Yan Zhi, a celebrity who was influenced by the poet's feelings and started his own business

Yan Zhi is the only Hubei entrepreneur to appear on the Forbes rich list this year.

The public always has unusual enthusiasm and curiosity about who is the richest. Recently, the 2012 Forbes Global Rich List was released in a dazzling way. Yan Zhi ranks 1,015th in the world with assets of US$1.2 billion, becoming the only Hubei entrepreneur listed on Forbes, and once again crowned the "richest man in Hubei".

A pair of white-rimmed glasses, gentle and elegant, able to listen patiently and wait with a smile. On the 17th, Yan Zhi was invited to participate in the "Hubei Celebrities Talk about Lei Feng Spirit in the New Era" series of micro-interviews organized by the Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League, the Provincial Youth Federation, this newspaper, and Dachu.com. He also accepted an exclusive interview with this newspaper reporter and talked about topics such as wealth and charity. .

Yan Zhi obviously doesn’t like the title of “richest man”. Just as when he answered "Which one do you prefer, the poet Yan Zhi or the richest man Yan Zhi?", the answer came out almost without thinking: "I prefer Yan Zhi, the chairman of Zall Holdings Co., Ltd."

Set aside two and a half days a month to compose poems

"This word is followed by a comma, and the word 'kind' must be enclosed in double quotation marks." During the interview, Yan Zhi never forgot to emphasize the punctuation marks after finishing a sentence. "I can't help it. As an editor, I have very high requirements for punctuation." He joked that this was an "occupational disease", and he was obviously very indifferent to the past.

But almost everyone who knows Yan Zhi’s “family history” marvels at his legendary experience. He dropped out of school in his second year of high school to take a job at his father's forestry station. His first job in life was to paint slogans. At the age of 20, he became the editor of a local publication in Huanggang. Two years later, the publication collapsed and he went to Han to "make a living" as a financial reporter. However, due to staffing issues, Yan Zhi was fired a few months later.

Then he founded a company in partnership with a friend and lost all his capital. Fortunately, the book "If There is Love" written by him brought in 25,000 yuan in royalties, which solved his urgent need.

To this day, Yan Zhi still has an inseparable feeling for poetry, and he still insists on writing poetry, although not much. In addition, he also serves as the editor-in-chief of "Chinese Poetry". He is so busy that he has no time to rest on weekends, but he still spends two and a half days per month compiling poems. "Just like you like to do your nails and go to the SPA, poetry is also a hobby for me. People always have to have a hobby."

He also behaved quite calmly about his experience as a reporter. Even with gratitude, "This experience has broadened my horizons, allowed me to understand market rules, and discovered business opportunities."

If fate is a game of cards, then you will never know God What is the next card dealt to you. The newspaper he once worked for was about to close down due to poor management. Instead, Yan Zhi contracted out its home appliance advertising special page, and then established "Zhuoer Marketing Communication Co., Ltd.". In just a few years, it became the largest private advertising company in Hubei at that time.

Since 2001, Yan Zhi has extended his investment areas to biology, food, education, textile and other industries. Until 2004, Yan Zhi concentrated his "firepower" on the development of public properties and invested in projects such as the Hankou North International Commodity Trading Center. Facts have proved that his choice was correct. In the midsummer of 2011, Zall Development was successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The stock opened high and closed at HK$3.09 (equivalent to RMB 2.567). The company's market value reached HK$10.815 billion. Yan Zhi His net worth soared to 7.6 billion, and he was crowned the "richest man in Hubei".

“The poet’s feelings and romantic atmosphere have influenced my business and life.” Yan Zhi said that poetry is something he has never let go of, and the poet’s frankness and daring to speak and act are also part of his life. in principle.

Hankou North represents the development level of Zall.

Now when Hankou North is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is Zall. As the "creator" of Zall, Yan Zhi's relationship with Hankou North is naturally inseparable.

However, when he originally invested in Hankou North, Yan Zhi almost went bankrupt. He did not dare to mention the idea of ??"Hankou North taking over Hanzheng Street" at the time. As the time matured, the geographical advantages of Hankou North emerged, but new problems followed.

Facing the media, Yan Zhi emphasized more than once that Hankou North and Hanzheng Street are not in a life-and-death relationship. "I started working on Hankou North in 2007. Did anyone predict that Hanzheng Street would be moved at that time? No. .

