Chapter 423 Breakthrough in the Pharmaceutical Industry

This year, on a summer evening, the Xia Guo Shanghai Dance Theater flew to Tokyo. More than 2,000 people braved the rain to greet them at the airport and gave them an exceptional reception throughout the entire process.

That night, inside the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo, flashes of light merged into a sea of ​​light. The head of the Xia Fang Dance Troupe pointed to his forehead and joked, "Don't do that. I'm going to shine."

The director admitted that he had just taken office, knew nothing about ballet, and came to Japan to meet new friends.

The reporter was curious and asked him who the "new friend" was. He generously said it was the newly appointed Prime Minister of Japan, Tanaka.

On August 8, before the dance troupe left Japan, they were met by Tanaka.

The Prime Minister of Japan said: "I have convinced various dissenting opinions and have made up my mind to go to Xiaguo."

Tanaka asked the tour leader when is the best time to go, and the tour leader said, "Autumn is the best time to go. The weather in Beijing is high and cool in autumn, and the red leaves in Xiangshan are the most beautiful."

As expected, Tanaka visited Xia in autumn.

On September 9, the Japanese delegation arrived in the capital. Four days later, the two countries issued the "Joint Statement of Xia and Japan", normalizing diplomatic relations between Xia and Japan.

Xia Fang gave Tanaka six words: "Be true to your word and act accordingly."

Tanaka responded with six words: "Trust is the foundation of everything."

At this point, the raging waves of the ocean subsided, the wind broke through the clouds, and the two continents faced each other across the sea.

A month after Tanaka visited Xia Kingdom, the Japanese people tentatively sent two gifts: cherry blossom seeds and larch saplings.

The return gift from Xia Kingdom made Japan unable to remain calm. It turned out to be Xia Kingdom’s national treasures, the giant pandas Kang Kang and Lan Lan.

At the gift-giving ceremony, the director of Tokyo's Ueno Zoo broke into tears with excitement, saying, "I feel extremely happy and honored."

On the day the giant pandas arrived, Japanese police cars led the way, hundreds of police officers guarded along the road, and some people camped and queued outside the zoo. Within three months, Japanese panda products sold for 3 billion yen.

. . . . . .

Having seen with his own eyes how prosperous Liujiazhuang was, which was different from other places in Xia Country, Tanaka said with emotion: "Although this place is not as good as the big cities in Japan such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, it is not much worse than some remote counties in Japan in terms of urban construction!"

Some Japanese officials and businessmen who accompanied the delegation also expressed disbelief, saying that it was like two completely different worlds here.

During this visit from Japan, a number of business cooperation agreements were signed in Liujiazhuang.

First of all, Xiaguo’s traditional Chinese medicine industry has ushered in an unprecedented breakthrough.

In recent years, Japan has been increasing its investment in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, and the demand for Chinese medicine raw materials has risen sharply.

However, a fact that cannot be ignored is that the raw materials for many precious Chinese herbal medicines can only be found in the Xia Kingdom, which means that although the Japanese have the will, they are unable to do so and can only sigh in despair.

It is particularly worth mentioning that, looking across the entire Xia country, there is no place comparable to the Liujiazhuang area of ​​Xia country, where large-scale and scientific cultivation of Chinese herbal medicines has been achieved, which can be regarded as a model in the industry.

Therefore, when Japanese merchants came to Liujiazhuang and saw the vast scene of Chinese herbal medicine cultivation, they were all overjoyed, as if they had discovered a new continent.

However, the Japanese merchants were not stupid, but rather cunning. After a brief frenzy, they quickly calmed down and began to have doubts.

The core of the doubt is: if these herbs are cultivated on a large scale, can their efficacy still be comparable to wild herbs? So they cunningly kept their troops on the sidelines, only purchased a small amount of each herb, quietly brought it back to Japan, and secretly conducted in-depth research.

Soon, amazing discoveries were reported from the laboratories of major pharmaceutical companies in Japan: the medicinal materials produced in Liujiazhuang were not only as good as their wild counterparts, but due to scientific cultivation methods, some varieties even had better medicinal properties than wild herbs.

The Liujiazhuang area, with its excellent medicinal material quality and wide variety, coupled with its low import cost compared to local Japanese cultivation, has undoubtedly become a treasure trove of precious raw materials bestowed by God.

