Courier is under increasing pressure. Can intelligent courier cabinet solve the problem of courier industry?

       The emergence of intelligent express cabinets can provide users with 24-hour self-service pick-up service, which seems to effectively solve the "last mile" problem. In just a few years, the smart express cabinet industry is competing with each other and capital is swarming. Relevant experts remind: to solve the problem of unclear business model.

  "I didn’t expect that the things I bought in Taobao could actually be picked up by the rookie in Paris!" Li Qian, a French student studying in Chongqing, told reporters on October 17th that you can get it by entering the pick-up code, and the location is not far from your residence, so you can get it on the way back to your dormitory after class. Many foreign students said yes.

  In September this year, the first batch of express cabinets set up by rookie in Paris, the French capital, was officially opened, with a total of 60 groups, which were mainly set up in the local core business district and scenic spots. Foreigners realized the freedom to pick up their pieces by relying on the express cabinets in China.

  In recent years, the emergence of intelligent express cabinets has solved the pain points of mismatched delivery time, low efficiency, high cost and "contactless" security at the end of express delivery. As a new solution for the "last 100 meters", it has become a new outlet in the industry.

  Recently, the State Post Bureau issued a circular on the economic operation of the industry in the first half of 2021. The data shows that the business volume and revenue of express delivery reached 49.39 billion pieces and 484.21 billion yuan, up by 45.8% and 26.6% respectively year-on-year, and the growth rate was more than twice that of the same period of last year. In 2020, the business volume of express delivery service in China will increase to 83 billion pieces with a growth rate of 30.7%, up by 5.4 percentage points over the previous year.

  Express cabinets rise quietly.

  With the approach of "Double Eleven" and "Double Twelve", China’s e-commerce sales will once again set a new world record. As a supporting service for e-commerce, the express delivery industry in China enjoys the bonus brought by the prosperity and development of online shopping, and at the same time, a large number of deliveries impact the terminals of major express delivery companies.

  In recent years, the express cabinet, a one-foot square box, has gathered the forces of users, property, couriers, express companies and express cabinet companies. In the "last mile" battlefield, it is crowded and unbalanced, and major industry giants have come to seize the market.

  From the whole service chain of express delivery, the terminal is a particularly important link, and it is also the link with the strongest user experience, so there is also a lot of room for innovation and improvement. In the current market structure, there are dozens of smart express box enterprises in China, including express delivery, e-commerce, property management and third-party service providers. Behind the accelerated layout, the Eight Immortals crossed the sea and showed their magical powers.

  According to the survey of the ways in which netizens interviewed by the State Post Bureau receive express delivery recently, express delivery stations, smart express cabinets and downstairs collection points have become the choices of most interviewed netizens, accounting for 26.3%, 21.2% and 20.5% respectively. In addition, some netizens interviewed like to wait for someone at home before arranging courier delivery. Only 13.7% of the netizens interviewed chose to place the courier at their doorstep.

  The reporter combed and found that the intelligent express cabinet has been launched for many years and still faces the problem of loss. The data shows that the net profit of HIVE BOX in 2019 and 2020 is-781 million yuan and-245 million yuan respectively, and the net profit of China Post Express is-517 million yuan and-159 million yuan respectively. The two major express cabinet brands with the highest market share are facing the problem of long-term losses.

  In fact, since the outbreak, the problem of "the last 100 meters" of express delivery has also been highlighted. During the closed management of the community, the express cabinets in the community can only be idle. With the lifting of the ban on couriers in the community, contactless delivery still becomes people’s habit, and the frequency of use of express cabinets has further increased. However, after the express counter started to charge overtime, it affected the willingness of price-sensitive residents to use it to some extent.

  Or become the outlet for capital to March.

  On January 7, 2021, Henan Yida Warehouse Information Technology Co., Ltd. completed a strategic investment of nearly 35 million yuan. The investors were JD.COM Group, Suning Group and Pinduoduo. Yida Warehouse Company was established on December 16th, 2020. Less than one month after its establishment, it was jointly invested by three giant home appliance companies.

  The three major e-commerce giants and three fierce competitors in the industry have targeted the smart express cabinets at the same time, causing huge waves in the industry. Express cabinet manufacturers have ushered in a "good start" in 2021.