It’s just that I see a location advantage in Hankou North, which is that this place is suitable for the development of a modern and new commodity distribution center. ”

Yan Zhi introduced that when Hankou North reached a certain scale, problems on Hanzheng Street began to appear again and again, and eventually became a situation that had to be faced and solved. The government and relevant departments began to consider Hanzheng Street was relocated as a whole. At this time, Hankou North had also matured, so it was said that Hankou North would undertake the overall relocation of Hanzheng Street.

"Enterprises and investors saw a modern and urban city. There is a trend that the wholesale market for the elderly must be relocated, and we invested in this project with firm will and even a bit of fearlessness. When the opportunity came, it was clear that Hankou North’s successor status was clear, and Hankou North’s Great development and prosperity. "

Yan Zhi said that as a local enterprise in Wuhan, Zall must be responsible for its merchants. "We did not regard it as a development project, but as a place where Zall settled down and settled down. Do projects that represent Zall’s social responsibility and development level. ”

It is understood that the work of Hankou North taking over Hanzheng Street involves Qiaokou District and Jianghan District, where Hanzheng Street has been relocated, and Huangpi District, which Hankou North takes over. With the strong promotion of relevant special teams, Zhuoer also took the We have introduced very attractive policies. “We are not simply selling shops. Merchants who cannot afford the shops can be rent-free for two to three years. The purpose is to create the best environment for undertaking. "

Yan Zhi said that currently the most attractive policies are aimed at merchants on Hanzheng Street, and investors are not among them. "For example, if a shop is sold to others for 10,000, it is sold to merchants on Hanzheng Street for 10,000 yuan. Eight thousand or nine thousand, we have a series of supporting policies, including free rent for warehousing, free pick-up and delivery, and Chinese meals are included when purchasing. We pay for advertising, and we pay to help you do business. We help you build channels, open special buses to the following 50 sub-markets, shuttle customers to pick up goods here for free, etc., and use a series of measures to promote the transfer. ”

What is the specific progress of Hankou North taking over Hanzheng Street? Yan Zhi said that currently more than half of the Hanzheng Street merchants have purchased, rented, and ordered shops in Hankou North. In addition, Hankou North is also stepping up warehousing, logistics, etc. The construction of the platform and supporting facilities have also been further improved.

“This year, Hankou North will become the second largest commodity trading market after Yiwu. " Yan Zhi said that with the opening of the brand clothing city and small commodity central area on March 28 and May 1, the entire business area of ??Hankou North will reach 1.5 million square meters, second only to Yiwu. "According to the plan, we will expand Hankou Hankou North will be built into the country's number one small commodity trading market. With Hankou North's strength, the goal is not far away. ”

In fact, with the further development of Hankou North, the regional advantages have further emerged. Many people in the industry said that Hankou North will develop into a small city with a population of 500,000 in the next 5-10 years.

Yan Zhi made it clear that Zhuoer will focus on providing supporting services for public properties. The existing residential projects are only for supporting enterprises and merchants, and will not specifically invest in residential properties.

The industry is an opportunity for Chinese enterprises

In addition to the wholesale market, Zall has also vigorously expanded its logistics system. Yan Zhi said that he has always been very confident in Wuhan.

“First of all, Wuhan has been in business since ancient times. It has always been a commercial center and is suitable for commercial development. Especially in recent years, the environment for business growth has become better and better, the entire city has become more open, and Wuhan's commercial city atmosphere has become stronger. Yan Zhi said that Wuhan has a unique location advantage and is suitable for business and logistics, but other cities do not have this. "The business tradition of more than 500 years has been infiltrated into the city's development context." "

Yan Zhi said that Wuhan already has a commercial foundation, and there are six or seven listed commercial logistics companies. No matter how the business model changes in the future, the exchange and delivery of goods must be realized in some places. Wuhan is the best place to realize these delivery exchanges and can minimize such costs.

Yan Zhi said that Zhuoer is positioned as China's leading public property provider and service provider and must move forward. Internationalization. In terms of logistics system, it is inevitable to open up Tongjiangdahai and divide labor on a global scale. How to promote service systems such as public properties and commercial properties globally under such a background has always been a question for Zall. Thinking.

