Rong ** reporter Wu Liyun Chen Xiaoyang correspondent Lai Xuchu Wen Tu (except for the signature).
Huang Yicong's former residence: a world of integrity
Despite the changes in the shopping mall for decades, Huang Yicong has always calmly cultivated the land under his feet and written a magnificent chapter of struggle; Concerned about his homeland, he closely linked the rise and fall of the Chinese nation with his own destiny, and did his best to benefit Sangzi
Portrait of Huang Yicong (remake).
Huang Zhiyuan, the eldest son of Huang Yicong, an overseas Chinese leader in Quanzhou, once said: "No matter how difficult the moment, faith is always the foundation of my father's life. He has never broken his trust or broken his contract, and has always worked hard to maintain good relations with business partners, which has also won his father's credibility in the business world, making his strength stronger in the ups and downs of the business world. "This year marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Mr. Wong Yi-chung (1922-2019), and when we enter his former home and relive the struggles of those years, we will still be impressed by his spirit of "innovation, pioneering and hard work".
The former residence shows the history of overseas Chinese entrepreneurship
Huang Yicong's former residence is a large house in southern Fujian between two and five bays.
Huang Yicong's former residence was built by Mr. Yicong when he returned to his hometown in 1969.
In Houxi Village, Luoxi Town, Luojiang District, Quanzhou City, there is now a former residence and a former residence of Huang Yicong, a patriotic overseas Chinese leader living in Indonesia and the founding chairman of Sinar Mas Group. The former residence is the ancestral residence of the Yicong family, which has been rebuilt in recent years; The former residence was built by Mr. Yicong when he returned to his hometown in 1969, and has now become the "overseas Chinese living room" in Luoxi Town. The old residence is a large house in southern Fujian between two and five bays, and there is a pillar couplet inside: "The southern country is prosperous in business, and the west is shining with golden light." According to Huang Fuyuan, a member of the Huang clan, this joint tells the story of Yicong's founding of the "Sinar Mas Group" in Indonesia. At the gate of the old residence, there is another pillar couplet that says: "Zhiying Xidi is beneficial to the four seas, and the source is Jin Yu (xī) 溁 (yínɡ) Wuzhou", which is a Tibetan head couplet made in the name of Yicong's eldest son Zhiyuan. These couplets are inherited from one after another, suggesting the continuity of the Huang family's business.
The old residence is the ancestral house, and there is a Tibetan pillar couplet made in the name of Yicong's eldest son Zhiyuan at the gate.
Located at the other end of the village, Huang Yicong's former residence is a two-storey western-style building with a combination of Chinese and Western characteristics. According to Huang Tantan, the head of the Luoxi Town Cultural Station, the former residence has 12 rooms, and because Mr. Yicong lives overseas all the year round, he asked his brother Yipan to come back to live. Huang Yicong occasionally returns to his hometown and lives here. In recent years, the former residence has been carefully furnished, making it more antique, elegant and comfortable. Luoxi Town has created a "Overseas Chinese Friendship Lounge" here, which vividly displays the entrepreneurial history and charity history of overseas Chinese in Luoxi led by Huang Yicong in various forms such as rich exhibition boards, video materials, and text introductions. In addition, activities such as "ten-tone" gong performances and Nanyin singing are also held in the former residence from time to time to build a nostalgic scene, so that tourists can experience the local culture of Luoxi up close and feel the patriotism and patriotism of the older generation of Chinese businessmen.
Embark on a new chapter across the ocean
The exhibition hall of Mr. Yi Cong's deeds in Yi Cong Middle School.
Quanzhou Yicong Middle School, located in Luoxi Town, Luojiang District, is a public complete middle school founded by Huang Yicong's donation. There is a big stone standing in the entrance area of the school, which is engraved with the eight characters of "diligence, honesty, kindness and cooperation", which is not only the school motto of Yicong Middle School, but also the life principle of Huang Yicong's life and business. According to Huang Yicong, diligence and honesty are the foundation of being a person and doing things, and kindness and cooperation are the qualities of being a person and doing things. There is no too profound interpretation, but there is calmness and open-mindedness after life experience. Perhaps only by looking back on Huang Yicong's life can we understand the extraordinaryness behind this ordinary character.
In 1922, Huang Yicong was born in Houxi Banshang Natural Village, Luoxi Town. According to the "Jiangxia Ziyun Jin Yu Huang Clan Genealogy", Huang Yicong is the nineteenth descendant of the Jin Yu Huang family. The Huang family of Jin Yu Ziyun has lived in Luoxi for more than 600 years. In the long years, Jin Yu Huang family's hairpin succession, talent in large numbers, the late Qing Dynasty martial champion Huang Peisong's master Huang Jitang is from the clan. In Houxi Village, Huang Yicong spent a carefree childhood, when the green mountains and clear waters, local neighborhoods, clan ancestral halls, etc., in his hometown, left a deep memory on him.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Luoxi was still a small mountain town with extremely underdeveloped transportation, and the development of the local economy was restricted by heavy mountains. In order to improve their livelihoods, many locals have left their hometowns and traveled across the ocean to Southeast Asia to make a living, and Wong's father, Wong Zezai, is one of them. In 1930, at the request of his father, Huang Yicong went to Indonesia with his mother to reunite with his father. At that time, the family was poor and had to borrow loan sharks for travel expenses. First, I walked more than 50 kilometers to Anhai, took a ferry from Anhai to Xiamen for 4 hours, and then took a ferry from Xiamen to Indonesia. After seven days and nights at sea, it took great hardships to reach Sulawesi and Wangassar in Indonesia. Here, Huang Yicong opened another chapter in his life.