  In fact, the express cabinet has many profit points and strong operability. According to industry experts, there is still a big gap in the number of express cabinets in China. Coupled with the development of the international market, the express cabinet industry is a blue ocean of 100 billion yuan, which is a new outlet for entrepreneurs and investors. The development potential of intelligent express cabinets is huge.

  Buhua, the regional director of Rookie Europe, told the reporter that due to the COVID-19 epidemic, overseas consumption has shifted more to online, and the contactless pick-up mode provided by the self-counter has been greatly welcomed in overseas markets. It is estimated that by the end of the year, the rookie will set up 650 sets of self-reporting cabinets throughout France.

  According to Tianyancha data, as of October 17 this year, there are more than 800 express cabinet related enterprises in China. Among them, more than 280 enterprises will be added in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 54%.

  According to a report previously released by the State Post Bureau, in 2020, the number of intelligent express cabinets nationwide will reach 750,000, with a market size of nearly 30 billion yuan.

  In just a few years, the smart express cabinet industry has been competing with each other and capital has swarmed, forming a pattern of three major systems, namely, express delivery system, e-commerce system and third party, competing on the same stage. During this period, HIVE BOX is also accelerating its external financing and expansion. Following the shareholder’s capital increase of 500 million yuan in June 2016, the company completed two rounds of financing totaling 5 billion yuan in 2017 and 2018 respectively, and in September 2017, it acquired CIMC E-stack for 810 million yuan, becoming the first in the industry terminal layout.

  At present, many foreign companies are studying how to turn cars into mobile express cabinets. Just last week, Skoda, a sub-brand of Volkswagen Group, announced that its Skoda Digilab mobile joint venture company has started testing the on-board parcel delivery system with two online retailers in the Czech Republic.

  JD.COM also launched a similar product earlier, named "Express Delivery to Car". The principle is similar. After the owner buys the order online, the purchased goods are sent directly to the trunk of the vehicle, and the courier receives the positioning of the vehicle through GPS signals. Authorized courier, after application, can open the trunk of the car without the presence of the owner, so as to realize proper delivery of goods.

  Solve the problem of unclear business model

  "As a terminal delivery facility, the express box has certain public service attributes, and its quasi-publicity is feasible." Mo Yuanming, a researcher at Chongqing Jingyu Provincial Institute of Situation and Development Planning, said that top-level design should be accelerated, specific guidelines should be formulated, and "fine accounts" should be calculated well, which can not only achieve universal low prices, but also ensure the enthusiasm of market players for development.

  The cost of express cabinet mainly involves hardware, maintenance personnel and site expenses. The cost of a set of cabinets (hardware) ranges from 18,000 yuan to 60,000 yuan. The increase or decrease of operation and maintenance personnel is also positively related to the number and coverage of express cabinets, that is, the more express cabinets, the more people are needed, so the cost is relatively stable. The cost of the venue is generally directly related to the express delivery volume, location, demand and whether it is exclusive.

  "The end of the courier service must be changed." Zhou Yang, senior director of the strategic planning department of Yuantong Company, told reporters that if all of them are delivered to the school, 150 express items per courier per day are already "ceilings", but the number of Yuantong express items increased by more than 40% last year. During the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan" period, the absolute volume of the entire express delivery industry will be even larger, and the problems caused by limited personnel will become more prominent.

  Chen Shunfeng, president of ZTO Express Tuxi, said that in the future, Tuxi will be turned into a terminal network brand that meets the diversified needs of users such as express delivery, commerce and comprehensive services. Taking logistics as the cut-in, business flow as the income, and the diversified comprehensive services of the whole community scene as the stickiness, rabbit happiness has become an indispensable part of the delivery link.

  "The current business model of the express cabinet is still unclear." Wang Yong, a logistics expert and visiting professor at the Royal Swedish Institute of Technology, told the reporter that at present, the main income of express cabinets depends on charging couriers as little as 30 cents, and most of them are storage fees in 1 yuan, so the income source is relatively single. Although HIVE BOX and Cainiao Post Station have developed other businesses such as advertising and retail, they have achieved little.

  Xu Yubin, CEO of HIVE BOX, once explained the business logic of building a courier cabinet in HIVE BOX: on the one hand, it is to make money from courier companies, "to reduce the requirements for labor skills with unified service standards, so that courier companies and users can feel stable terminal courier services." On the other hand, it makes money from the client. "HIVE BOX digs deeply into user behavior data. In the future, we will drive this chain through technology."

