National Tide 1980.

Chapter 572 Opening Conditions
Also because of the "Altar Palace" and because of Ning Weimin, the atmosphere of the Jingcheng Art Red Lantern Factory is also very different from the past.

Since the backlog of inventory was sold last year, a large number of follow-up orders for palace lanterns have been obtained from "Altar Palace".

Hu Kuanfu, secretary of the Palace Lantern Factory, and Xu Pingzhi, director of the factory, not only no longer need to hide from employees who are reimbursed for medical expenses, but also no longer need to drink the "Flower Triangle" that costs two yuan and one catty.

They finally lived the happy life they dreamed of, where they could drink seven yuan a catty of "welfare tea".

In addition, participating in the opening ceremony of the "Altar Palace" also made them discover that Ning Weimin spared no expense in interior decoration, and realized new business opportunities from the hand-painted murals of the teachers and students of the Academy of Fine Arts.

So after eating that meal, starting from September 1983, they aimed at the "Bei Shen Kitchen" renovation project that was already on the schedule, and began to try to restore the wallpaper mural business that the factory had abandoned for more than ten years .

Speaking of wallpaper murals in the capital, they first appeared in the early [-]th century.

Back then, Wenshengzhai Lantern Fan Painting Shop was established in Toutiao, Langfang, outside Zhengyangmen, specializing in palace lanterns, gauze lanterns, calligraphy and paintings. It was the first to discover the habit of foreigners who like to use wallpapers painted with various patterns to decorate living rooms and bedrooms.

Only the painters were invited to create it with reference to the traditional painting style and artistic characteristics of our country.

The biggest difference between Wen Shengzhai's wallpaper murals and general Western wallpaper is that it inherits and develops the traditional Chinese painting style on the basis of cheap cost, convenient posting, and easy replacement.

For example, the earliest participants in the design and drawing of murals include Wu Zhongsan dedicated to Qing Ruyi Pavilion, and well-known folk painters such as Kou Shuangshou.

The first set of lady murals and flower murals launched by Wen Shengzhai in that year were drawn using traditional Chinese painting techniques with heavy colors.

Due to the delicate lines, elegant and lively colors, and the rich and gorgeous artistic effect, it soon attracted attention and was sought after in the international market.

In the early 30s, Wen Shengzhai's wallpaper murals became popular in the United States, Britain, Italy, France and other countries, and many merchants made special trips to Beijing to order them.

Moreover, with the increase in export volume, it has also promoted the overall prosperity of the wallpaper mural industry in Beijing, and it has grown rapidly.

From the 30s to the 40s, there were Qin Industrial and Commercial Bank, Zhenji Antique Shop, Yihexing, Pujuzhai, Linji Foreign Firm, etc., which successively joined this emerging arts and crafts industry, with as many as three artists. More than a hundred people.

Established in 1942, the Oriental Art Firm is even a manufacturer specializing in the design and production of murals.

Its products are exclusively distributed by Glass Company of the United States.

It should be said that because of its practicality and artistry, the wallpaper murals in Beijing are very likely to develop into a decorative product that sells well overseas and has the characteristics of our Chinese civilization.

But after the 40s, this great momentum came to an abrupt end, and the war seriously affected the sales of wallpaper murals in Beijing.

As a result, the lives of the relevant practitioners are in the miserable situation of "there is a living to eat, and no living to beg for food".

On the eve of liberation, all industries in the capital were in depression, and the wallpaper and mural industry was on the verge of extinction.

Thanks to the fact that in 1956, the government organized artists from the wallpaper mural industry and palace gauze lantern production industry to establish the Jingcheng Art Red Lantern Factory.

Only in the fourth quarter of 1957, the factory resumed the production of wallpaper and murals, and the export was managed by Jingcheng Special Art Company.

But soon it was the 60s again.

It is a pity that due to special factors known to everyone, this unique art and crafts product unique to the capital had to be discontinued again.

And this stop will last for 20 years, even if overseas demand is increasing day by day, it is still useless.

If it wasn't for the emergence of the "Altar Palace" restaurant, if it wasn't for Ning Weimin's inspiration to ask teachers and students of art colleges to paint on the walls.

I'm afraid it's the Art Red Lantern Factory, and no one can think of this niche product that only overseas wealthy people like.

