Twenty years of cold chain

Hu Shutong spent more than forty days, making multiple trips between Mingjiang and Qingning, to perfect the college's human resources structure. During this time, he received support from several professors, led by Hong Chengliang. The insights these seniors had into the college's development were far beyond Hu Shutong's reach.

Not only did they leverage their respective connections, but they also, under the guise of Mingjiang University's research station, injected faculty resources into Tongxing College from the university's perspective. Hu Shutong also visited Qingda and Longda universities.

Some intentions for cooperation have been clarified.

At the same time, industry associations led by Zeng Zhaoda and others also provided strong support to Tongxing College, and developed a detailed plan for the teaching content based on the current situation.

At first glance, Hu Shutong's logic seems somewhat illogical; the college's basic construction is still in its infancy, yet a large amount of work that should have followed up has been brought forward. Hu Shutong, however, had no choice but to do so.

He is currently busy contributing to the infrastructure development efforts, hoping to achieve greater results with a more mature report and proposal.

One week ago,

Hu Shutong then sent the proposal to Lei Xiaoxi, and after a long wait, he finally received a reply: the National Development and Reform Commission will hold a special seminar tomorrow and has invited Hu Shutong to participate.

Hu Shutong realized that this was somewhat similar to the Q&A session he had attended in Mingjiang, but another signal from Lei Xiaoxi made his heart sink, and things were not looking good.

Because this involves the issue of a provincial fund utilization mechanism, things become very complicated once they escalate to this level.

Tongxing College applied for the Industrial Development Guidance Fund, but the fund's evaluation criteria focus on emerging enterprises with a primary focus on smart terminals, energy conservation and environmental protection, and new energy.

Tongxing certainly wanted to apply for the "Cold Chain Logistics College Support Fund," but there was no such initiative available. Furthermore, in Qingning's provincial-level funds, the investment in industry-academia-research-oriented R&D funds and discipline-specific funds is far less than that of industrial development funds.

It must be said that the cold chain industry can no longer be called a new industry, but Hu Shutong has read the implementation plan of the industry fund in detail. The "growth period of advantageous industries" is also in this category, but no specific areas are listed.

The next morning,

When Hu Shutong arrived at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), he was suddenly informed that he would be attending an afternoon meeting. The fact that the meeting was not "delayed to the afternoon" was, in Hu Shutong's opinion, a signal that the NDRC had significant disagreements about the report's proposal and needed to clarify certain things before discussing them with him.

Hu Shutong did not leave. He sat down on a bench by the parking lot and calmly pondered the many possibilities.

Lei Xiaoxi is now one of the five deputy directors of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, having been promoted to the deputy director-general level, and is in charge of the Policy Research Office, the National Economic Comprehensive Operation Regulation Division, and other departments.

In the conference room, the leaders discussed Tongxing's proposal.

"Although the industrial development fund has not been deployed to specific areas one by one, emerging industries and advantageous industries are the main focus. Environmental protection and energy issues are very prominent now, and we still have a lot of work to do. There are many technical problems involved, and the industrial fund should focus more on these areas."

Lei Xiaoxi said, "I believe that industrial funding for academic support in various development fields is also feasible. The emphasis we place on this funding is simply on industry and development. Essentially, developing industry means strengthening human resources, and developing human resources means strengthening the foundation of industry. Although we have provided significant support for the cold chain industry in recent years..."

"However, the prospects of corporate academies are questionable. Data shows that less than 10% of the learning management from corporate universities actually translates into corporate performance. Many corporate universities in China are merely nominal, and some have even simply changed the name of their original training centers. Specifically for Tongxing, which is still in the development stage, is this step too ambitious? Whether or not we need a corporate university is something we should be considering more."

Lei Xiaoxi immediately said, "Tongxing's corporate university should be understood as an industry university, rather than equating the company's own development stage with the inherent talent gap in the industry. Moreover, given Tongxing's human resources, I don't think the corporate academy will bring any substantial changes to itself; on the contrary, it will boost the entire industry. I think such pioneering efforts should be supported."