Peng Yuyan: The deep-seated self-discipline is to adhere to these three little things every day

  Author: Fei Xiaobai, the main creator of Intensive Reading. This article was first published on the Intensive Reading WeChat official account (ID: jingdu999), and the article has been reprinted with authorization.

  01

  When I was sorting out my computer over the weekend, I happened to see a movie I downloaded in the early years, "Roll it! A Xin", because I liked the protagonist very much, so I couldn’t bear to delete it, so I clicked on it again.

  The mother who was mopping the floor saw Peng Yuyan on the screen and suddenly said, This gymnast is really handsome!

  What she didn’t know was that Peng Yuyan was not a professional gymnast. In order to make this movie, he trained hard for 8 months, practicing gymnastics for more than ten hours every day, and made himself a professional gymnast.

  After the film was released, Olympic gymnastics champion Liu Xuan and Chen Yibing couldn’t help but praise him. He was also shortlisted for the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor because of this film.

  However, Peng Yuyan’s achievements in his work are not explained by the word hard work, but stem from decades of self-discipline.

  Many girls were fascinated by Peng Yuyan’s high value and six strong chocolate abs, but they did not know that their male god was once a fat boy with a strong appetite.

  In primary school, Peng Yuyan was only 158cm tall, but weighed 70kg.

  This trend of horizontal growth has been maintained until the third year of high school, and Peng Yuyan feels that he can no longer gain weight.

  Therefore, he began to exercise hard every day and became crazy about basketball. Later, he stopped growing horizontally and began to grow vertically to a height of 182 centimeters.

  Later, in order to receive a good script after work, no matter how busy he is, he has to take time out to exercise for several hours every day, and his appetite is strictly controlled.

  He confessed that he is fat-prone, and in order to diet, he has not eaten enough for more than ten years, and has almost forgotten what sugar tastes like.

  I used to wonder, is a person’s appearance doomed from the outset, or can it be changed through hard work?

  Peng Yuyan’s example answered the question in my heart.

  As long as you develop the self-discipline that goes deep into the bone marrow, your appearance will also change.

  02

  Let’s take another example from a colleague.

  Two months ago, I made a bet with a friend that if he could lose 10 kilograms of weight during a summer vacation, I would lose, and the bet was about 2,000 yuan.

  During the period, since everyone was busy, they were too lazy to contact.

  Yesterday, this kid came to me, I was really shocked, my whole person really lost a lot of weight, a big circle.

  I pulled him up on the scale at home, and I was even more stunned. I actually lost 15 kilograms in two months.

  I said, "You take medicine."

  He rolled his eyes at me. "Whether you take medicine or not, you will lose anyway."

  WeChat transferred the account obediently and invited him to dinner at night. I was too curious about how he lost weight.

  I thought he was joking, but the two of them still ordered four dishes, but he really ate very little, causing me, a person who can’t see waste, to eat until my stomach bursts.

  Later, he revealed the secret to successful weight loss: self-discipline and perseverance.

  Eat breakfast normally every day, eat less at noon, and hardly eat at night. A glass of milk or a little fruit will be gone, and no matter how delicious things are placed in front of you, you will control not to touch them.

  Every day, I run ten laps around the school playground not far away. If it rains, I will climb the stairs. Once I climb, I will go back and forth ten times without interruption.

  Remember that I once read a saying: How disciplined a person is, how beautiful life is.

  Many people are confused, their salaries are not high, and their careers are not going well. In the final analysis, they are all defeated by self-discipline.

  03

  George Bernard Shaw once said that self-control is the instinct of the strongest.

  No matter in school, in the workplace, or in personal life, self-discipline is the most important factor for success.

  Those who are not laissez-faire, do not sink, and have strong self-mastery must have an iron-like self-discipline.

  The experience of extreme self-discipline is definitely painful at first, and it cannot achieve immediate results, but as long as self-discipline is integrated into the blood and becomes a habit, everyone will benefit for life.

  However, many people are frustrated in the process of self-discipline, and one of the important reasons is that they ignore one thing: to form good habits and quit bad habits, the key is to focus on what you want to do, rather than on the bad habits you want to quit.

  If you want to quit the habit of overeating, don’t always think about eating, but choose a good nutrition book, learn to eat regularly, and find things to do that you can’t remember.

  If you want to get into the habit of regular exercise, don’t keep thinking about "it’s too hard", but think more about the benefits that regular exercise brings to you;

  If you want to be debt-free, don’t dwell on the things you have to work hard to get out of debt until you pay it off. Instead, look forward to the ease and ease of being freed from overwhelming debt.

