Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 949 South China Tiger for Panda
"Shanghai should be a much stronger economy than other places, right?" Yang Zhiwen asked, puzzled.

Yang Wendong said, "Yes, but we have a lot of cooperation with Shanghai, and we will have more cooperation in the future. Doing this is just a way of showing some goodwill."

Furthermore, the fact that Shanghai and Beijing are generally wealthy does not mean that wealth is truly evenly distributed. Even in Hong Kong and New York, there are genuinely poor people.

Yang Zhiwen nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."

Sometimes, charitable acts are not just for the sake of "charity," but also for the social responsibility of a company. If your group has made a large investment in a place like Shanghai, then it is natural to do something appropriate here as well.
Yang Wendong continued, "Go back and rest. In a few days, we'll go to Yanjing. You can check out DYB then."

Yang Zhiwen smiled and said, "I've been looking forward to this for a long time too."

“Yes, me too.” Yang Wendong nodded;
Only when the country behind them is strong can these businessmen have a backing; otherwise, they are lambs to the slaughter wherever they go.

In the past, countless wealthy people from developing countries were fooled by the "liberalization" of Europe and America, resulting in them being deceived into immigrating and then being openly exploited.

Relatively speaking, the mainland is the most law-abiding and has a lot of restraint. As long as you don't cross the line, your assets in the mainland are still safe.

On September 24, Yang Wendong and others left Shanghai and headed to Beijing.
This time, they naturally took the train again. For the Yang family, flying was no fun after a while, so they preferred the train where they could enjoy the scenery.

Upon arriving in Yanjing, just like in Shanghai, a group of people came to greet us, though there weren't as many of them.
This is understandable. China is preparing for DYB (a political event), and many political figures from around the world will be attending. Compared to them, even if Yang Wendong is very wealthy, he still cannot compare in terms of rank.

However, Yang Wendong didn't care. He was happy to have some free time and could play around in Yanjing by himself.

They also successfully checked into the presidential suite at the Four Seasons Hotel Yanjing. There have been so many people coming to Yanjing lately that if they didn't own a hotel, they might not have been able to find a good spot.
Anyway, the state guesthouse was already full.

However, the very next day, an unexpected person came to visit.

"Zhang Sheng, it's been a long time." Yang Wendong shook hands with the visitor and said, "Shouldn't Xinhua News Agency be very busy these days? Why are you looking for me?"

The visitor was Zhang Guangdou, the president of Xinhua News Agency in Hong Kong. We had met in Hong Kong not long ago, so we were friends.

With DYB approaching, it's understandable that Zhang Guangdou is in Yanjing, but it's a bit strange that he came to find him. After all, if the other party wanted to find him, it would be more convenient for him to be in Hong Kong at other times.

Zhang Guangdou smiled and said, "Mr. Yang, let me introduce you. This is Director Shao from the Forestry Bureau. Director Shao, this is Mr. Yang."

"Mr. Yang, hello, I've long admired your name," Director Shao said hastily, shaking hands with him.
"Hello, Director Shao," Yang Wendong replied politely, but he was a little puzzled. What did the people from the Forestry Bureau want with him?
His business empire is basically not involved in forestry. The only thing that is somewhat related is papermaking, and the raw material for papermaking is wood.
However, he did not participate in forestry, but instead purchased finished timber or wood pulp raw materials from Guo Henian or from Canada.

Although he pursues the entire industry chain, he does not participate in parts that are too cumbersome, have low profit margins, or are heavily tied to local forces. Instead, he entrusts these parts to trusted partners or invests in companies that can guarantee a stable supply.

Zhang Guangdou said, "Mr. Yang, Director Shao is representing the Ministry of Forestry and has some matters he would like to discuss with you, so he asked me to arrange a meeting. It just so happens that you are in Yanjing right now, so I came to bother you."

Yang Wendong smiled and said, "No problem, please come in."

After Zhang and Shao came in, Yang Wendong introduced his son to them.

“Like father, like son! Young Yang looks like a very talented man,” Zhang Guangdou said with a smile.

Yang Zhiwen quickly replied, "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Zhang."