So from this perspective, thanks to the butterfly effect produced by Ning Weimin.

Only then did the unique wallpaper murals in the capital have a chance to continue to survive and not completely disappear in history.

As for how to resume production specifically.

It can be called the great fortune in misfortune, most of the old people in the factory who know this craft are still alive.

Hu Kuanfu and Xu Pingzhi personally came forward and invited these veteran craftsmen to leave the mountain one by one.

Don't even look at retirement and retirement, these people haven't done this job for 20 years.

But three stinky generals can beat Zhuge Liang.

These veteran craftsmen get together to recall, discuss and ponder together.

Really put together the basic production technology, like a jigsaw puzzle.

In this way, at the beginning of November 1983, the wallpaper mural of "Flowers in Four Seasons" by Gongdeng Factory could be regarded as a success.

Finally, there is a finished product that can be shown to Ning Weimin.

It has to be said that the technical foundation of the Palace Lantern Factory is still very good.

The four seasons flower wallpapers drawn by them are colorful and fragrant, and have a unique charm.

The effect is no worse than the serious murals made by the teachers and students of the Academy of Fine Arts. Ning Weimin liked it very much at first sight.

Especially when he learned that this kind of wallpaper is composed of several banners.

The width, length, and even screen content of each set can be specified according to actual needs.

And no matter how big the landscape is, as long as the pieces are spliced ​​together, a complete picture can be formed.

He was even more surprised.

Because it is as convenient as the wallpaper of later generations.

He dared to say that, if there is such a thing after 30 years, it will definitely become the first choice material for Chinese-style hall decoration.

As for the cost, it's totally fine.

Even the sharpening price that the Palace Lantern Factory gritted its teeth and shouted was only fifteen or sixteen yuan per square meter.

It is much cheaper than Ning Weimin to hire those teachers and students from the Academy of Fine Arts, less than one-third of the cost of the altar and palace murals.

A wall of more than ten square meters needs to be framed, and the price is barely worth a table of official seats that Ning Weimin sells.

The most important thing is that the construction efficiency of this thing is high.

These wallpapers can be painted in advance, and then it will be finished on the wall when the time comes.

There is no need for the artists to rush to work in an environment full of dust and smoke when the second floor of the "Altar Palace" is being renovated.

That was too hard, and too embarrassing.

The only flaw is that the material of this wallpaper is too fragile.

Because the Palace Lantern Factory uses the most traditional, cheapest, and most convenient material for paper-Xuan paper.

What Ning Weimin is worried about is that this thing is not only easy to get dirty, but also easy to break. If you sprinkle some water or wine, it will be full.

So in order to avoid this problem, the Palace Lantern Factory has to continue to carry out technical research.

It is best to restore the higher-level silk painting production methods that they once mastered in the heyday of wallpaper murals in the past.

Only in this way can Ning Weimin's needs be catered to, and it can just catch up with the progress of the "Bei Shen Kitchen" renovation project.

But even so, the efforts and achievements made by the Palace Lantern Factory are enough to move Ning Weimin and pay respect to them.

So he let go, as long as the silk painting is really done.

Most of the [-] to [-]-square-meter wall interior decoration of the "Bei Shen Kitchen" can be handed over to the Palace Lantern Factory to complete.

In this way, the Palace Lantern Factory was encouraged up and down, which was almost like a bloodbath.

No, under the joint supervision of Hu Kuanfu and Xu Pingzhi, the research team of the Palace Lantern Factory spent two months in a row. After repeated experiments of lighting lamps and boiling oil, they have already made the materials of Nanfan silk and foreign textiles and the special glue that matches the materials. about there.

Only in terms of craftsmanship, these cloths need to be dyed into various colors before painting.

There are still some technical problems about the dyeing pigments and color fixing agents used, and whether it can be painted first and then pasted.

So on January 1th, Hu Kuanfu, the secretary of the Palace Lantern Factory, and Xu Pingzhi, the factory director, called together all the relevant technical backbones to hold a mobilization meeting.

I hope everyone can work hard to overcome technical difficulties.