  Be sure to focus on the things you want to do, not the things you hate. Expect the rewards you will receive, and you will rush towards the goal.

  Secondly, the development of good habits must also recognize the importance of repetition.

  Every action you take shapes your mind, and the more you do it, the more entrenched it becomes, says Meyer, author of Good Habits, Bad Habits.

  Taiwanese writer Lin Qingxuan is already 60 years old, but he still requires himself to write 3,000 words a day, not for publication, but to practice writing. He says that writing is a work that moves forward at a constant pace, accumulating repeatedly in order to break through. He will not indulge himself.

  Therefore, his writing has a long lifespan.

  Therefore, deep-seated self-discipline is the repeated insistence on doing the right thing.

  04

  The question is, what do you do every day to live the life you want?

  ① Pay attention to your thoughts, words and deeds

  Thoughts and words are the starting point for forming all good habits and breaking all bad ones. We must learn to say what we really need, not what we feel.

  If you’re indecisive, don’t say "I’m in pain making decisions," but "I’m decisive." If you want to lose weight, don’t say "I can’t control my mouth, I can’t stop once I eat it," over and over again. Insist on how you are now, and it will always be the same.

  Someone once did a survey: an analysis of 2,500 men and women who suffered failure found that "indecision" ranked first among the 31 major factors of failure.

  It can be seen how important it is for a person to develop the habit of making decisions.

  Excellence is not the same as perfection. The vast majority of procrastinators are perfectionists because they are forced to achieve perfection, but they are afraid of not achieving it, so they repeatedly procrastinate.

  The so-called excellence is to accomplish ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

  So here are three ways to improve discipline.I don’t know how effective it is, but I think you can at least give it a try.

  Don’t procrastinate. Start by reading this article, think carefully, and set a goal, preferably in the short and long term.

  For example, I want to learn PPT this month and be the best in the company; I want to win 10 customers this month; our team wants to earn 200,000 this month; I want to get my teacher certificate and accounting certificate this year.

  According to your actual situation and needs, set a goal, write it down and put it in a prominent position, and always remind yourself how far you are from your goal.

  Make a daily work and life list

  You read that right, making a list of work and life every day doesn’t take you long, but it works well.

  No matter how good your memory is, it is always better to write down the content of your work every day, and then complete it according to importance and priority.

  Including work and rest time, when you need to rest, and when you get up, especially getting up is the best indicator of how self-disciplined a person is.

  In short, it is a principle that today’s work must be done well today, and it must not be delayed later.

  Turn off electronics

  When working or studying, turn off electronic devices such as mobile phones and iPads. If you really need to keep your mobile phone open, then please turn off the Internet.

  You will find that a lot of chatting is unnecessary, and a lot of news and information can be read after work and study.

  In fact, if you can complete 90% of these points, you are already excellent. Self-discipline is not self-discipline because of self-discipline. It should become a habit and attitude of yours.

  05

  There is no deeper self-discipline than insisting on doing these three little things every day, which is also the standard habit of every elite.

  Many people do not take their habits too seriously, but when it comes to fate, they will subconsciously sit upright, look solemn, and think deeply.

  There is nothing wrong with valuing destiny, but there is a simple and practical truth that words lead to action, actions become habits, habits determine character, and character determines destiny.

  The choices that really make people better will not be too comfortable. Be hard on yourself, and your future self will thank your current self.

Reward | Get your summer wallpaper! It was beautiful in Inner Mongolia again

Summer is half over

The midsummer in Inner Mongolia gently opens its arms

Only to bring fascinating scenery to distant travelers

What is summer like in Inner Mongolia?

12 Healing Wallpapers

Show you the correct way to open summer in Inner Mongolia

① Honghaizi, Badain Jaran Desert, Inner Mongolia

In the vast desert, a touch of pink intoxicated the hearts of countless people. In the vast desert, if you want to have a beautiful encounter, you must have a strong will and move forward bravely. Nature is incomparably magical, allowing miracles to emerge in the barren, making pink flowers bloom in the golden desert, making visitors’ eyes bloom and linger.