This discovery quickly ignited the Japanese enthusiasm for action. They quickly assembled and sent another delegation to embark on a journey to China.

The composition of this delegation is quite special. The main force is no longer the official envoys of the past, but a lineup mainly composed of business elites, or more precisely, the best in Japan's pharmaceutical industry.

Among them, Japanese industry giants such as Tsumura Pharmaceutical, Kotaro Kampo Pharmaceutical, Kanebo Pharmaceutical, and Sankyo Pharmaceutical are on the list. They have set foot on this land full of opportunities with their desire for high-quality raw materials and vision of business cooperation.

This change not only indicates that the Japanese side attaches great importance to the medicinal resources in Liujiazhuang area, but also quietly opens a new chapter of in-depth cooperation between the two countries in the field of medicine.

Tsumura Pharmaceutical is the leading company in Japan's Kampo medicine industry, and its Kampo medicine products account for about 80% of the Japanese market.

The company was founded in 1893 by Tsumura Shigeya, who mainly sells Chinese herbal medicines. Tsumura Pharmaceutical is also the largest Chinese herbal medicine company in the world.

Kotaro Kampo Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is the first organization in Japan to market Kampo granules.

The company originated from a small business founded by Chutaro Ueda in 1929, specializing in Ueda black-grilled (charcoal-grilled).

Later, in order to seek better development, Taro Ueda applied to establish the company "Ueda Kuroyakiya Co., Ltd." in January 1952 and served as the first president. As the company developed, it was renamed "Kotaro Kampo Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd." in 1.

Zhongfang Pharmaceutical is also one of the main companies producing Kampo preparations in Japan. Together with other large companies such as Tsumura Pharmaceutical and Kotaro Kampo Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., it has promoted the development of Kampo medicine in Japan.

Sankyo Pharmaceutical is also one of the important companies producing Chinese herbal medicines in Japan, and together with other large companies it constitutes the production system of Chinese herbal medicines in Japan.

These companies have jointly promoted the development of Kampo medicine in Japan since the 1970s. They have not only made contributions in production, but also played an important role in market promotion and medical research, making Kampo medicine gradually popular and recognized in Japan.

These Japanese industry giants will undoubtedly become Liujiazhuang Traditional Chinese Medicine's strongest competitors on the global stage in the future.

The intention of their arrival is self-evident. Liu Zhiye, relevant domestic departments and the management of Liujiazhuang have already seen through it and reached a consensus: they must protect the things passed down by their ancestors.

The two parties can cooperate, but it is prohibited to sell prescriptions and medicinal seeds to Japanese companies. Only finished drugs and raw materials can be sold.

The Japanese merchants were no pushovers either. They repeatedly negotiated with the Xia side at the negotiation table in an attempt to get what they wanted.

However, the current Xia Kingdom is different from the later reform and opening up. The economic ship has not yet set sail, so it is cautious about many matters and is not the kind of country that compromises easily.

After several confrontations, the Japanese merchants saw that the Xia people were firm in their stance and had no intention of wavering, so they adjusted their strategy, temporarily gave in, and instead focused on ensuring a stable supply of raw materials. As for the dispute over core interests, they would leave it for later.

These Japanese merchants are very tenacious and will not give up until they achieve their goals. Their subsequent actions have also caused quite a stir.

After the successful negotiations, Liujiazhuang area quickly signed a foreign trade contract worth US$200 million with a Japanese pharmaceutical company.

After the negotiations were settled, Liujiazhuang district quickly signed a huge foreign trade contract worth 200 million US dollars with a well-known Japanese pharmaceutical company. This feat was like a bolt from the blue, and instantly exploded in the foreign trade circle.

The news passed through the levels like lightning, reaching the decision-making core, and immediately touched the leaders' sensitive nerves.

Winning orders of such a scale in the first year indicates broad prospects and unlimited possibilities for future cooperation, and its significance is self-evident.

Looking back at Xiaguo’s total export trade last year, the total annual export trade volume was only 3 billion US dollars.

Liujiazhuang alone accounted for one-fifteenth of the export of Chinese medicinal materials to Japan.

This is not only a bright spot in the economic landscape, but also a dazzling new star in the field of foreign trade. It is nicknamed "a leaping satellite" by the industry.