"...Now we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of us, and that is the interior decoration project of the second phase of the 'Altar Palace' - Beishen Kitchen. The area of ​​this place is much larger than the two-story building on Tiantan North Road Many, in the future we will definitely undertake large-scale banquets. At least there is a wall area of ​​10 square meters. Let’s take it down, and the wallpaper and murals alone are a large order of [-] yuan."

"Moreover, this project is not only cost-effective, but also its social influence cannot be underestimated. Everyone should know that the reputation of 'Tan Gong' Restaurant is no less than that of Beihai Fangshan Restaurant and Tingli Pavilion. When Beishen Kitchen opens, there will definitely be more reporters reporting."

"Precisely because of our participation in the last project, the sales of the high-quality palace lamps in the factory have expanded a lot. The other two palace restaurants were unwilling to be pulled down by the 'Altar Palace' and began to order high-end lamps from our factory. Even the Sichuan Restaurant Also come to ask for our palace lantern types and quotations.”

"What does this mean? It means that this "Altar Palace" is indeed a key project in the district, and it is indeed a project invested by Peel-Carton Company. As long as we can participate in the decoration project of this restaurant, we will be able to gain both fame and fortune. "

"If this time, if our wallpaper is really famous, then our factory will have two blockbuster products in the future, and our factory's income will definitely go up to a higher level."

"How about it? Everyone express their opinion. For our factory and for the good life of everyone in the future, are you willing to sacrifice your ego for a while? Half of the silk painting technique has been completely perfected. Seize this opportunity?"

Secretary Hu Kuanfu made a speech first, the issues he described were very objective, and the analysis of the situation was very clear.

However, due to the characteristics of his position, his long speeches are full of truth, which are too high-sounding.

So that everyone's emotions are not high.

What's more, the three-day holiday of the Spring Festival is too important, and it is very meaningful in this era.

Everyone has worked hard for a year, and frugal for a year, and they look forward to indulge their stomachs and live a good life in the past few days.

How could you be willing to lose this opportunity for family fun?
So when he was supposed to respond, he turned cold.

Everyone was very hesitant, and many of them recited "Bowing Your Head Fast".

This made Hu Kuanfu a little bit embarrassed to come down, and he sighed in disappointment.

Fortunately, there was Xu Pingzhi as his partner, so he hurriedly added something more grounded than Hu Kuanfu.

"Hey, to be honest, Secretary Hu and I are actually very reluctant. At this time, we ask everyone to work overtime and give up celebrating the New Year with our families. It's really unreasonable."

"But the problem is that to seize this opportunity, we have to race against time. If we miss this opportunity, we will lose a lot of profits in the future. It will even make all your current efforts meaningless. Because apart from the 'Tan Gong' Engineering, there is no chance for our wallpaper murals to stand out anymore. But people will not wait for us. If the technology we finally recovered is not useful, wouldn’t everyone’s efforts be in vain?”

"Comrades, don't blame me for telling the truth. Our factory is now different from when we worked well and badly for a month in the past. The state has long ignored us. Although our wages are still in charge of the state, even if the factory loses money There will be a shortage. But if we can’t make the factory prosperous, we don’t even think about benefits and various reimbursements. Everyone recalls. What kind of life did we live before the customer “Tan Gong”? Do you still want to Go back to that time?"

"In the past, we always said that two-thirds of the people in the world were in dire straits. Looking back now, it turned out that we were the ones in dire straits. Secretary Hu and I dare not compare ourselves with Bu Xinsheng, but we also sincerely I am afraid of being poor, and I want to lead everyone to live a good life. With our conditions, what else can we do if we want to live a good life? There is only one thing, to endure hardships and hardships, and to be a master."

"Let me make a statement here. During the three days of the Spring Festival, Secretary Hu and I will work in the factory all day, and we will try our best to arrange coordination and logistical support for everyone. As for those of you who are willing to work overtime, not only the factory will give overtime fee, and there will be paid leave afterward.”

Needless to say, this time, besides being polite and reasonable, there are also advantages. Xu Pingzhi didn't waste his words, and he finally moved the big guys a little bit.

Someone said, "Okay, since the secretary and the factory manager have said so, we are not people who don't know what to do. If you work overtime during the holidays, you can count me in. But if you work for three days, I can't work with my wife and children." Confess? You have to leave the New Year's Day to me no matter what?"

As soon as these words came out, there was a burst of laughter.

