For China's titans of industry, nationalism is a double-edged sword
China's 'two sessions' , I interviewed the late
Zong Qinghou , the founder and chairman of Wahaha, in Beijing. He was 69 at the time, attending the National People's Congress for the 12th time as a delegate. He appeared before my camera, travel-worn and wearing a pair of well-worn cloth shoes that cost just 20 yuan.
During the interview, he was energetic and sharp-tongued, speaking frankly about the invisible barriers faced by private enterprises. He asserted that market access was either blocked by bureaucracy or manipulated by non-market forces.
Zong criticised excessive government intervention: 'The government's meddling hands need to be pulled back, so the invisible hand of the market can do its job.' He was skilled at explaining complex issues in plain language, carrying the candour and drive of an old-school entrepreneur, along with a keen sense of how to navigate the subtleties of state-business relations.
After the interview, I titled the segment 'The Cloth-Shoe Top Billionaire', a moniker that fit him perfectly. His simple clothing, 50-square-metre office and habit of eating in the staff canteen weren't just his personal lifestyle choices; they were embraced and amplified by the public as the ideal image of a frugal and patriotic entrepreneur. It was a symbolic projection rooted in that era's aspirations and emotional needs.
Who could have imagined that 11 years on, this persona would come crashing down?
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