During these years, the demand for foreign exchange on all fronts in Xiaguo has increased dramatically: introducing technology, purchasing production lines, and importing various goods that we cannot produce ourselves all require foreign exchange to pay for.

These days, Xia's foreign exchange mainly relies on export trade.

Before the reform and opening up, the Guangdong Trade Fair, which started in 1957, was the only window for foreign trade in Xiaguo. It is conceivable that Liujiazhuang suddenly signed a large order of million US dollars, which is a great foreign trade achievement.

The Chinese herbal medicine planting industry in Liujiazhuang area was suddenly put under pressure due to a sudden order worth US$200 million.

This huge order not only made the people of Liujiazhuang excited, but also quickly pushed the planting capacity to its limit.

While trying our best to meet the daily needs of our own pharmaceutical factory, it is simply beyond our capacity to take on such a large external order.

In desperation, they had to use Liu Zhiye’s inventory as an emergency measure to solve the urgent problem.

However, this is not a long-term solution.

Faced with the possible continued growth in trade demand in the future, the people of Liujiazhuang are well aware that the fundamental solution is to start from the source, expand the area of ​​Chinese herbal medicine cultivation and improve planting efficiency.

In Liujiazhuang, a discussion on how to optimize the planting structure and increase yield has quietly arisen. They vowed to write their own business legend on this land.

This is another major breakthrough in Xia's foreign trade after the ice-breaking trip to the United States.

On the day of the signing ceremony between Liujiazhuang and Japanese merchants, the scene was spectacular.

Senior officials from the Executive Yuan, key officials from the Ministry of Foreign Trade, leaders of the Kyoto City Committee, and officials from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ministry of Foreign Affairs who came to summer gathered together to witness this historic moment.

At the same time, tens of thousands of people gathered spontaneously, dressed in festive costumes, singing and dancing, and their laughter resounded through the sky, adding a strong touch to this grand event of cooperation.

At the scene, dozens of important news organizations, including authoritative local media such as the Xia Kingdom's Capital TV, Renren Daily, Capital Daily, and Shinxia Society, as well as internationally renowned media such as Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, Chowa Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, the United States' Globe Daily, CBS, etc., set up cameras and microphones to broadcast and in-depth coverage of the signing ceremony from all directions and angles.

…………

With the vigorous development of Liujiazhuang Pharmaceutical Factory, Chinese herbal medicines have successfully entered the Japanese market, indicating that Liu Zhiye's foresight in overcoming all odds and relying on local natural resources to deeply cultivate the field of traditional Chinese medicine has achieved brilliant results.

The traditional Chinese medicine industry has now become an indispensable economic pillar of Liujiazhuang and even the capital, and its influence is expanding.

In view of the remarkable achievements in the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Liujiazhuang, relevant departments have also seen opportunities and decided to tailor a series of support policies for the region in order to further promote the prosperity and development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry.

Moreover, due to the frequent exchanges between Liujiazhuang Pharmaceutical Company and Japanese pharmaceutical companies, it also obtained some more advanced production equipment, which accelerated the modernization of Liujiazhuang Pharmaceutical Factory.

In addition, there was another surprise. That is, the flagship products produced by Liujiazhuang Pharmaceutical Factory, such as "999 Cold Relief Granules" and "Children's Cough Syrup", aroused great interest from the Japanese side.

Japanese businessmen keenly realized that the "999 Cold Relief Granules" and "Children's Cough Syrup" from Liujiazhuang Pharmaceutical Factory had won wide acclaim for their excellent therapeutic effects in the huge market of one billion people in Xia Country.

They are not only common items in home medicine cabinets, but also witness the recovery of countless patients.

In view of this, Japanese businessmen have developed a strong interest in the patented formulas of these two drugs, and intend to introduce their production processes into Japan through negotiations and realize localized production.

They expressed their intention to cooperate with Liujiazhuang Pharmaceutical Factory with great anticipation, hoping to jointly explore this market with great potential.

However, Liujiazhuang Pharmaceutical Factory declined the proposal, insisting on protecting its unique pharmaceutical technology and formula.

Faced with this result, Japanese businessmen were not discouraged. They quickly adjusted their strategy and decided to first introduce finished drugs and conduct trial sales in the Japanese market as the first step in exploring cooperation.