Others said, "Secretaries and factory managers, you are willing to set an example and take the lead in working overtime. We admire it. It is rare to have cadres like you two. But the emperor does not send hungry soldiers. We have to ask clearly, how much is this overtime pay? If we I really perfected the technology ahead of time and let the factory get the order. Is there any extra bonus?"

Then there was a lot of noise.

"Director, I think there should be an extra bonus..."

"Secretary, by the way, just now you said that you will still take compensatory leave, how many days will you make up? Can we choose the days ourselves?"

To be honest, Hu Kuanfu and Xu Pingzhi were both relieved and contradictory at the same time.
The gratifying thing is that everyone spit out after all, which brought them one step closer to their goal of success.

Paradoxically, they didn't expect that everyone's extra requirements were not easy to meet.

However, just when they were going to add up further, something unexpected happened.

The door opened, and several elderly people walked in suddenly.

This immediately made all the noise disappear without a trace.

"Master Zhao, Master Liu, and Master Huang, who are you?"

Hu Kuanfu and Xu Pingzhi, who came here, knew each other well, and they were both retired masters from the factory.

"Secretary Hu, Director Xu, we don't need these bastards anymore. Our old brother will help out during the Chinese New Year, okay?"

"Yes, we don't need overtime pay. We don't even need to manage food in the factory, we bring it ourselves."

"Outside the door, we were angry when we heard it. The factory can't point at these young people. They don't love the factory at all. They are all white-eyed wolves..."

The words of these old masters immediately made the young people blush, and several people even called them "masters".

The masters are so arrogant that they don't even recognize their apprentices at this moment.

One even said, "Don't call me a master, I don't have your apprentice. If you work overtime, you dare to negotiate with the factory. How capable you are! You are so capable now, I have to call you a master." .”

At this time, it was Hu Kuanfu and Xu Pingzhi who spoke for the young people.

They explained to the old masters that the current policy is to pay more for more work, and it is no longer about pure dedication.

Of course, workers can't do their work for nothing, and they must also pay attention to material rewards.

But the old men are stubborn and don't recognize this reason at all.

Master Zhao said, "It's true to talk about material returns. But it's also about the situation. How difficult is our factory now? It's time for everyone to work hard together to tide over the difficulties. Could it be that there is no water in the big rivers, but can the small rivers still have water? Well, will everyone’s life still get worse? I don’t understand the reason for this? What’s more, the factory is a collective, and I haven’t heard of working for my own family, and even making conditions? This is called extortion, and it’s called adding insult to injury.”

Master Liu also said, "It was not easy for our ancestors to figure out a craft that can amaze foreigners and is incomparable. Now it is very difficult, and there is a chance to revive this craft and restore the prosperity of the factory. What a good thing! Could it be that they flinched just because it was the end of the year? How selfish is that? Are you worthy of the ancestors? I want to ask them, who taught their crafts, and they paid for us Have you paid tuition?"

Another person sneered, "Tuition fees? Our little ability, who didn't get it by being beaten and suffering? It's the ability to settle down and support the family. Can they exchange it for a few dollars? We are fighting for the country. He taught it to feed our factory. Who cares about them? I didn’t say it. The society in the past was dark, but it tempered people. Today’s society is better, and those who can be taught and raised are all What are you doing, young master Yangzi? They are also worthy of being workers?"

The subject of the conversation naturally turned back to No.1 who spoke, Master Zhao.

"This is rats giving birth to cubs. One litter is worse than one litter. Secretary, factory manager, young people these days have lived a good life for too long. They have forgotten the difficulties of the past. They have forgotten their roots. As long as you don't think we are old , let's do this. We old things don't want material rewards. We just need to be worthy of the factory that has fed us for decades. People's lives can be easier..."

When saying these words, the eye circles of several master craftsmen turned red one by one.

This made the young people at the scene wish they could poke their heads into the cracks in the ground.

But they couldn't help but be convinced.

Because in terms of character, technology, and contribution, once the workers of the 50s came, the workers of the younger generation couldn't read it.

They were all compared.

The shining points of these veteran workers are like gold sand, pearls, and water droplets in the desert.

It's amazing, enviable, and admirable, and it's completely impossible to turn a blind eye.

(End of this chapter)