② Inner Mongolia · Hulunbuir Grassland

Hulunbuir in summer is proudly showing her beauty to the world. Unlike the bustling and busy Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, it has a unique seasonal schedule and slow pace. Her beauty, her tune, her unique customs, and her vast melodiousness are all worth your slow taste. Hulunbuir in summer is a holy place to escape the heat, and various colors echo each other, forming Hulunbuir’s unique summer scenery.

③ Inner Mongolia · Xiangsha Bay

I want to go to Xiangshawan and live a free and easy life. A desert trip is desirable, the temperature is suitable, the sun is just right, you can lie unscrupulously under the blue sky, close your eyes and relax, open your eyes is the vast desert sea… Ride a camel and walk in this boundless sand sea, feel the wind and freedom~

④ Inner Mongolia · Arshan

The canyon is the best choice for summer escape. The Arshan canyon is the largest volcanic remnant in the Arshan area. The subducting lava breaks after being cold and condensed, and has undergone millions of years of life on the lava surface. The glaciers and icefall landscapes formed by it can still be seen "summer glaciers" even in summer.

⑤ Inner Mongolia · Alxa Dream Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon of Dreams is located in the southwestern remnant of Yinshan Mountain in the town of Orenbrag, Alxa Left Banner, and is known as the "Colorful Mountain" by local herdsmen. The most magnificent time is against the backdrop of the setting sun, the mountain is colorful and colorful, like colorful prayer flags, like a dream, like a dream, like a fascination.

(6) Wuliangsuhai, Inner Mongolia

Wuliang Suhai is such an existence: "Pearls are scattered on the edge of the Yellow River, the water and sky are a hundred miles away, the blue sky is blue and a hundred birds are singing, and the reed flowers are swaying and shining with silver light". When the sun sets, Wuliang Suhai has a charming scenery, and the sunset is sprinkled on the water, making people just want to stay here.

Hu Ge

He is a Chinese mainland film and television actor and pop singer, born on September 20, 1982, from Xuhui District, Shanghai. He graduated from the Performance Department of Shanghai Theater Academy, is a Chinese mainland film and television actor and pop singer, and is also a member of the Democratic League.

Hu Ge’s acting career began in 2004, when he starred in his first TV drama "Dandelion." He then starred as Li Xiaoyao in the 2005 drama "The Legend of the Sword" and sang the episodes "June Rain" and "Xiaoyao Sighs". In the following years, he starred in the TV series "Flying Immortals" (2006), released his debut music album "Departure" (2008), and starred as Sedum in the drama "The Legend of the Sword and the Sword" and sang the ending song "Forgetting Time" (2009).

Hu Ge continued to make breakthroughs in his acting career, starring as Yi Xiaochuan and Meng Yi in the time-travel drama "Myth" (2010), releasing the music album "Blu-ray", and being nominated for the Best Newcomer Award in the Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award in the historical film "Revolution of 1911" (2011).

Since then, Hu Ge’s acting career has reached a new level. He played Yu Wentuo in the fantasy drama "Xuanyuan Sword Sky Mark" (2012), and won the Best Actor Award at the 2nd Beijing Danny International Stage Performing Arts Awards in the drama "Dream Like a Dream" (2013).

Hu Ge played Ming Tai (2015) in the spy drama "The Pretender", and won the Best Actor Award at the 22nd Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Award for the role of Mei Changsu in the costume drama "Langya Bang", the 28th China TV Golden Eagle Awards Audience Favorite Actor Award, and the 11th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival Most Popular Actor Award.

In addition to his acting career, Hu Ge is also actively involved in public welfare undertakings. He performed the song "Love Each Other" on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala in 2016.

For more information about Hu Ge, check out entertainment news websites or follow his social media accounts.

Responsible editor:

Senior Arts and Crafts Artist of Banknote Printing Factory talks about ingenuity: Doing things well and doing rough work carefully.

  Respondent: Su Xihua

  Presenter: Wu Bingcong

  Time: January 28, 2018

  biographical notes

  Su Xihua was born in Baoding, Hebei Province in 1933 and graduated from Hebei Finance College in 1955. Senior Arts and Crafts Artist, Beijing Banknote Printing Factory, China People’s Bank Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation. His carved head of the Queen of England won China a good reputation in the international banknote printing industry; Soong Ching Ling portrait was selected by Soong Ching Ling Foundation; The giant portrait of Chairman Mao at Work was collected by Chairman Mao’s former residence and Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. China’s fourth set of portraits carved by him on the face of 100 yuan, 50 yuan and 10 yuan in RMB represents the highest level of carving technology in China. He has won the Meritorious Medal of the Banknote Printing and Minting System of the People’s Bank of China, and the Labor Medal of the Capital on May 1st, and enjoyed the special government allowance issued by the State Council.

