Material Empire

Xutang Township, Xingchuan County, Yanning Province.

Xingchuan County is located in a hilly area in northern China. As early as the Ming Dynasty, it was an important iron ore producing area in the north. It had a history of iron making for hundreds of years. In modern times, under the impact of large-scale industry, the traditional ironmaking method gradually withdrew from the stage of history due to lack of cost competitiveness. After liberation, the state established a large-scale state-owned steel plant in Xingchuan County, and Xingchuan County itself established two medium-sized steel plants under the jurisdiction of the county, forming a fairly complete steel production system.

In recent years, with the increasing prosperity of the steel market, various townships and some private entrepreneurs in Xingchuan County have begun to focus on the fat of steel. In the mid-to-late 1990s, more than 30 small iron and steel factories sprang up in Xingchuan County. They recruited retired and in-service workers and technicians from the three large and medium-sized steel factories in Xingchuan, and used crude methods to produce steel, mainly supplying some surrounding areas. Small and medium construction companies.

In the new century, the shortage of supply in the steel market has not eased, but has become more and more serious, which provides opportunities for more people to enter the steel market. In just two years of 2000 and 2001, Xingchuan County added more than 100 new steelmaking plants, as well as an equally large number of coking plants, rolling mills, etc., forming a well-known steel production center.

Some people estimate that, except for three large and medium-sized iron and steel plants owned by the state and two counties, the small steelmaking enterprises in Xingchuan County can produce no less than 10 million tons of steel a year, which is almost equivalent to the steel output of the United Kingdom in the same period . With the technology of the year, it is not uncommon for a steel factory to produce 10 million tons of steel per year. However, the 10 million tons of steel in Xingchuan County is the total output of more than 100 steel factories. The output of the factory is less than 100,000 tons.

The iron and steel industry is the most particular about large-scale operation. Small-scale iron and steel plants not only consume high energy and have low production efficiency, but also have extremely low utilization rate of ore and scrap steel, causing extremely serious pollution. Xutang Township is the most concentrated area of ​​small iron and steel factories in Xingchuan County. When Qin Hai stood on a small hill in Xutang Township and looked around, all he saw was a thick smog that made it hard to breathe.

"Since the year before last, we have been like this here, and we can't see the sun at all."

Guo Qiushi, deputy director of the Xingchuan County Government Office, stood beside Qin Hai and introduced the local situation to Qin Hai.

Xingchuan County is the first stop for Qin Hai to carry out the small steel management operation this time. He chose this place because the small steel problem in Xingchuan County is the most prominent. Through the practice in this place, he can accumulate experience and lay a solid foundation for the follow-up Action provides guidance. Of course, it is precisely because the small iron and steel in Xingchuan County has a good climate, so being able to succeed here will have a deterrent effect on other regions.

Qin Hai brought the capable team he formed to the county government first. He went straight into the office of Gao Xuejian, the county magistrate, and showed the letter of introduction issued by the State Economic and Trade Commission, which shocked Gao Xuejian. It is rare for Xingchuan County to receive a few visits from central-level units throughout the year, and a random director from the ministries and commissions is enough to keep the local area busy. On the letter of introduction Qin Hai took out, there were more than a dozen names of ministries and commissions that signed the joint agreement, and there was almost nothing written on the first page, all of which were headed in red.

Hearing that Qin Hai himself is the deputy leader of this extremely terrifying working group, Gao Xuejian has a feeling of looking up from a high mountain.

"When did Team Leader Qin come to Xingchuan County? Why didn't we notify in advance, we would have to go to the National Highway to meet him no matter what. By the way, has Team Leader Qin ever been to the province? Why didn't the province arrange people? Come with Team Leader Qin." Gao Xuejian asked Qin Hai and his party timidly after he asked Qin Hai to sit down.

"Our governance action this time was directly organized by the central government. It did not go through the provincial and municipal levels, but directly met with the grassroots. Therefore, before we came to Xingchuan, we did not greet your provinces and cities. However, the Economic and Trade Commission had previously A notice was sent to various places explaining the situation of this operation, you must have received it, right?" Qin Hai said.

"Yes, yes, we have received them all." Gao Xuejian responded repeatedly. The notice from the Economic and Trade Commission was distributed to all provinces, and the provinces were required to forward it to the cities and counties. Gao Xuejian remembered that the notice did say that the working group would go directly to the county to carry out its work. When the province forwarded the document, it also emphasized that all counties should cooperate with the work of the working group.

"Since County Mayor Gao has received the documents from the Economic and Trade Commission, our communication will be easy." Qin Hai said, "Xingchuan County is the county with the most concentrated small iron and steel problems. The media has repeatedly exposed the problems of Xingchuan County Regarding the pollution of small iron and steel, the Economic and Trade Commission has also issued a letter to Yanning Province several times, urging Yanning Province to start to solve the out-of-control phenomenon of small iron and steel including Xingchuan County. As the head of a county, the county magistrate Gao, regarding the situation in Xingchuan, Should know better than us?"