"Have a seat and some coffee. I got it from someone in Brazil," Yang Wendong said.

"Thank you." After Zhang and Shao each took a sip of coffee, Yang Wendong asked, "Director Shao, what brings you here?"

Director Shao said, "That's right. After the reform and opening up, the economy has developed, so people's demand for cultural tourism has also increased. At the same time, the country is also encouraging urban residents to consume."
Therefore, various cities have begun to set up amusement parks and zoos. My department is responsible for the zoos, which involves collecting various animals from both domestic and international sources.

"You mean you want me to help you collect these animals? From abroad?" Yang Wendong retorted.
Since the reform and opening up, China's economy has made great progress, and many places are now wealthy enough to support the development of the tourism industry.
The economy is not only material, but also needs to involve the spiritual;
Therefore, some entertainment venues still need to be built, and zoos are one of the most common ones;

It can also increase many people's awareness.

Director Shao quickly shook his head: "That's not it. We will try to purchase various animals from overseas, but there is one problem. We can hardly find our own South China tigers in China anymore."

"South China tiger?" Yang Wendong immediately understood and asked, "Are there no wild South China tigers left in China?"

Before the reform and opening up, a chance encounter reminded him of the extinction of the South China tiger in his previous life. So he used US dollars to purchase wild South China tigers from the mainland through China Resources.
At that time, agriculture was competing with forests for territory, which affected tigers. This caused tigers to come down from the mountains to attack cattle and even humans, which further aggravated the conflict between humans and tigers.

Faced with the terrifying upright ape armed with firearms, let alone a tiger, even a Tyrannosaurus Rex would die;

All Yang Wendong did back then was try to preserve a sliver of the South China tiger's life.
Fortunately, there were still some wild tigers in China in the late 70s. With the help of foreign exchange, more than 50 adult and juvenile South China tigers were introduced from China in the following years and then sent to zoos in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines.
It's worth noting that Yang Wendong originally didn't plan to run a zoo, but he did it specifically for the South China tiger, since he wasn't losing money anyway.

Director Shao shook his head and said, "We can't find them. We spent a long time searching in the wild. The South China tiger is almost extinct. In China, we did manage to capture six live South China tigers in the late 1950s for research purposes."

These six have died of old age, and their offspring number eight. However, inbreeding has occurred among these eight, and each of them has some problems.

Our internal estimate is that, apart from the few dozen South China tigers under Mr. Yang's care, there are probably no other South China tigers left in the world. Even if there were, they would become extinct without their own kind in the wild.” “I never imagined that what I did back then would actually save our Chinese tiger population,” Yang Wendong nodded and said.
For most animals, extinction is simply a matter of life and death, so Yang Wendong wasn't particularly concerned.
But tigers are a symbol of supreme power in many cultures. The South China tiger only lives in China, and in its past life it was almost extinct, just like it is now.

Although there are still a few in the laboratory, and they have successfully reproduced in the 21st century, the severe inbreeding has caused them to have serious health problems. It may take hundreds of years for them to recover to normal, and that is under ideal conditions.

The situation is different on our side. In the early years, we found more than 50 tigers of different bloodlines from different provinces. There will be no inbreeding among them. As long as we take good care of them, it is enough to maintain the reproduction of the species, and there is little risk.

Director Shao said, "Yes, it is thanks to Mr. Yang's actions back then that we were able to preserve the tigers that are unique to the Chinese. So this time, we would like to buy some tigers from you."

Then they will be bred in zoos within China, and when the opportunity arises, they will be released into the wild, so that there will still be wild tigers on Chinese soil.

"Hmm," Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but as you know, I don't care about money. To me, these tigers are far more valuable and meaningful than money. I'd like to make some exchanges with the domestic authorities. What do you think?"

He had never felt this way before, as if he held almost the only species in the world in his hands.

It is estimated that no politician or tycoon in human history has ever experienced this feeling;
In normal history, when humans discover that a species is on the verge of extinction, it is basically irreversible.

If I hadn't suddenly remembered this and made arrangements in advance, it would have been extremely difficult to save this almost extinct species.

Director Shao asked, "What kind of exchange does Mr. Yang require?"