  Interview notes

  On March 22nd, the central bank released a news. With the approval of the State Council, the central bank decided to stop the circulation of the fourth set of RMB in full denomination in the market from May 1st. From 1987 to 2018, the fourth set of RMB 31-year circulation will also come to an end. This set of RMB is the product of meeting the needs of China’s economic development, further improving China’s monetary system, and making breakthroughs in design ideas, styles and printing techniques. Among them, Su Xihua, a senior arts and crafts artist in Beijing Banknote Printing Factory of China People’s Bank, is responsible for carving portraits of people in 100 yuan, 50 yuan and 10 yuan vouchers. The 100 yuan Voucher carved by him is not only the "resurrection" of the hundred-dollar bill in China after the reform and opening up, but also the first time that the portraits of Mao, Zhou, Liu and Zhu were selected together on the RMB. In this set of RMB, he became the main sculptor of the fourth set of RMB with his skillful carving techniques and bold innovative spirit. When the fourth set of RMB is about to bid farewell to the public, we contacted Mr. Su Xihua to talk about his sculpture story.

  You went to Hebei Institute of Finance in 1952 and studied accounting at Baoding Bank School at that time. How did you get the chance to start carving later?

  There is a little history in it. I grew up in the war years, because the war was raging at that time, and my family let me drop out of school. After liberation, I didn’t go to primary school until I was seventeen or eighteen. After graduating from primary school, I was admitted to Baoding Bank School. This school has good conditions, and it doesn’t charge tuition fees. Because this school has excellent conditions and can reduce the financial burden on my family, I gave up other schools I was admitted to to to study there.

  At school, I studied banking accounting for three years. At that time, I had to learn junior high school culture courses plus junior college banking courses. After studying for three years, we graduated. At that time, Sino-Soviet relations had begun to break down, and our country urgently needed to issue new RMB and stamps, and people were needed in the factory. Our group of graduates went directly from Baoding to Beijing’s 541 Factory (now Beijing Banknote Printing Co., Ltd.) to support the industrial construction of the capital. In all, more than 100 people gave up their accounting major and went to work in the factory.

  After I entered the factory, my initial position was as a worker in the sealing workshop. Although it was a pity to give up my original major, I also like it here because I can come to Beijing, which is a state-owned enterprise in a special industry with a good environment and complete facilities. At that time, I worked hard and made progress in my thoughts. I joined the party in the first year of entering the factory, and I was transferred to the design room more than a year later. When I was first transferred, I didn’t understand it. I told our section chief that I was doing well here and didn’t want to leave. However, the section chief said that our students were of good quality, and their cultural level was relatively high at that time. The design department needed us to "take technical classes and catch up with the international level", so I transferred to the design department to engage in hand carving.

  ② You carved characters at first, and then gradually set foot in decoration, landscape and portrait carving. What was the process?

  At that time, more than a dozen of us were transferred from the sealing workshop to the design room, and each of us was assigned a different direction to start studying and working. This department is divided into three parts: design, hand carving and machine carving, and I was assigned to the direction of hand-carved text carving. Carved characters have the lowest technical content in hand carving, followed by decoration, scenery and portraits, among which portrait carving is the most difficult and the most contribution. At that time, I was assigned the job of carving words, and I was not half-hearted, so I obeyed the assignment and concentrated on carving words. After studying with Master for eight years, Master retired, just in time to carve the third set of RMB, so I took over the master’s class and carved the text of 5 yuan and 10 yuan banknotes in the third set of RMB. In the process of completing the carving task, the teacher also taught me to carve patterns, so I tried it myself, changed the original method of carving layer by layer, and the carved patterns were better than the most advanced universal carving machine in the factory at that time, which was recognized by the leaders, so the patterns I carved were also selected into this set of RMB.

  At that time, the technology was somewhat closed, and the technicians who carved landscapes could naturally carve portraits when they reached a certain level, but no matter how well they carved words and decorations, they could not. Although some boundaries were broken after liberation, there was no specific opportunity to learn all-rounders at that time, let alone "job-hopping" now. At that time, it was very difficult to directly transfer from engraving characters to engraving portraits, and in order not to affect others, I learned layer by layer, sincerely asked the teacher for advice, first learned to engrave decorations, then learned to engrave landscapes, and finally attacked portraits. I have been studying by taking the path for 26 years, so I really started carving portraits, only ten years before I retired.