"Well..." Gao Xuejian said with a heartbroken expression, "First of all, we must review our work. The small iron and steel problem in Xingchuan County is indeed serious. Although the county has also taken positive measures to take responsibility When it comes down to people, the committees and bureaus contracted out the villages and towns, and some small factories with serious pollution were shut down. However, there is still a certain gap from the requirements put forward by the state. This is a shortcoming in our work. Team leader Qin please give severe criticism."

His words sounded like a self-criticism at first glance, but after careful consideration, they seemed to be showing merit. What the county is doing is called "adopting positive measures", but the existing problems are "somewhat serious" and "there is a certain gap". If Qin Hai follows his words, I'm afraid he has to praise him for his hard work up. It's a pity that Qin Hai didn't do his homework before he came to Xingchuan County. He knew that Xingchuan County was very slack in managing the small iron and steel, and the problem of the small iron and steel was far from being "somewhat serious", but extreme. serious.

"Major Gao, according to the information you have, how many small iron and steel factories in Xingchuan County currently meet the compulsory shutdown standards stipulated by the Economic and Trade Commission?" Qin Hai ignored Gao Xuejian's sophistry and asked bluntly.

"Probably...a dozen or so, or maybe twenty or so..." Gao Xuejian faltered, while observing the expression on Qin Hai's face.

"Is it really more than twenty?" Qin Hai showed a mocking expression.

"To be honest, counting the relatively small ones, there are almost 40 of them." Gao Xuejian said.

"This should only be the number of a village in Xutang Township?" Qin Hai said.

"Team leader Qin is really perceptive!" Gao Xuejian was exposed, but he didn't show any shame on his face. He stretched out his thumb to give Qin Hai a thumbs up, and then said as if nothing happened: "The number I just said is true. It is somewhat underestimated. Some small iron and steel mills have adopted the method of guerrilla warfare with the county. When our staff went to check, they temporarily shut down. As soon as our staff left, they started working again. In this way, when we count There will be some omissions. If these small factories are counted, there may be seventy or eighty in the whole county."

From a dozen to seventy or eighty, it is really difficult for Gao Xue to build. Qin Hai knew in his heart that there were as many as 150 small iron and steel factories in Xingchuan County that needed to be shut down, and Gao Xuejian still concealed half of it. However, Qin Hai didn't have time to argue with Gao Xuejian anymore. He nodded and said, "There are seventy or eighty companies, which means that the problem is still very serious. Mayor Gao, can you tell me why Xingchuan County didn't Can we curb the trend of the proliferation of small steel?"

"It's a long story to talk about." Gao Xuejian said, "In our place, Xingchuan, the folk customs have been extremely aggressive since ancient times. If the government wants to do something, it encounters great resistance from below. The common people are not easy to manage now. If you don't make it right, there will be a group incident for you, which will affect social stability.

In addition, Xingchuan is located in a hilly area with little arable land, and the only resources are coal and iron. If farmers want to get rid of poverty, they can only rely on steelmaking and ironmaking. On the one hand, we must implement the national regulations, but on the other hand, we must also consider the issues of farmers' employment and poverty alleviation. Farmers managed to build a steel factory. If we shut it down according to regulations, how will we solve the problem of feeding dozens of people?

We have made many reports to the province and the country, hoping to invest in some key projects in our Xingchuan County to increase the income of the people in Xingchuan, but nothing has been heard. If the state can invest in us and farmers can obtain income through other channels, then we will have more initiative in managing small iron and steel. "

"Magistrate Gao means that if the state does not invest in Xingchuan, Xingchuan will not be able to close these small iron and steel factories, is that true?" Qin Hai sneered. Gao Xuejian's method is nothing more than substituting offense for defense, and shifting the responsibility for conniving with the proliferation of small steel mills to the country. If you try to argue with him on this issue, you can only end up muddling over the small steel mill issue. Qin Hai is very familiar with this kind of trick, and he will not follow the other party's routine at all.

"No, no, no, Team Leader Qin misunderstood." Gao Xuejian dared not admit it, "I just mean that the farmers in Xingchuan are very poor, and we hope to have some opportunities to help them increase their income and improve their lives. "

Qin Hai had already obtained the information he wanted, and he did not expect to be able to solve these problems through Gao Xuejian's self-consciousness. He said to Gao Xuejian: "Well, County Magistrate Gao, we plan to do some research in Xingchuan first. How to solve the problem in Xingchuan will be considered after the investigation is over. Can Magistrate Gao provide us with some necessary information? Cooperate?"

"There is no problem at all." Gao Xuejian readily agreed, "I will send Guo Qiushi, the deputy director of the Government Office, to be your guide, and at the same time arrange for the public security department to provide security for you."