 |
孙大午 Sun Dawu: Philosopher
Sun Dawu's motto: "Wish breeze blow away the untimely rain, let the timely rain water the Republic Year of the human world".
SUN Dawu, President of the Board of Directors of Hebei Dawu Group of companies. He was born at Lang Wu Zhuang Village, Gaolin town, Xushui County, Hebei Province in June, 1954. In 1963, he attended school in Gaolin town. During the years 1971-1978, he undertook military service at Lin Fen, Shanxi province. Then, during the period 1979-1989, he worked at the China Agriculture Bank in Xushui. In 1989, he built Hebei Dawu Agriculture and Husbandry Co. He was self-educated during the years 1978-1982 in language and literature to the level of college graduate. He continued his self-education between 1984-1986 through a correspondence college degree program offered by Hebei University of Politics and Law. In June 1996, he was awarded the Champion of Raising Poultry of Hebei province. At this time, he was elected as representative for the People of Baoding city, Hebei Province. In August 1996, he was elected as Lee Chair of Baoding Poultry and Egg Industry United Farm Society. On September 20th, 1996, he was awarded the Title of Baoding Pioneer Individual World Health Organization (WHO) Donors' Fund for School and Education. In the year 2001, he became the master of Dawu School. In October 2002, SUN Dawu was appointed as Senior researcher at the Institute of Peasant Problems, China Agriculture University.
New Chinese Book
SUN DAWU, WEI NONG MIN ER SHENG : YI GE NONG MIN QI YE JIA DE NU LI YU FAN SI /
LEI TIAN, HONG CHEN ZHU.
雷滇.
钒大午, 茜}r民而生 : 一ˇ菅民企溪家的努力与反思 / 雷滇, 洪蔽著.
第1版.
北京 : 中ˇ幥ˇˇ抨W出版社, 2004.
钒大午, 1954-
洪蔽.
(cross-reference sundawu9image)
孙大午:迷茫的下一步孙大午还需闯四大关, The Grandson Great Noon is reprieved, November 11, 2003, Chinese Simplified GB2312
SUN DAWU TRIES CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY SYSTEM OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE TO SOLVE THE INHERITANCE QUESTION
Sun Dawu Tries Constitutional Monarchy System of Private Enterprise to Solve the Inheritance Question
dated February 28, 2005
孙大午ˇ企业可走中庸之道
ENTERPRISE AIMS AT THE MEAN
author Sun Dawu, January 17, 2005
Chinese simplified GB2312
Enterprise Aims At The Mean
author Sun Dawu 孙大午, January 17, 2005
English translation
After I experienced the trouble in 2003, I thought that one enterprise should develop a little slower, but steadier. When operating his business, the manager should avoid the unhealthy condition brought about not only by overeating but also by starving. I want to develop my enterprise steadily, and make it a hundred-year-old corporation.
I have studied two kinds of successful management. One is to put all money in one's pocket and not to implement a stock system. Another is to dilute the enterprise stock, and make the stock smaller and smaller. I do not think these two ways are feasible after my investigation. Then, can I try the third way that separates the rights of property from the rights of execution, and the rights of execution from the rights of management? I think it worthy of consideration. Now I am exploring the constitutional monarchy of a private enterprise.
I think, the rights of property should be separated from the rights of execution. The latter should be carried out by an experienced manager. My brothers and I have the power or capacity to make decisions, but it is possible that my sons or grandsons will not have such power or capacity. If they participated in the process of decision in the future, they would sporadically build a building here and invest a sum there. That will be dangerous to our corporation.
Next is the separation of the power of execution from the power of management. The former should not interfere with the latter. The board of directors should be an independent corporate body, which bears its surplus and loss and operates on its own way. What is the place for "constitutionalism ?" The maximum power of the board of directors, I propose, should not exceed the annual investment of the total profit of the corporation plus the depreciation cost of equipment.
Some people might say, "Do not you think this stipulation is too strict?" I do not think so, for I have to consider the investment on fixed assets. The annual investment should not surpass the annual profit of the groups, to the maximum, plus the depreciation. It is strictly forbidden to work on fixed assets by loan. I will set it down as a rule or in will for the future. By this, I will guarantee the steady development of our corporation.
The doctrine of the mean could be applied to management
Everybody wants to develop his enterprise into a large scale, but I might be a little conservative. I think fickleness or restlessness is not good to a businessman. When my employees plan their tasks for next year, one plans 2 million, one 5 million, and the other 7 million. I just cut their plans into halves, and do not let them obtain so much.
The market is a bank. Why could not we deposit into and withdraw a little from it? The most important matter is to keep a steady population of customers. Why do we hurry up to earn money? I do not mean that I have no desire to earn money, what my concern is to keep my enterprise developing steadily, which will promote the profit optimization. The direction of my groups is to take development as its objective, affluence together with common people as its resort,and not to aim singly at interests. For the past 19 years of my enterprise, except for a loss in 2003, we have not experienced a loss or lack of customers for our products. What is the the secret? That is because of our credit.