  (3) in the decade of the "Cultural Revolution", someone criticized you for being "only expert but not red". What was the situation at that time?

  During the "Cultural Revolution", the ultra-left ideological trend was serious. Our department belonged to the technical department, and the technicians were also called "smelly Laojiu". Some leaders were sent to the May 7th Cadre School. At that time, some young people didn’t like my study. At the meeting, they insinuated that I was "not prominent in politics, only professional and not red, and purely technical". But at that time, the thought in my heart was, how can we catch up with the international level when we are out of work and making revolution like you? But I didn’t do anything special, so I chose a work of "Chairman Mao inspects the Red Guards" to express my love for Chairman Mao, and I also avoided the edge.

  ④ You worked very hard when carving the portraits in the fourth set of RMB, and worked overtime for 120 working days to complete the task. What was the state at that time?

  At first, I carved characters, and I was junior in carving portraits, but I also hoped to show my achievements in years of study in the fourth set of RMB, so I worked very hard. The first task was to carve the workers and peasants intellectuals on the 50 yuan voucher. I won the competition with the Shanghai sculptor, and the original was selected. When the second 10 yuan coupon was carved, the leader only assigned me to carve it, so the pressure was even greater. There was no mistake, otherwise there was no substitute. I worked hard for more than two months and completed the task on time. Carving the heads of Mao, Zhou, Liu and Zhu on 100 yuan paper money was the most important thing at that time. Many experts from Beijing, Shanghai and Sichuan will spend four months to complete the statue. At that time, I thought that it was not appropriate to use traditional carving techniques to express the characters in relief style, and the content and form were not uniform enough. So I made up my mind to break away from convention and innovate, and changed the traditional curve carving techniques to use parallel lines and points to express them. At that time, time was tight and the task was important. I got up at four or five o’clock every morning to work overtime, and I didn’t get off work until 10 o’clock in the evening. Every day, I had to carve it under a magnifying glass for more than 13 hours.

  Who do you admire most and why?

  My vision is more about the industry I am engaged in, so the people I admire most are also in the industry. For example, the first generation of sculptors and the second generation of sculptors that we passed down, their technology and development have had a lot of help and influence on me, so I admire these people more. There are also people I admire in the society, such as program hosts. They have a wide range of knowledge and can talk, but we are engaged in different industries and have different advantages. I admire outstanding talents in all aspects.

  ⑥ Many people call you a "great country craftsman". How do you understand "ingenuity"?

  I think "ingenuity" is a persistent spirit of Excellence. Just like I finished repairing the steel, it is not artistic, but it is done carefully bit by bit. For example, when carving a portrait, it is always hard to leave this small place for several months, but it is also necessary to ensure that the quality of the finished product is not problematic. "Ingenuity" is what we advocate now, and it is also a requirement and encouragement for technicians to do things well and do the rough work carefully.

  ⑦ What do you do for those who are trained?

  In this respect, I have really made efforts. It can be said that I have broken the division of labor of manual carving taught by American sculptors. From the time I taught my disciples to carve words, I told them that carving words should also lay the foundation for carving people. I can’t learn skills like running a marathon like me, and I can’t only carve words all my life like my master. I also arranged training for them to learn multi-faceted techniques, paving the way for carving portraits. Later, I served as the deputy director of the design room. At that time, the talents of portrait carving were not available, so I organized all the old, middle-aged and young sculptors who had a certain carving foundation to invest in the portrait carving technology, which improved the overall level of portrait carving and provided talent guarantee for later engraving the fifth set of RMB.

  When carving the portraits on the fifth set of RMB 50 yuan coupons, according to the requirements of the head office, the design studio sent two young designers to compete for carving, and I served as their guidance. When one of the young sculptors carved the fifth set of portraits of Chairman Mao with RMB 50 yuan coupons, the first edition widened the overall line spacing, so that the skin texture of the characters could not be expressed in place and could only be invalidated. Later, I told her a value that could ensure the success of the line pattern and asked her to change the plate and engrave it again. Finally, her work was successfully adopted. Later, when carving the 5 yuan coupon, the sculptor widened the temporal pattern spacing when carving the portrait of Chairman Mao, which made the overall line pattern out of proportion and affected the image. However, it was too late to carve it again, so I quickly taught her my "steel-mending stunt" to help her repair and adjust the pattern spacing, so that she completed the task on time and was finally adopted. I have spared no effort to help young sculptors grow up, and I have not failed to live up to the expectations of the leaders.

