"I was greeted by bad news and good news. "I was surprised to see a woman driving a (Volkswagen) Santana in Beijing in 1993," she said.Įventually, she volunteered to move to the sales department, and in 2001, she was dispatched to Shanghai to take charge of the East China market. The trips opened a window to the outside world that fascinated Zhang. I knew what the problems might be," she said.Įmployees assemble and tune instruments at Dongbei Piano's factory in Yingkou, Liaoning province, in July. "I had studied and participated in the whole process of piano production, from design to assembly. The company often called on her to repair pianos for customers, and she never let them down. Zhang was too busy to hear about Zhou's doubts. I was not convinced at the time: could a young woman who had just left school be so good?" Zhou Xiong, 59, who joined Dongbei Piano in 1983, said: "We were not in the same workshop, but her name was often mentioned. At age 21, she became one of three workers among 100 employees to be given a raise in recognition of their outstanding performance. Zhang, ingenious and well-trained, quickly stood out from her colleagues. Meanwhile, taxis stood outside every payday, while the team leaders reminded the happy employees not to stay out too late having fun because they had to work the next day. Trucks were always lined up to transport pianos. The company, founded in 1952, was once one of China's largest piano producers, selling its products in more than 20 countries and regions. "It was the best job you could get in Yingkou at the time," the 54-year-old recalled. In 1986, when Zhang and 39 classmates graduated from a local vocational school, having majored in piano manufacture, they were assigned to the piano factory's 1,000-plus workforce. (YAO JIANFENG / XINHUA)ĭongbei Piano, where Zhang's career started 35 years ago, was based in the port city of Yingkou in the northeastern province of Liaoning. Zhang Xiaowen works on a piano at the plant. "When there are orders, there is hope," said Zhang, who is now the company's chairwoman. It produced 3,000 pianos in a 12-month period, despite a six-month suspension of operations as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic last year.ĭuring the first half of this year, the company received orders for more than 300 grand pianos. On June 20, 2019, Dongbei Piano Musical Instruments, aka Dongbei Piano, was inaugurated. Luckily for the company, Zhang's move seems to have succeeded. Life is short, but don't we live to do something?" "It can't just go like this," she said to herself. (YAO JIANFENG / XINHUA)Īfter putting all her savings and bank loans into the purchase of her former employer, a piano manufacturer, Zhang Xiaowen refused to contemplate what would happen if the business failed.Īll she thought about was the summer afternoon in 2018, when she walked into the abandoned factory of Baldwin Dongbei Piano Instruments, amid a wilderness of weeds, and felt the tears welling up in her eyes. Sun Renbin, Huang Yan and Zhao Hongnan report for Xinhua from Shenyang.Ī worker moves components in July. One woman's love for her old employer has seen the company strike a chord with customers thanks to a new range of instruments and renewed business vigor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJosh ArchivesCategories |