Chapter 434: Wanshang New Products Ignite the Market

In August 1983, Shenzhen was sweltering.

Pingshan Industrial Park seemed like a huge steamer, the air filled with the burnt tar smell of sun‑melted asphalt, the iron‑rust scent of metal parts, and a mixed odor of plastic and paint drifting from the new factories.

But hotter than the weather was the human heart.

On the east side of the park, in front of the newly completed Wanshang Product Exhibition Center, people had been queuing since three days earlier.

They were not ordinary citizens, but department‑store managers, shop heads, and large independent appliance merchants from across the country.

They carried bulging leather bags, eyes shining, guarding the doors of several exhibition halls about to open, as if guarding a gold mine about to erupt.

August 8, 08:08 in the morning.

The heavy glass doors of the exhibition center opened slowly.

The crowd surged in like a breached flood.

The first hall, themed "Ride the Wind".

On the rotating platform at the hall's center, three motorcycles stood silently.

Streamlined fuel tanks, chrome‑plated exhausts, black seats, all glinting with a cool, alluring sheen under the spotlights.

"Wanshang‑Leopard 100 model!"

The presenter was a young woman in a red uniform with a crisp voice; she pointed at the motorcycle, and her voice rang through the hall via a microphone.

"Equipped with a self‑developed 100 cc single‑cylinder air‑cooled engine, maximum power 7.5 kW! Top speed 90 km/h! Fuel consumption only 2.1 L per 100 km!"

The crowd gasped.

These figures outclass domestic motorcycles on the market and even approach the level of some Japanese imports.

"Features electronic ignition for quick start! Front and rear hydraulic suspension for smooth ride! Load capacity up to 150 kg!"

The presenter walked to the bike and gently pressed the start button.

"Hum—"

The engine emitted a low, powerful roar, not harsh, carrying a steady rhythmic feel.

"Price: 3,800 RMB!"

The price gave many a sudden jolt of surprise.

Three‑thousand‑eight isn't cheap, but compared with imported bikes that easily cost five or six thousand, it seemed much more "people‑friendly."

More importantly, it's domestically made.

The second hall, themed "Light of Wisdom."

It was much quieter here.

On the long tables, a dozen‑plus milky‑white machines were neatly arranged.

Square monitors, standalone keyboards, and the box called the "host."

"Wanshang‑Morning Star I model personal computer!"

The presenter switched to a young technician wearing glasses.

"Equipped with a Z80 processor, 4 MHz clock! Memory 64 KB, expandable to 128 KB! Comes with a 12‑inch monochrome monitor, resolution 640×200!"

The technician spoke while deftly tapping the keyboard.

On the screen, a green cursor blinked, soon lines of English appeared, followed by complex tables, and finally a simple geometric figure rotated with the commands.

"Supports BASIC, usable for scientific calculations, business management, word processing, and teaching training!"

Most of the audience couldn't read the flashing characters, but they sensed the weight of the device from the technician's confident handling and the solemn looks of fellow professionals.

"Standard configuration price: 9,800 RMB!"

"Sss—"

A wave of sharp inhalations rose in the hall.

Nine‑eight! Almost ten thousand!

"Enterprises and institutions can purchase with a referral letter and enjoy group‑buy discounts," the technician added, "We also provide basic operation training."

The third hall, the largest, also the most crowded.

Theme: "Cool Summer, Clean Living."

It was filled with "large items."

Silver double‑door refrigerators bearing an elegant "Wanshang" logo.

Window air conditioners with white housings and green indicator lights.

Dual‑cylinder washing machines, semi‑automatic, washing and spinning simultaneously.

Also 14‑inch and 17‑inch black‑and‑white televisions, screens flickering with snow, awaiting signal input.

"Wanshang refrigerator, 180‑liter large capacity! Direct cooling, separate freezer, excellent preservation! Daily power consumption only 0.8 kWh!"

"Wanshang window air conditioner, cooling capacity 2,000 kcal, suitable for 15–20 m² rooms! Low noise, stable operation!"

"Wanshang washing machine, 3‑kg wash capacity, dual‑cylinder design, simple operation, water‑ and labor‑saving!"

"Wanshang television, using a domestic cathode‑ray tube, clear picture, loud sound! Equipped with full‑band UHF/VHF reception!"

Each time a product was introduced, the crowd stirred.

The presenter had to raise their voice to drown out the chatter.

"Refrigerator price: 1,280 RMB!"

"Air conditioner price: 1,680 RMB!"

"Washing machine price: 480 RMB!"

"14‑inch TV: 580 RMB! 17‑inch: 780 RMB!"

The prices were announced.

After a brief silence came a volcanic eruption of noise.

Motorcycles! I want ten! No, twenty!

