, Giant transitioned to becoming an agent selling Chengdian High-Tech's computers.
It turned out to be the right move. In just a few months, Giant's situation greatly improved.
Facing Giant's growing cooperation, Su Yuanshan also reciprocated generously.
For instance, he chose Giant to be one of the core members of the upcoming alliance.
"President Shan, you've definitely received the invitation from Mount Tai, right?" Shi Dazhu asked, a little anxiously.
In fact, he had also received the invitation from Mount Tai Industrial Research Institute and initially agreed... but then he received an email from Su Yuanshan.
After reading it, he didn't hesitate at all. He immediately declined Mount Tai's invitation, saying he had business commitments.
Why? Because Su Yuanshan had deliberately scheduled his meeting at the exact same time as the Mount Tai event.
(Note: The Mount Tai meeting's history is slightly altered here due to the butterfly effect.)
Su Yuanshan smiled and nodded, "Yes, I received it. But after inquiring, I learned they wanted to form a giants-only alliance. Personally, I feel that's not appropriate, so I declined."
Someone nearby asked curiously, "Old Shi, what was the Mount Tai invitation about?"
Shi Dazhu laughed, "Nothing much. Some companies like Huanxiang and Sitong wanted to form a Beijing clique. We're not playing along."
Su Yuanshan also smiled and said, "Exactly. Old Shi is right. We're tech people—we only look at technology. Don't underestimate us just because we're small now. Who knows what enterprises we'll create in the future? Besides, we already have China's top programmer, President Qiu, with us."
Qiu Bojun modestly waved his hand.
Su Yuanshan glanced around at everyone enjoying their tea and said, "Since we've all gathered to discuss software and the Internet, let's follow Old Shi's suggestion and form our own research association. We can attach it under the Private Technology Entrepreneurs Association. As for the name... let's think of one together."
At his suggestion, everyone began throwing out ideas:
"There are twenty-four of us. How about 'Twenty-Four Bridges under the Bright Moon'?"
"Too literary!"
A flurry of ideas followed, but none felt quite right until Shi Dazhu laughed and said, "Since we're meeting here at Du Fu's Thatched Cottage and we're a bit of a ragtag bunch, why not call it the Caotang Association?"
Su Yuanshan immediately nodded, "Perfect! I support Old Shi! Caotang Association—Internet and Software Industry Caotang Research Association!"
Shi Dazhu chuckled, "Then how about letting President Shan be our leader?"
Su Yuanshan quickly waved his hands, "Please, no... I'd prefer it if President Shi and President Qiu took charge."
"Really, don't think of the Caotang Association as some rich club or corporate alliance," Su Yuanshan emphasized. "We're joining as individuals. Everyone is equal."
At this, Qiu Bojun laughed, "Even if we join as individuals, you should still be the one to take the lead. We all know how you made our country proud in Silicon Valley!"
Su Yuanshan smiled helplessly, "President Qiu, everyone... Please remember, I'm only a sophomore this year."
This made everyone pause.
Right—this guy was just twenty years old!
Qiu Bojun and Shi Dazhu exchanged a glance, and after a moment, Qiu Bojun laughed, "Then Old Shi should take the lead. Old Shi is now focused more on business, while I still need to code every day... I truly don't have time."
Among everyone present, only Yuanxin and Giant were truly substantial enterprises. Even if Su Yuanshan insisted the Caotang Association wasn't about company size, everyone still had to consider practical factors.
Thus, Shi Dazhu readily accepted the responsibility, laughing, "Alright, I'll take the honor. From now on, let's support each other and grow together—first, let's set a small goal: make a fortune off the foreigners!"
Su Yuanshan chuckled and nodded, "Old Shi is absolutely right. I support that wholeheartedly."
With the president decided, they quickly moved on to drafting basic rules and procedures.
Since it was just a forum-like organization, the main goal was to facilitate communication.
Unfortunately, at the time, there were no group chats or public internet access for everyone. Only companies closely connected to universities could access the education network.
Thus, it was decided that day-to-day communication would rely on the HuiDuo Forum, with a physical gathering held once a year.
As for membership fees, given that this was still a "makeshift club"—in reality, most startups were poor—it was decided that only the big three (Yuanxin, Giant, and Kingsoft) would each contribute 50,000 yuan to fund future activities.
They also discussed possible future scenarios, such as setting up an internal fund to help members' companies during financial hardships.
Moreover, they agreed that since they were all software developers, they should avoid becoming direct competitors to prevent internal conflicts.
Su Yuanshan didn't say much during these discussions. His focus remained on analyzing industry prospects and the domestic and international economic climate.
He did, however, stress one point: they should avoid jumping into real estate too quickly.
"Why not?" Shi Dazhu, seated right next to him, asked curiously.
"Because real estate is fundamentally a capital game," Su Yuanshan said with a chuckle. "And it doesn't match our spirit."
"Didn't someone just commit suicide over in the South recently?"
Shi Dazhu was stunned.
"Old Shi, you're a math major. If you can understand Japan's and the West's needs, it's much better than messing with real estate or health products," Su Yuanshan said, looking at him with a slow, confident smile.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1