I'm back in 1990

Chapter 687: Big Size Doesn't Equal Powerful

Shortly after Wu Duo left, Huang Xiaochuan went to Tsinghua University to attend a meeting.

Huang Xiaochuan received a warm welcome from the organizers, but declined their special arrangements and quietly found a seat.

Soon, the domestic economists sitting around him all greeted him. Huang Xiaochuan was a little overwhelmed, but he still responded politely to each one.

After everyone was seated, someone suddenly greeted Huang Xiaochuan: "Junior Brother!"

Huang Xiaochuan recognized the voice immediately. He turned around and saw that it was Jiang Qiming.

He quickly stood up again: "Senior brother!"

Jiang Qiming chuckled and shook hands with Huang Xiaochuan. There happened to be an empty seat next to Huang Xiaochuan, so he plopped down and said, "I'll sit here. I can keep you company."

Huang Xiaochuan naturally didn't object, and he sat down as well.

Jiang Qiming asked, "How is your teacher's health?"

"He's doing incredibly well. He's been traveling around lately, having so much fun that he's forgotten all about home." May is the best time of year in Jiangnan, so Huang Xiaochuan arranged for a special person and car to accompany the old man to Zhejiang Province. They went to places like Yandang Mountain, Qiandao Lake, and West Lake—basically any place with mountains and water, a place with beautiful scenery. There was no need to rush; the itinerary was very well-planned, allowing him to explore at his leisure after settling in.

"Thanks to you, your teacher made the right choice in accepting you as a disciple," Jiang Qiming said with emotion.

The meeting began while the two were chatting.

In one morning, more than a dozen people took the stage to speak, including several of the country's more influential economists. The main topic of their speeches was the importance of real estate to GDP. Judging from their tone and the content of their speeches, this had been elevated to the level of a national strategy.

As Huang Xiaochuan listened, he grew increasingly angry, but he still patiently listened to all of these people's statements.

After the morning meeting ended, Huang Xiaochuan approached the organizers and requested to speak on stage that morning. Originally, his speaking time was scheduled for the afternoon of the following day, but Huang Xiaochuan made a last-minute change. However, the organizers still agreed to this request, after all, he is the only Clark Medal winner in China.

In the afternoon, after Huang Xiaochuan took the stage, he started criticizing.

"This morning I heard some experts talk a lot of theories here. The gist of it is that according to our current development momentum, China will soon surpass Japan to become the world's second largest economy and the world's second largest country in terms of GDP. In a few years, we will surpass the United States and become the world's number one in GDP. At that time, China will have a greater voice in the international arena and can do whatever we want. They talked about this stuff all morning. For the sake of so-called GDP, China must endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens. We cannot have any conflicts with anyone and we must endure everything."

Here I want to ask you, who told you this theory? Who said that a strong GDP equates to a strong country?

Huang Xiaochuan paused here, then continued his tirade: "Is GDP a symbol of a great power? In 1840, the Qing Dynasty's GDP was six times that of Britain, one-third of the world's total, and accounted for 33% of the world's total GDP. It was even higher than the combined GDP of the United States and Europe at that time. Since it had such a high GDP, why didn't the Qing Dynasty go and conquer Europe? Why didn't it go and conquer America? How come it was partitioned by others?"

These words caused a stir among the crowd, and everyone immediately felt that something big was about to happen, so they all perked up.

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Huang Xiaochuan continued to unleash his sharp tongue: "Did the Eight-Nation Alliance take the Qing Dynasty's GDP seriously? Did they take the Qing Dynasty's hundreds of thousands of troops seriously? In fact, as you and I both know, no. Why is that? Let me tell you."

By 1894, the year of the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing Dynasty had already been plundered by foreign enemies for fifty years. Yet, our GDP was still nine times that of Japan. Why then were we defeated by Japan?

At this point, someone in the audience stood up and asked, "Then please tell me, Professor Huang, why is it that the United States' GDP accounts for one-third of the world's total, and how can the United States control the whole world?"

Huang Xiaochuan smiled casually: "Since you want to know, then I'll tell you why. Those of you here can learn about the main components of the US GDP. Don't just talk about the quantity of GDP; you need to understand the quality behind GDP, its structure, and what the US GDP has been composed of in recent years."

Huang Xiaochuan listed them off one by one on his fingers: "Space industry, aviation industry, shipbuilding, computers, biology, technology, and agriculture. Its military is supported by these industries, and these industries are what sustain America's GDP. The same is true for Japan now, for example, automobiles, electronics, and chemicals. Even Russia, which has already declined, look at its GDP composition—which country dares to underestimate it?"

Huang Xiaochuan continued, counting on his fingers, "Let's talk about what made up the Qing Dynasty's GDP: tea, silk, porcelain. And what made up Europe's GDP at that time? Machinery, cannons, warships, and industrial products."

As he said this, he glanced at the person in the audience, who sat back down with a sheepish look on his face.

"War will occur when you want to gain a voice, but what is war? In my view, war is a contest of the quality of GDP between the two sides, not a contest of the quantity of GDP."

I'll put it this way: GDP without the ability to convert defense resources into GDP is worthless.

Therefore, our country must pay attention to this point, comprehensively develop industrial science and technology, and vigorously develop high-tech industries. This is what we should be developing.

Here I want to warn you all: size does not equal strength, and weight does not equal power. We must look to the world and develop science and technology and industry in a down-to-earth manner. Some people should not be arrogant and complacent. They have only made some progress in the economy and they are already blindly praising it. As economists, you should have a cautious attitude towards the country's development, not shameless praise. What else can you talk about besides GDP? Have you fed your intellectual conscience and sense of social responsibility to the dogs?

Let's talk about real estate again. Back in the Qin Dynasty, the best real estate was the Epang Palace; in the Qing Dynasty, it was the Yuanmingyuan. What became of them? You all know, right? So I'm putting it this way: real estate cannot support the rise of China. Don't fantasize that real estate can change anything. The essence of the real estate economy is the transfer of wealth, not the creation of core value. Sooner or later, it will be eliminated by the times.

Huang Xiaochuan couldn't hold back any longer and poured out all his words, showing no mercy to any of them. He was certain that those who spoke that morning had all been corrupted by capital and had become spokespeople for certain forms of capital. Huang Xiaochuan despised such people who would bow down for a pittance and harm the country and its people.

After Huang Xiaochuan stepped down, no one went up to speak. Everyone was discussing Huang Xiaochuan's speech. They had to admit that although he didn't show any mercy to certain people, what he said was truly thought-provoking!

At this moment, one of the organizers ran up to the two staff members responsible for recording audio and video materials and asked, "Was Professor Huang's speech recorded?"

"It's all recorded!"

"Okay, okay, save it quickly and make a few more copies." This person specifically reminded him again.