Computers! Order five units for our unit! This is an introduction letter!

Refrigerators! Air conditioners! Fifty each! Cash!

Televisions! However many there are, we'll take them all!

The crowd surged toward the ordering desk set up in the corner of the exhibition hall.

Several long tables had been set up there, with finance and invoicing staff seated behind them, and stacks of order forms and pickup slips piled in front.

"Line up! Line up! Everybody line up!" the security guard shouted hoarsely, forming a human wall with his body.

But it was of little use.

These salespeople, seasoned veterans of the market, had long honed their skills in scrambling and grabbing.

They waved bundles of cash—wads of money wrapped in newspaper or cloth—and slapped them down on the table like bricks.

"Take mine first! Cash! Full payment!"

"We're a state-owned department store! Priority!"

"I know Manager Li! Let me go first!"

The scene momentarily got out of control.

On the second floor of the exhibition center, in the observation room.

Li Ping'an stood behind the one-way glass, quietly watching the boiling scene downstairs.

Beside him stood Li Yaotong, He Xiao, and Zheng Guodong, the factory manager of Wanxiang Appliances—a man in his fifties, former technical deputy director of the Shanghai Refrigerator Factory, headhunted with a high salary.

"Boss Li, this… is incredibly hot." Zheng Guodong wiped sweat from his brow, both excited and nervous, "Can our production capacity keep up?"

Downstairs, a salesman with a Northeastern accent slammed the table and shouted: "I came all the way from Shenyang, bringing fifty thousand in cash! If I don't get a pickup slip today, I'm not leaving!"

"Do you see that?" Li Ping'an didn't answer Zheng Guodong directly, but pointed at the man, "This is the market. A market that's been starving for a long time."

He turned around.

"I don't worry about production capacity—that's your job. I only want results: orders can't be lost, delivery times can't be delayed too long, and quality must not have any problems."

His tone was calm, but the pressure weighed like a mountain.

Zheng Guodong's face hardened: "Yes! I'll personally oversee the production line—three shifts, workers never stop even if the machines do."

The pickup slip became the hottest commodity.

It was just a sheet of paper printed with a form, listing product name, model, quantity, and pickup date, stamped with Wanxiang Group's finance seal and the dedicated pickup seal.

But to the salespeople, it was money.

It was real cash that could be marked up and resold immediately.

Because production capacity was limited, pickup slips were issued in batches.

The first batch included only five hundred motorcycles, two hundred computers, one thousand refrigerators, eight hundred air conditioners, two thousand washing machines, and three thousand televisions.

For the over a thousand salespeople watching from below, eager and ready, this was a drop in the bucket.

Thus, every possible tactic was employed.

Those with connections called to pull strings.

Those without connections simply bought the slips from those who had them, at a markup.

The most extreme were a few merchants from Wenzhou who joined forces, rented out all the rooms of a small hotel outside the industrial park, and then sent people to take turns staking out the exhibition center entrance and the pickup warehouse.

When they saw someone come out with a pickup slip, they'd approach: "Brother, want to transfer the slip? Add ten percent!"

"Add twenty percent!"

"Add thirty percent!"

Scalpers reselling pickup slips sprang up.

The production workshop was even more frenzied.

On the motorcycle assembly line, parts moved like a flowing stream.

Workers bent over tightening screws, mounting tires, wiring circuits, moving as fast as wind-up toys.

The shop foreman grabbed a loudspeaker and shouted: "Pay attention! Quality is key! Whoever causes a problem will have their bonus deducted!"

In the refrigerator workshop, the huge stamping machine clanged, pressing steel sheets into cabinets.

On the foam line, white polyurethane raw material was injected into the sandwich layer, expanding and setting.

On the final assembly line, refrigerator after refrigerator was fitted with compressors and condensers, tested, and packaged.

The air-conditioning workshop, television workshop, washing machine workshop…

The entire industrial park was immersed in a near-frenzy of production rhythm.

The roar of machines, workers' shouts, the beeping of forklifts moving loads—these sounds filled the air twenty-four hours a day.

The most remarkable sight was at the warehouse door.

Outside the pickup warehouse, a row of makeshift shelters had been erected.

Inside the shelters, people sat or lay, packed tightly.

They were all salespeople waiting to pick up their goods.

They dared not leave, fearing that if they did, someone else would snatch their goods.

Thus, they brought bedding rolls, dry rations, and thermoses, and set up camp right there.

During the day, they stared at the warehouse doors, watching for any new vehicles or goods being brought out.

At night, they crowded into the shelters, playing cards, chatting, and exchanging information.

"Old Zhang, which batch are you in for televisions?"

"Ah, the third batch, not until next month. And you?"

I'm in the second batch, but this month is also uncertain. I heard the supply of cathode ray tubes can't keep up.