Unexpected conversations add momentum
In Indonesia, Huang Yicong first received primary education at Guanghua School, a local Chinese school, although it was only 5 years, but he was influenced by the excellent traditional Chinese culture and had a strong sense of identity with the culture of the motherland. After the Japanese army invaded Nanyang, Huang Yicong was forced to drop out of school and enter society early. At first, he rode his bicycle on the street selling small food items such as peanut candy. Later, seeing that there was a shortage of various foods and daily necessities in the market, Huang Yicong took out his savings for many years and began to run his own grocery store. In 1945, he founded the Changchun Bread Factory and served as chairman of the Xijiang Bread Union for three years from 1946. At this time, Huang Yicong touched the doorway of business, and at the same time accumulated a certain amount of business experience.
In the spring of 1950, Huang Yicong founded Changxing Firm, specializing in wholesale business, and the scale of Changxing became increasingly large. In 1955, he started a copra business. He bought coconuts from coconut farmers, processed them into copra and sold them to many regions in Indonesia, and within a few years, he became a well-known local copra merchant. In 1956, he moved to Surabaya City and invested in the development of rubber plantations and coffee plantations. Unexpectedly, these parks came to a halt due to social strikes and other issues, and Huang Yicong had to endure the pain of **. Although the lesson of defeat is painful, Huang Yicong has not lost confidence. He believes that as long as he dares to innovate and work hard, he will be able to get ahead in the business circle.
During this period, an unexpected conversation added impetus to Huang Yicong's progress. In 1955, the prime minister went to Bandung, Indonesia to attend the Asian-African Conference, and when meeting with local overseas Chinese representatives, Huang Yicong, who spoke fluent Mandarin, attracted the attention of the premier. ** To him: "I speak Mandarin very well, and I will continue to learn Chinese well and promote Chinese culture in the future." At that time, Prime Minister *** also suggested that Huang Yicong send his children back to China to learn Chinese. **'s care touched Huang Yicong and made him feel the warmth of the motherland. After returning home, Huang Yicong immediately called his two sons, Huang Zhiyuan and Huang Hongnian, who were still in primary school at the time, and asked them to be ready to return to China at any time.
In 1960, Huang Yicong moved to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and founded Sinar Mas in the same year, which was mainly engaged in the import and export of agricultural and native products, such as coconut curd and nutmeg, and the import of cigarette paper, cloves and textiles. In 1967, the investment environment of Chinese in Indonesia improved in an all-round way, and Huang Yicong was keenly aware of this as a major historical opportunity. In 1968, he and Lin Shaoliang jointly invested 20 million rupiah to officially establish the Indonesian Wanya Lao Bidong Oil Factory (hereinafter referred to as "Billory Oil Factory") to produce and sell edible oil with the trademark "Billory". By the early 80s of the 20th century, Billoli Oil Factory had become the largest edible oil company in Indonesia, and Huang Yicong was known as the "king of edible oil". In 1990, Huang Yicong, who had great ambitions, transferred the shares of Sinar Mas Group's oil mill to Lin Shaoliang, and started a new business to create Filler Edible Oil Company, and then entered the paper industry, expanding his business territory more and more.
Business leaders are deeply engaged in many fields
In August 1982, Huang Yicong's Sinar Mas Group spent a huge amount of money to acquire Indonesia International Bank. After a decade of restructuring by hiring an international team, Bank Indonesia opened 250 branches, and at one point its profits exceeded that of all other banks in Indonesia combined. However, in 1997, the Asian financial crisis broke out, the banknotes depreciated sharply, and Indonesia's international bank suffered heavy losses. Huang Yicong had no choice but to give up the International Bank of Indonesia and choose to lurk and wait for the opportunity.
Good wind is good at borrowing strength, and it is the right time to set sail. Since 1992, taking advantage of the spring breeze of China's reform and opening up, Asia Pulp & Co., a subsidiary of Sinar Mas Group ltd., referred to as APP) began to invest in China and set up its headquarters in Shanghai. Today, the company has grown into the world's largest paper group of companies.
In 2005, Sinar Mas Group returned to the financial sector through the acquisition of Indonesia's Bank Shinta, and renamed the bank Sinar Mas Bank in 2007. After that, Sinar Mas Group truly realized "Golden Light", and its investment scope covered Asia, North America, Europe, Australia and other countries and regions, and it was deeply cultivated in many fields. The Group has developed seven core industries: pulp and paper, finance, agriculture and food processing, real estate, energy and infrastructure, mobile communications and healthcare, and is a veritable leader in Indonesia's business.
