I heard from the elders in my family that our family was most prosperous at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China.
There is also a very legendary entrepreneurial story here.
My ancestor was a contractor who could do civil engineering and was very skilled in craftsmanship.
However, he actually only had a dozen workers.
Because the competition in this industry is very fierce and he was at the bottom of the society.
He had no background and could not get big jobs.
I could only get up at midnight and make repairs piecemeal in the middle of the night to earn a few hard-earned money to support my family.
I also spent the whole day eating steamed buns and pickles.
At that time, there were many leases in Tianjin, and there were consulate leases everywhere.
From Gothic to Baroque, from Romanesque to Byzantine, medieval Southern European style, 19th century eclectic style, it can be said that the styles of all countries are all-encompassing.
Once, a notice was hung in the British camp.
It turned out that a tunnel was to be built in the mountains when building the railway.
The British decided to open the bidding.
All construction teams in the society could participate in the bidding.
How to bid?
It was to estimate the entire The cost and period of the project were determined, and a specific plan was proposed.
The British would then contract out the project to whichever one was suitable.
Who doesn't want to make money from the British?
First, the prices offered by the British are high, and second, I have never heard that the British have the habit of delaying wages, so construction teams from all over the world rushed to bid.
Zhang Ji knew that he couldn't compete with others, so he didn't have much hope.
He just wanted to learn more with him.
There was an old master in the team.
When he followed him to the site, he felt that the mountain was a bit weird.
When he came back, he told the shopkeeper that the project could be done. package, and then placed a bid.
The British saw that all the proposals and plans proposed by the engineering teams were similar.
Only Zhang Ji's bid was only one-fifth of the cost and period of other companies, so they contracted the project to Zhang Ji's construction team.
The other companies were very satisfied.
Not convinced, and not convinced that the cost and time could be reduced to such a limit, everyone just waited to watch the fun and see how Zhang Ji went about it.
It turns out that Zhang Ji's old master knew the geographical situation.
During the field survey, he took a quick look at the mountain structure and knew that it was a "Shaban Mountain".
The outside was a stone shell and the inside was full of sand.
It was not easy to dig a tunnel.
The cost and lead time estimated by others were one-fifth of the cost, which was already at a high level.
Therefore, it was completed quickly and the work was done beautifully.
The British were greatly impressed.
From now on, even if Zhang Ji is identified, no big or small projects will be needed.
Out for bid.
This is where Zhang Ji started his career.
At that time, two Taishi chairs were specially built to commemorate this event.
They have been kept for many years.
I saw this pair of chairs with my own eyes when I was a child, and I still remember their deep and elegant texture.
Later, because a relative of mine was in debt, I had no choice but to give up the pair of imperial chairs to someone else.
I guess if I had kept them until now, they would have been worth a lot of money
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