One time, I punished a manager of my factory. He filled in only 49.5 jin of the brand of my enterprise. I refused and discharged him. Although he is still now working in my corporation, he is not the manager any more. I tell my employees that we should be honest in business. With regard to our fodder, we generally fill in more than the claimed capacity. A 100 jin sack generally is filled in 100.2 or 100.5 jin. This is our way to do business. Therefore, during the 2003 trouble, nobody comes to plunder my corporation. In my corporation, it is the place where good people come together, it is also where common people come together. The word yong in zhongyong zhi dao means common people. It is that common people do common things. This is the right way in the human world as well as the great feat in the world.
The surname of private enterprise is not selfish
Now, I more and more think that private enterprise should not be labelled as selfish. It is just one kind of production and management form. In 1986, my wife gained 10000 yuan. At that time wealthy families were very few. In the next year, she gained 100,000 yuan and put it into a safe cabinet. When she obtained more than one million yuan, she was not so excited as when she earned 10,000 yuan and began to consider doing something. At that time, she studied the feasibility of opening a home for old people or orphan babies. When money becomes enough, I think private enterprise is not labeled as private or selfish, but becomes the welfare of the society. Supported by this belief, I became very frank and composed. I think, my corporation is the assets of the society and supports several thousand livelihoods. I do not think it belongs to me solely, so I became upright in my mind.
Formerly I had thought that only monetary capital and mine could be taken as capital, but now I find information is also capital. But I think the critical capital is the manager himself. Without the manager or enterpriser to unite information and capital together, there will no chance to be rich. Therefore, enterprisers are the real capital of the society and should be respected by law and in society.
THE STORY OF SUN
The Confucian philosopher SUN Dawu has risen from the village of Langwuzhuang, Hebei, China. Sun Dawu is a man of principle and conscience whose goal is to serve mankind through the application of pragmatic philosophy. He is an embodiment of civilization itself which emerged from an agrarian culture along the Yellow, Indus, Nile and Euphrates river valleys. The village and Sun are changing, building and achieving. He intends to improve the social system through educational training, health care, and job creation. This is the story of Sun.
Perhaps there is no better way to understand a foreign country and its people than through the everyday routine of a job. I have worked in the People's Republic of China as a teacher and foreign expert from Canada for six years. During this time, I have taught doctoral students at the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. I do not pretend to describe all of China nor every Chinese, but rather to depict a particular village called Langwuzhuang and a special person whose name is SUN Dawu. His Chinese name is 孙大午.
The man named Sun is a pragmatic philosopher in the Confucian school of true value virtue. Confucians believe "in the fundamental goodness of man, supporting rule by moral persuasion according to the concept of li. In other words, Confucianism as a social philosophy is mainly concerned with ren or compassion for others which can be achieved by those who understand thoroughly rules of propriety and ritual forms.
This Confucian entrepreneur or theoretical farmer advocates the transformation of an agricultural based society into a cultural community; as well as the expansion of the service sector economy and establishment of ecosystem services.
I agreed to start a college in Hebei Province at the request of a Distinguished Scholar of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The emphasis of the college would be on the 3 R's (reading, writing and arithmetic. The new institution was to be established at a small village called Langwuzhuang, Xushui County, Hebei Province. The village is located 48 kilometers south-west of Beijing. Currently, there is a private middle school on the property which boasts a student population of over 2200 and a teaching staff of 200. It may be noted that three-quarters of the students come from other provinces.
The educator wished to give the students an affordable quality education at a higher institute of learning by building a college on the property. The educator's name is SUN Dawu who was already known nationwide because his young students are versed in ancient Tang and Song poetry and Confucian morality. We had met Sun at a conference of scholars who were interested in Confucian principles.
In early December 2002, I flew into Beijing on a domestic airline. We then drove to Xu Shui from Beijing. A thick fog blanketed the landscape. At the toll gate, we were redirected to a secondary road because of a serious accident. It was a Chinese philosopher who proverbially said "May you live in interesting times". I am not sure if he meant that as a blessing or bane. I might it express it poetically as follows:
This is that which lives
That were this which left.
We turned onto a country road bustling with agricultural commerce and three wheel vehicles. This is the three kilometer road built by Sun to provide access to his school and business. In order to gain the right-of-way, he pays the farmers a yearly sum and also gives them usage of the road at no cost; in other words, there is no toll gate. This demonstrates his fairness and facility to act cooperatively with his fellow farmers.
We arrived somewhere in the middle of nowhere within the Middle Kingdom. What I mean is that there is nothing for the eye to fix on until one reaches the Dawu site. Then one sees an amazing sight. A middle school complex, a farming community and thriving agricultural business arises from the land. How on earth did this get here? It was through the effort, enterprise and ingenuity of Sun and thousands of employees. The fog cleared and the sun rose.
孙大午 孙大午 孙大午 sundawu sundawu dawu sun dawu sun sun_dawu agriculture farmer peasant China Chinese bank
孙大午 Sun Dawu: Philosopher (Page Three)
孙大午 Sun Dawu: Philosopher
孙大午 Sun Dawu: Philosopher (Homepage)
Send E-Mail to:
Copyright © 2008 D. Carlton Rossi . All Rights Reserved