Before they came, they knew that talking about money with the person in front of them was pointless;

It's important to know that they have invested in multiple projects in the country, each starting at hundreds of millions of US dollars;
How much money could the Forestry Bureau possibly have? And what little it had was only in RMB, with very little foreign exchange.
Yang Wendong said, "I can give you a few South China tigers, but I need a few pandas, how about that?"

"Pandas?" Director Shao's expression changed, and he quickly shook his head, saying, "That won't do. Pandas are national treasures, unique to the country, and cannot be traded."

“I know that, the law has already stipulated it, and I won’t force you. I’m just borrowing it, how about that?” Yang Wendong continued, “Although pandas are designated as national treasures, there should still be a few hundred of them in the whole country, right? But the South China tiger is almost extinct?”

While there are indeed more pandas than South China tigers now, pandas are legally recognized as national treasures, and the South China tiger's status is truly inferior.

As early as the 19th century, when pandas were discovered by Westerners, they were regarded as treasures and welcomed all over the world;

Seriously, this thing is just too cute. It's ridiculous for a bear to be so round and chubby. Plus, it mainly eats bamboo and isn't a carnivore. It also has a pretty good temperament. It's hard not to like it.

After the 60s, China enacted legislation designating the panda as a national treasure and a symbol of the country's auspicious animal, which is of great significance.
Director Shao looked troubled: "Mr. Yang, what you said makes sense, but when it comes to pandas, this is not something I can decide, and even our department cannot decide it."

Zhang Guangdou also said, "Mr. Yang, pandas are not just any other animals. We can't just give them to you casually, and our country will not allow other countries to possess pandas at will."

Yang Wendong then asked, "What if I only keep the pandas in Hong Kong?"

Yang Wendong also knew that the panda was a diplomatic card in China, and this card could sometimes play a significant role.

"Just in Hong Kong?" Zhang Guangdou and Director Shao exchanged a glance and said, "Mr. Yang, if it's just in Hong Kong, we might be able to discuss it, but Hong Kong can only give us a maximum of two pandas, no more than that."

"Two will do," Yang Wendong nodded, then asked, "How many South China tigers do you need?"

Director Shao said, "At least eight, four males and four females. To avoid inbreeding, this is already considered a small number. In the future, we still hope that South China tigers at home and abroad can have some more exchanges on breeding."

“Breeding exchanges are fine, and I also hope that the South China tiger species can recover as soon as possible.” Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, “But exchanging eight South China tigers for two leased pandas is still a bit of a loss for me, isn’t it?”

While pandas are indeed national treasures, from a biological perspective, the South China tiger is actually more valuable than the panda.
Because apart from being cute and loved by humans, pandas are practically useless.
Tigers, on the other hand, are at the top of the food chain in a region, and their presence is essential for the proper control of the regional food chain.

In my previous life, after the mainland economy developed, wild boar herds appeared in many places that were difficult to control. This was because there were no top predators such as tigers and bears. Without natural enemies, wild boars, coupled with the fact that pigs are animals that reproduce very quickly, quickly became rampant.

Even though he possessed the South China tiger, he wouldn't take the opportunity to demand an exorbitant price, but he also felt that such a transaction was not worthwhile.

“Mr. Yang can also request some other species, as long as they are not pandas, it’s all negotiable,” Director Shao said generously.

"Other species are out of the question." Yang Wendong shook his head. Only pandas are protected by law; otherwise, how could he not get other species with his money?
So he said, "I have another idea. How about I invest in zoos in some parts of the country?"

"This way, I can bring tigers from overseas into the country—they'll be mine, but also the nation's. At the same time, it will allow more cities to have their own zoos in a shorter time. What do you think?"

The initial plan for the South China tiger population was ultimately to cooperate with the mainland in order for this species to recover.

Given his current net worth, he would naturally not engage in animal trading, nor would he be interested in such a small profit.

He values ​​and cares about helping tigers, which belong to Chinese civilization, to return to normal and perhaps even appear in historical records in the future.

Asking for money from domestic sources is too low-level. Seeking cooperation in industrial fields would be more valuable for long-term collaboration!
PS: Please give me a monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)