Motorcycles are in short supply, and engine production capacity is bottlenecked.

Refrigerators and air conditioners still sell well; in the hot south, there's no worry about sales.

They became the industrial park's 'extra residents,' and also the most vivid footnote to the blazing popularity of Wanshang products.

On the fifth night after the exhibition center opened.

Li Ping'an came to the observation room again.

Downstairs the lights were off, but in the sheds outside the warehouse there were still specks of light—salespeople keeping watch with candles or emergency lights.

In the distance, the production workshop's lights were still bright as snow, and the machines' roar came through the night wind.

"Dad, the manager of Guangzhou Department Store, Zhao, wants to see you alone." Li Yaozong walked in and said softly, "He's willing to prepay 300,000 to lock down half of the output of the next batch of motorcycles."

"No." Li Ping'an waved his hand, "Rules are rules; we follow the order of orders."

"But..."

"No 'but's." Li Ping'an turned around, "Yaozong, remember: the tighter the supply, the more you must uphold the rules. Making an exception for 300,000 today will invite someone to offer 1,000,000 tomorrow. Once the rule is broken, the market will descend into chaos."

He walked to the window, watching those salespeople keeping watch.

"Why are they willing to sleep here? Because they trust our rules, trust first-come-first-served, trust that paying gets them the goods. This trust is worth more than any amount of money."

Li Yaozong fell into thought.

August 15, the first shipment day.

The warehouse gate opened at six in the morning.

The salespeople had already lined up, clutching their pickup slips tightly, eyes blood‑red from lack of sleep, but spirits high.

Forklifts went in and out, transporting the packed products onto trucks.

"Guangdong A-! Twenty motorcycles! Inspect and sign!"

"Beijing B-! Fifty refrigerators! Load them here!"

"Shanghai C-! One hundred televisions! Careful with the screens!"

Shouts, commands, and engine noises blended together.

Those who got the goods beamed, directing workers to handle them carefully.

Those still waiting stared longingly, calculating their turn.

A Wenzhou merchant took the last ten air conditioners of the first batch, and on the spot a Dongbei merchant bought them off him at a 20% markup.

"Brother, you just made four hundred by flipping it!" someone envied.

"Hehe, no way, my family's store is waiting for the goods, customers are urging." The Wenzhou merchant counted money, smiling.

The booming sales situation spread across the country like wind.

Reports began to appear in newspapers.

"Wanshang New Product Launch Sparks Buying Frenzy"

"The Rise of Domestic Motorcycles, Computers, and Appliances?"

"Viewing Market Demand Through the Wanshang Phenomenon"

Television news also showed footage of long lines at the exhibition center and makeshift sheds outside the warehouse where people kept watch.

Wanxiang Group, a name previously known mainly in the south and within the industry, overnight echoed across the nation.

At the end‑of‑month summary meeting.

The financial director reported a string of numbers.

"Motorcycles: orders 8,700 units, delivered 500, order value completed 3.3 million."

"Computers: orders 1,500 units, delivered 200, order value completed 1.47 million."

"Refrigerators: orders 23,000 units, delivered 1,000..."

"Air conditioners: orders 18,000 units..."

"Televisions: orders 57,000 units..."

"Washing machines..."

Total order value exceeded 50 million.

But actual deliveries were less than one‑tenth.

"Production capacity is the biggest bottleneck." Zheng Guodong reported, "Mainly the supply of core components can't keep up—engines, compressors, picture tubes, chips… need to be outsourced or made in‑house, but our in‑house lines are still being debugged."

"Suppliers are also urging delivery." The purchasing director smiled wryly, "They've never seen such a huge order."

The meeting room was filled with a sweet kind of worry.

Orders are too many to handle; goods can't be produced.

After the meeting dispersed, Li Ping'an stayed behind alone in the meeting room.

Outside the window, the industrial park remained brightly lit.

He knew that the 'Wanshang fire' he had personally ignited had already been lit.

It burned out the market's thirst, burned out the potential of domestic goods, and also burned out the shortcomings of production capacity.

Next, should we keep adding fuel to let the fire burn brighter?

Or should we slightly control the fire, first strengthening the foundation?

He thought of the salespeople sleeping outside the warehouse, and their longing for the goods in their eyes.

He thought of this country, so many families still lacking a refrigerator to preserve food, lacking an air conditioner to fend off the heat, lacking a television to understand the world.

The road is still long.

But the direction is already clear.

He stood up and walked to the window.

In the night, the Wanshang industrial park resembled a waking giant beast, inhaling and exhaling materials, producing goods, and nurturing the embryonic form of this country's modern life.

And he is the creator and rider of this giant beast.

Ahead is a wider market, and also a sterner challenge.

But he is already prepared.