Where does “time is money, efficiency is life” come from?

“Time is money, efficiency is life.” This slogan was born in Shenzhen Shekou Industrial Zone in 1979. It reflects the hard work of Shenzhen people in “pursuing efficiency” and is the core of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The concentrated expression of the spirit of breaking through numerous obstacles and fighting a bloody road is known as "a spring thunder that breaks through old concepts."

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The background of "time is money, efficiency is life"

Yuan Geng is an idealistic politician. In the "laboratory" of 2.14 square kilometers in Shekou, he attacked two forbidden areas at the time: market economy and administrative system. Every impact touches people's sensitive nerves. Although the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1978 determined that the focus of the country's work would shift to economic construction, and although three special economic zones were established in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Shantou in 1980, the choice between market economy and planned economy still remained.

There was still great controversy at the time. On the surface it is an economic issue, but in fact it is a political struggle. At that time, no one dared to mention market economy, let alone political system reform, thinking that these were symbols of capitalism. Before 1992, the Special Administrative Region had been in the whirlpool of debate between "surnamed capital" and "surnamed society"... Yuan Geng's interpretation of the market economy was condensed in the concepts of "time" and "efficiency", and through "time is money, efficiency" This is life" the slogan was shouted loudly.

In fact, Yuan Geng’s original slogan was: “Time is money, efficiency is life, customers are the emperor, safety is the law, everything is managed, and everyone is managed.” Yuan Geng’s assistant Xiong Bingquan Considering the affordability of the society at that time, I proposed to remove the middle sentence, and Yuan Geng agreed. The construction team made a wooden sign out of plywood and erected it in a conspicuous place beside Prince Edward Road. Two days later, an illiterate migrant worker took down the sign and burned it as firewood. Yuan Geng ordered someone to make another piece. This time he only mentioned one sentence: "Time is money, efficiency is life."

Some people say that China’s move towards a market economy started with this slogan. However, this slogan once became the focus of the debate about "surname society and capital". Yuan Geng said: "When I wrote this slogan, I was prepared to 'wear a hat.'" When the idea of ??planned economy still firmly occupied people's minds, Yuan Geng borrowed the concepts of capitalist society and introduced socialist construction, which undoubtedly required courage. and courage. This slogan has been debated in China for a long time and has such great influence, which is rare in history.

In January 1984, Deng Xiaoping affirmed this slogan when he inspected Shekou. Later, this sign was collected into the Chinese People's Revolution Museum and became the cultural coordinate of an era.

Reference: China News Network From "Time is Money, Efficiency is Life" to "New Development Concept"