After several ups and downs in the business world, it has always stood tall. When asked about his business experience, Huang Yicong only said lightly: "I was born poor and don't have much talent. However, I have ideals and aspirations, I am trustworthy, willing to use my brains, and strive to work diligently and solidly with an indomitable spirit. On January 26, 2019, Huang Yicong passed away in Indonesia. Although no one can defeat the years, Huang Yicong's figure of fighting the waves and the sea has remained in people's hearts forever.
Generosity and charity paved the "Cotai Strip".
Huang Yicong has loved education all his life. In his early years, he promised his fellow villagers to contribute to the education and charity of his hometown. In the decades that followed, he kept his promise to the villagers as if he were abiding by business integrity, and continued to contribute money and efforts to the local education of Luoxi. According to reports, as early as 1957, Huang Yicong and 159 Indonesian overseas Chinese jointly donated funds to establish Luoxi Overseas Chinese Middle School (the predecessor of Luoxi Middle School) in their hometown, changing the history of no middle school in the local area. In 1964, he and several other overseas Chinese living in Southeast Asia raised funds again to build a large auditorium for Jinjiang No. 29 Middle School. In 1983, he once again donated funds with 20 overseas villagers to build a teaching building, an office building and a dormitory building for Luoxi Middle School, and purchased teaching equipment for the school. In 1992, when Huang Yicong inspected Luoxi Middle School, he learned about the school's difficulties in running a school, and immediately pledged to build a science building, and sent a letter to the leaders of Fujian Province requesting the reopening of a high school in his hometown of Luoxi. In 1997, the Provincial Department of Education of Fujian Province agreed to the reopening of Luoxi Middle School, which opened up a new brilliant chapter for Luoxi's education.
Mr. Wong Yik Chung (third from right) returned to his hometown in his early years to care about the development and construction of Yi Chung Middle School (remake).
In 1995, Huang Yicong donated 20 million yuan to build Yicong School Park (Yicong Primary School and Yicong Middle School). On New Year's Day 1997, Yicong Middle School and Yicong Primary School were completed and put into use at the same time. On October 15, 2001, Huang Yicong and his wife Lai Shuhua returned to their hometown again accompanied by several sons to learn about the construction and development of the school, and then continued to donate 1.4 million yuan in 2002 to build the science building and school gate of the junior high school of Yicong Middle School, and soon donated 1.1 million yuan to build Luoxi Central Kindergarten (later renamed Yicong Kindergarten). In 2004, Huang Yicong continued to donate 5.07 million yuan to improve the construction of Yicong Middle School, Yicong Primary School and Yicong Kindergarten. In 2023, Yicong Middle School will be promoted to a provincial first-level high school, and Huang Yicong** will donate another 30 million yuan to Yicong School Park for school construction and development. Huang Xiangrong, principal of Yicong Middle School, participated in the reception of Huang Yicong three times in 1992, 2001 and 2004, "Mr. said that he had not read much, and he had suffered from not studying, and education was the top priority for people and the country, so he would definitely do his best to support the construction of education in his hometown." ”
Huang Yicong's philanthropy is not only involved in education, "In 1998, Guangdong flood donated 10 million yuan; In 2003, it donated 11 million yuan to fight SARS; In 2008, it donated 21 million yuan to the southern snow disaster; From 2008 to 2014, a total of 87 ......million yuan was donated to Wenchuan, Yushu, Ya'an, Ludian and other disaster areas"With every piece of data and good deeds, Mr. has left a charitable footprint in the fields of education, disaster relief, poverty alleviation, scientific research and so on. According to incomplete statistics, since the 90s of the 20th century, Huang Yicong has successively donated 1500 million yuan, and the total amount of donations to charity and public welfare undertakings in China exceeded 1.4 billion yuan. As a well-known Chinese entrepreneur, philanthropist and educator in Indonesia, Huang Yicong, who cares about his homeland, is undoubtedly a banner of overseas Chinese in Quanzhou.
Huang Yicong's children also lived up to expectations and inherited their father's spirit of patriotism and love for their hometown. In 2005, in order to promote the economic development of the northern part of Luojiang, the local government decided to reconstruct the Luoxi to Majia section of Wanhong Highway. In order to start the construction of the project as soon as possible, Huang Yicong's six sons each donated a donation to support the road construction in the name of Sinar Mas Group. At the same time, Luoxi Town** mobilized local people to actively donate. In the end, the total amount of social donations was nearly 40 million yuan, which guaranteed the funds for the construction of the project. In recognition of the significant contribution of the Huang Yicong family and Sinar Mas Group to the public welfare undertakings of their hometown, the people of Luojiang District decided to name the reconstructed road section "Cotai Expressway", and the Lingtouting Tunnel, the control project of Cotai Avenue, was named "Cotai Tunnel".
Golden and famous! This is what people say about the Yicong family today. And all this is due to Mr. Yicong's lifelong dedication and adherence to integrity.