"We don't need to think about the future. This is difficult to do in principle. For cold chain, emerging industries are naturally not worth considering, and for advantageous industries, I think it's even more out of the question."

……

At noon, Hu Shutong was still sitting on the bench, unconsciously folding a half-dried leaf in half.

After the morning meeting, he received no news. Sometimes, no news isn't necessarily good news. This made him think a lot. If he couldn't even win over Lei Xiaoxi, then logically, he didn't have much to say.

It's important to understand that such occasions shouldn't involve repetitive arguments, and since the other party often understands many things better than you, they shouldn't be turned into a debate. So, what kind of perspective should you take?

The afternoon meeting officially began. When Hu Shutong saw so many high-ranking leaders sitting together, he understood that this was not a simple matter of fund allocation.

"Distinguished leaders, the reason Tongxing applied for the industrial development fund is because we have seen the support that Tongxing Academy provides to our advantageous industries. We are confident in building a talent supply chain to further strengthen our industry's advantages."

Putting everything else aside, Hu Shutong's opening remarks were quite jarring. Everyone knows the current state of the cold chain industry, so why does he start by wearing the mask of an "advantageous industry"?

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!

"Tongxing Academy is not seeking support because the industry is weak; on the contrary, we advocate paving the way for this smooth path. As someone who has worked in the industry for many years, I believe that the cold chain is heading towards a brighter future. Whether it's the rural economy, the irrigation economy, or the marine economy, they are all moving towards a larger scale because of the injection of the cold chain."

"Tongxing people have always believed that the greatest advantage of an industry lies in the countless demands that need to be met, and in the fact that it has new growth points and new value creations every day, every month, and every year. The fishing and ranching areas in the East China Sea, the sweet potatoes and apples in the Northwest, and the vegetable transportation to the south that we have been doing all along have been developing and moving forward, but there has never been a scale to tell us where we are now."

"Continuity is an advantage, improvement is an advantage. From the continuous increase in front-end cargo volume to the continuous improvement of terminal delivery, there is no end to the road. This is what Tongxing people believe is a road with great potential and that we cannot slacken our efforts."

"Distinguished leaders, Tongxing Academy is essentially about the output of people, and only people can make all of this possible. The prosperity of an industry lies in the flourishing of its people. This is not a question of whether Tongxing needs a corporate academy, but whether this industry should have a new channel for talent to emerge."

Everyone present felt that Hu Shutong's words were skillfully crafted; he avoided discussing the past and focused on the advantages he presented, concentrating on numerous future prospects. However, it must be acknowledged that the advantages he articulated were grounded in reality and deeply rooted, representing the greatest long-term potential. This prompts a re-evaluation of what truly constitutes an advantageous industry.

To grow stronger and expand globally, possessing core technologies is certainly a competitive advantage. However, what's more realistic and tangible right now is precisely the act of "going global." Upon closer examination, Hu Shutong's entire statement emphasizes nothing more than—

The vitality of the cold chain.

Lei Xiaoxi glanced deeply at Hu Shutong and suddenly sensed a subtle coordination. There were some things she couldn't elaborate on from his perspective, but he spoke them fluently. There were also things she had said repeatedly, afraid that he would repeat them again, but he didn't mention a single word.

Next, observe the emotions in the conference room. Hu Shutong couldn't discern what was going on, but Lei Xiaoxi understood perfectly.

On the way back, Hu Shutong felt unsettled, but the scene lingered in his mind. He became anxious and preoccupied, his thoughts drifting back to what he had said, which he had originally intended to analyze regarding the faculty structure, qualifications, and reputation.

Shortly after, his phone lit up, and he saw a text message from Lei Xiaoxi.

The short line of text seemed vague and unsure of what he was trying to say.

But right now, it made Hu Shutong grip the steering wheel tightly!

Shutong, tonight, there should be a pot of wine.

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.