"If we can answer this question, Zall will not be far from our own dream." Yan Zhi said that through Zall's current project layout, he is confident that Zall will become a global enterprise. He said that the logistics industry is an opportunity for Chinese enterprises, and service-oriented enterprises will have broad prospects.

The poet’s feelings and romantic atmosphere have influenced my business and life.

Wuhan has been a commercial center since ancient times and is suitable for commercial development. Especially in recent years, the environment for business growth has become better and better, the entire city has become more open, and Wuhan's commercial city atmosphere has become stronger.

A great city like Wuhan should have its own great team. When it was in trouble, as a locally grown company, we had the responsibility and obligation to support them.

We do not regard Hankou North as a development project, but as a project that represents Zall’s social responsibility and development level.

I don’t ask them to do anything, I just let it develop naturally, and I don’t prepare my children to take over.

Wuhan should have a great team

The day of the interview was the "first show" of Wuhan Zall at home in the 2012 Chinese League One. The question naturally turned to football.

Last year, when Hubei football was facing a life-and-death crisis, Zall took over Hubei Zhongbo for 10 million and renamed the club "Wuhan Zall Professional Football Club". It only took half a day for Zall to complete important procedures such as the club's equity transfer and name change registration. The Hubei Army became the Han Army again, and Wuhan football officially entered the "Zall Era."

Compared with the old owner Zhongbo, the new owner Zhuoer Holdings is very powerful. The company mainly focuses on the investment, construction and operation of public properties such as professional markets, exhibitions, ports, office buildings, and industrial parks, with annual sales of nearly 10 billion yuan, Zall Holdings and investor Yan Zhi own two listed companies: Zall Development (02098.HK) and China Infrastructure Port (08233.HK).

When Zall took over Wuhan Football, there were constant doubts. "The previous sponsors of Wuhan Football have not made any money. Isn't Zall doing a loss-making business?" "Zall has too much business, will football be held back?"...

In fact , Yan Zhi himself admitted that he was doing a "losing business", "There is a lot of investment in football, but the output is very little." Not only that, Yan Zhi is "not proficient in football, and he doesn't like it more."

Neither because you like football nor to make money, why should you take over? "I just think that a great city like Wuhan should have a great team of its own. When it was in trouble, as a locally grown company, we had the responsibility and obligation to support them." Yan Zhi smiled. He smiled, thought for a moment and replied.

What should I do if I keep losing money by investing in football? In this regard, Yan Zhi said that this is similar to corporate charity. Enterprises must be prepared before doing charity, and they must make the enterprise bigger. "Failure to do a good job would be the biggest irresponsibility to society." Later, it can promote employment, create tax revenue, improve employee benefits, and help customers succeed. This way behavior continues. "It should be said that Zall is fully capable of long-term investment and support for Wuhan football, and is also ready to do so."

"Of course, investing in football is effective." In the end, Yan Zhi did not forget He joked, "Before investing in football, more people knew about Hankou North than knew about Zall. After investing, more people obviously knew about Zall."

Let nature take its course, and I am not prepared to let my children take over.

For the rich, public attention often focuses on two points, the accumulation and inheritance of wealth, so "family history" and "rich second generation" are often the most attractive. Among them, the "second generation rich" are more eye-catching.

When high-priced "rich second generation succession" training courses frequently appear in front of the public, "defending the country" seems to have become a common problem for all rich people.

Yan Zhi obviously didn’t care about this. Regarding the cultivation of children, he puts "health and happiness" first. "Our education has gone astray." When talking about education issues, he had the same reaction as parents all over the world, distressed and worried but helpless.

“When we were children, we would lie on the hillside and herd sheep after school. I have never heard of Peiyou.” Yan Zhi talked about his childhood life, which can be described as elated, “Think about how much we did when we were children. Free and happy, homework can be finished in ten minutes at most, how is it like now?

Yan Zhi lamented that the burden on children is too heavy now, but he also laughed and said that like all parents, he did what most people do. Make the choices you know how to make, so that your children can be "educated" and "try to respect your children's choices. First of all, they should be happy and healthy, and have a correct outlook on life and values."

Yan Zhi said that when it comes to educating children, , he just goes with the flow, creates a relatively relaxed living and learning environment for his children, and tries to be his children's friend rather than a strict father. Regarding the future, Yan Zhi has "no requirements" for his children. "I don't ask them to do anything. I let them develop naturally, and I don't plan to let my children take over."