  Did your early life experience have any influence on later sculpture creation?

  Speaking of this problem, I really can’t ignore the influence of my family on me. Although my family is not a noble family, it has a certain cultural foundation. My great-grandfather was a gongsheng and my second grandfather was a scholar. My grandfather didn’t catch up with the imperial examination. Growing up in such a family that attaches great importance to education, I was seventeen or eighteen years old after liberation, and my family also supported me to go to primary school. Because of my family’s education, I went to school and had a successful "stepping stone".

  Pet-name ruby from farmers to a generation of masters in the field of sculpture, what do you think is the most important factor for your high achievements?

  In fact, the most important thing is the spirit of hard work and hard study, which is the foundation of success. It is not enough to be smart without hard work, but to pursue it persistently. Of course, I may have relatively strong adaptability and acceptance in carving.

  Attending are you a perfectionist?

  Yes, I am a person who pursues perfection, and the idea of perfection above perfection is very serious. I will do things more seriously, which is one of my advantages and a magic weapon to win.

  ⑾ If you don’t take this job, what career will you choose?

  I work diligently and sincerely wherever I go. At first, I did seal inspection in the workshop. I didn’t think about doing anything else. I just wanted to do this job well. The sealing work needs quick eyes and quick hands. I am not particularly talented in this field, but I have also worked hard and hard. Later, I started carving, and I didn’t pick and choose. I carved whatever I asked. Generally speaking, I try my best to do it well when I am assigned to do it. I have no great ideal. In this environment where I work, what I want to do most is to carve portraits, and I have tried my best to do it now.

  ⑿ How to describe your life after retirement? What have you done during this time?

  I don’t have any special hobbies, but I wrote better than others when I was in primary school. I didn’t have so much work pressure in the ten years after I retired, so I picked up my pen at home and practiced my handwriting again. At that time, I sorted out the old copybooks at home. There were copybooks used by my great-grandfather and grandfather more than 100 years ago. Some of them were rained and some were bitten by insects. I spread the wrinkled copybooks flat and then mounted them, then bound them into a book and practiced calligraphy with them. Later, I can also write some banners such as "home and everything" to my family and fellow villagers.

  I also carved a stamp after that. At that time, when the chief engineer of our factory was transferred, he must ask me to carve a stamp. I said I carved steel plates. How can I get a stamp? But he insisted that I carve it and brought me the stone I bought, so I couldn’t refuse any more. I bought a set of tools myself and used a knife for carving steel plates to carve stamps. To be honest, what I carved can be seen as a stamp, but the artistry is still not enough. After carving a few square seals, my eyes failed, so I didn’t carve any more.

  Do you have any hobbies in your life? Do you like traveling, cooking or sports?

  I like traveling very much. I have been to Meishan, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, Hong Kong and Daqing in Sichuan before. Now that I am old, it is inconvenient to go out again. Speaking of cooking, the rice cake I made is very good, and it is a dessert in my hometown. To make this rice cake, you need to use yellow wheat, jujube and jujube, and steam them together with sugar. Only I can cook this at home. Every time I made rice cakes, everyone liked them.

  [14] What do you think is your most precious thing? Is it a work?

  Looking back now, I think the most precious thing is these honors given to me. I can’t take credit and be complacent about honors, but I cherish them very much. Some honors are just a certificate and a piece of paper, but it represents the process of my hard work and I have not wasted my time.

  ⒂ In today’s developed industrial level, what contribution did the profound accumulation of hand-carved in those days make to the present art sculpture?

  Hand-carved is not what it used to be. Now laser carving is used, and the previous carving tools are basically no longer used. However, the basic usage of carving, such as the use of points and lines, still continues the foundation of manual carving.

  You have left your mark on several generations of RMB. What’s it like to face and use your own works for decades?

  In fact, I didn’t say that I would look at it and think that this is my carved work, that is, money. The blue one is 100 yuan, and the green one is 50 yuan. How much money should be given to others? There will be no concept of works in life. But my family will feel very proud, and sometimes they will tell others that it was carved by my relatives.

  This edition/Wu Bingcong