This decision not only demonstrates their flexibility, but also reveals their firm confidence in the market prospects of these two drugs.

Liujiazhuang once again wrote a glorious chapter and achieved a major breakthrough in the history of medicine in Xia State - for the first time, a drug with completely independent intellectual property rights was successfully launched into the international market.

This feat marks the emergence of Xiaguo's independent research and development in the field of medicine.

Once upon a time, the Xia country's pharmaceutical market was mostly occupied by imported drugs, but now the situation has quietly reversed.

Local pharmaceutical companies have also begun to rise, not only meeting domestic demand but also turning their attention to the broader overseas market.

This achievement of Liujiazhuang is undoubtedly a vivid footnote to this transformation, inspiring countless Xiaguo medical professionals to continue moving forward and constantly scaling new heights on the road of exploration and innovation.

…………

This winter.

One afternoon in the dead of winter, snowflakes were floating from the sky and the whole earth was covered in a gray haze. Qin Huairu and her team were digging trenches on the roadside in the wind and snow.

The ditch was not deep, but very long. The people in their team dug for a while and then took a break. Although the weather was cold, everyone was steaming.

In the evening, when Qin Huairu and her friends were working hard, they met Lao Luo.

He drove a horse-drawn carriage back from the detachment headquarters to buy noodles. Seeing how they were working so hard, he said indifferently, "There's a movie at the brigade headquarters tonight."

Although I haven't watched a movie for a long time, but when I heard him say that it was showing in the brigade headquarters, no one paid attention to it and didn't even put down the tools in their hands.

The labor team Qin Huairu and her colleagues were stationed 17 miles away from the brigade headquarters. In such windy and snowy weather, if people walked on the road, they would be no different from fish on the chopping board. They really couldn't afford to feast their eyes.

At dinner time that night, Lao Luo again mentioned the experience of eating ramen at the regiment headquarters and inadvertently mentioned the name of the movie, "Happy Ending".

When they heard the name, everyone put down their bowls and chopsticks, and some even jumped up. They all complained to Lao Luo why he didn't tell them what movie was playing earlier.

Lao Luo looked innocent. In his eyes, this movie was no different from any other.

Qin Huairu and other Beijing natives have been working here for many years. As time goes by, some of the old people who were serving their sentences can also live like normal production team members, but under supervision.

When some people heard about this movie, everyone's minds became active.

"Happy Ending" is actually an old movie made twenty years ago. The reason why everyone is so excited is that this movie reflects the daily life of ordinary people in some courtyards in the east and west cities of Beijing.

To put it bluntly, these people are homesick because they can't go back home. They miss every brick and tile in the old capital, the courtyards where they live, and the familiar streets...

Six years passed quickly, and Qin Huairu's heart was still tightly entangled with deep longing for home.

Every morning and night, she was immersed in endless regret. Tears often slid silently in her dreams. When she woke up, her pillow was wet.

She often stood alone on the top of the desolate hill, her eyes gazing affectionately at the capital city in the south, across thousands of mountains and rivers.

There, was her long-cherished home and her children whose return she looked forward to day and night - Banggeng, Xiaodang and Huaihua.

"It's almost there! It's almost there!" Qin Huairu repeated to herself in her heart, and every breath she took was filled with longing for reunion. "Children, Mom will be back soon, you must wait for her well..." Her voice was soft but full of determination and hope, echoing in the empty valley.

However, Qin Huairu never expected that even if she returned home, she might not be able to see her children whom she missed so much.

Since Banggeng embarked on the journey of "going to the countryside" three years ago, time has passed quickly. In a blink of an eye, Xiaodang has followed in her brother's footsteps and ushered in this journey of youthful hardship that belongs to her.

In mid-January, Xiaodang boarded a special train for educated youth from Beijing and settled in Sbei as a sent-down youth.

When changing buses in Tongchuan, Xiao Dang was stranded in Tongchuan for a day because he took the wrong luggage. The next day, he took an open truck all the way north and finally arrived at the Liujiagta Brigade in Yanchuan County. The fifteen educated youth from Beijing were assigned to the Liujiagta Team 3 and became members of the Team 3.

The courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang seemed even more deserted since so many of their children passed away.

(End of this chapter)