About the author: Huang Guoqiang, the second and third vice-chairmen of China Baoxie Artificial Products Professional Committee, the third deputy secretary-general and the president of Wuzhou Gem Chamber of Commerce.
Since the early 1980s, Wuzhou man-made products industry has experienced a development process from scratch and from small to large. After more than 20 years of development, by 2006, the number of artificial products has reached 8 billion, and the annual output of artificial products has reached 654.38+0.2 billion. The varieties of processed artificial products are mainly synthetic cubic zirconia, accounting for more than 80% of the domestic synthetic cubic zirconia market and more than 40% of the world synthetic cubic zirconia market (Editor's note: due to different statistical methods, the data in this paper are different from before). It can be said that Wuzhou man-made products developed from a single spark.
The man-made products produced in Wuzhou, Guangxi are mainly synthetic cubic zirconia, which is a synthetic cubic zirconia crystal formed by melting mixed stabilizer of zirconia powder and slowly crystallizing. After cutting, polishing and processing, all kinds of artificial products are formed, which are used to be embedded in jewelry, handicrafts, watches and clocks, clothing and other artificial products. Wuzhou artificial products industry has developed from the initial processing form to the production and sales chain of artificial products materials, machinery and equipment, polishing production and export. At present, it has developed into the world's largest distribution center and trading center for artificial products, and has become a hot spot for artificial products investors everywhere. There are1000000 people engaged in the artificial products industry in Wuzhou and its surrounding areas. In addition to Guangdong, Fujian and other mainland businessmen, businessmen from Hongkong, Macau and Taiwan Province, as well as businessmen from Italy, Russia, Thailand and India also gathered here to invest in man-made products.
In order to expand the external influence of Wuzhou man-made products and establish the brand of Wuzhou man-made products, Wuzhou successfully held four sessions of Wuzhou International Gem Festival in Wuzhou Gem City in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, which further established the city brand of Wuzhou as "Man-made Products Capital" and made Wuzhou man-made products develop by leaps and bounds, laying a solid foundation for Wuzhou man-made products industry by going up one flight of stairs.
First, the development process of Wuzhou artificial products industry
Since 1982 Hong Kong businessman Mr. Cui Fuming opened the first gem processing factory in Wuzhou in the form of a school-run factory, Wuzhou's artificial products industry has experienced three main development stages:
The first stage, the processing stage.
From 1982 to 1995, the owners of Wuzhou man-made products were mainly Taiwanese businessmen and Hong Kong businessmen who set up processing plants in Wuzhou, imported raw materials, and made use of the advantages of cheap labor, good investment environment and low water and electricity prices in Wuzhou at that time to obtain profits and good economic benefits in the form of processing with supplied materials.
With the increase of market demand, the output of these enterprises can no longer meet the market demand, so a large number of raw materials are outsourced in the form of companies and farmers, forming family workshop-style processing, and gradually small processing plants serving large enterprises appear. At this stage, artificial products enterprises and individual industrial and commercial households have mushroomed and developed rapidly. At the same time, the processing machinery and equipment are also increasing, developing and perfecting, and there is a phenomenon that the localization of raw materials and processing machinery is the breakthrough to drive the continuous development of the grinding industry.
In the second stage, from 1995 to 1999, artificial products entered the peak of rapid development.
Because most small enterprises have made a lot of profits in the processing stage, they have continued to grow and develop, promoted the development of processing equipment, localized processing machinery and equipment, and influenced farmers around Wuzhou City with the characteristics of low sales price and easy teaching of gem polishing technology. The number of people engaged in the artificial products industry has developed rapidly. By the end of 1999, the number of employees has reached about 80,000. At the same time, the shortage of raw materials for artificial products has made many employees become business owners, laying a solid foundation for the development of Wuzhou artificial products industry and the formation of localization of raw materials for artificial products. Processing machinery and equipment also gradually matured during this period, constantly assisting the development and growth of the artificial products industry. The raw materials of artificial products depend entirely on imports, gradually forming a synchronous situation of import and localization.
The third stage is the stage of adjustment and transformation.
From 65438 to 0999, Wuzhou's artificial products industry developed into a stage of vicious competition. Many enterprises have no way to compete in Wuzhou, so they have set up factories in Guizhou, Hunan and Sichuan to make use of the cheap labor there to win profits. But most of their products still go back to Wuzhou for trading.
Bubu Road in Wuzhou City has become a spontaneous artificial product trading market, with shops all over the streets. Many small businessmen speculate on man-made products and collect the gems processed by rural processors to trade in the market, which has formed a situation that Wuzhou's gem industry has a market but no market. Wuzhou artificial products processing industry is at a crossroads, facing a severe test: on the one hand, the processing base of artificial products tends to move outward, on the other hand, the market is scattered and not up to grade.
In view of this situation, and considering the future development of Wuzhou's man-made products industry, Wuzhou Gem Chamber of Commerce put forward a bold idea: to establish a gem trading place with a certain scale-Wuzhou Gem City, to change the decentralized type into the intensive type, and to use this place to build the city brand of "Man-made Products Capital", attract more foreign investors to invest in Wuzhou, and gradually build Wuzhou into a processing base and trade center of China's man-made products. First of all, the Gemstone Chamber of Commerce published an article entitled "Wuzhou, Strive to Build a Gemstone City Brand" in the domestic gem professional media, introducing the developing artificial products industry in Wuzhou, the favorable factors for developing the artificial products industry in Wuzhou and the development direction of the artificial products industry in Wuzhou, which made a good publicity for the gem industry in Wuzhou. The Chamber of Commerce published a high-quality periodical that can be in line with the international standards, and fired the first shot for establishing the brand of Wuzhou Artificial Products City. Subsequently, the Gem Chamber of Commerce reported to Dieshan district government and municipal government successively, demanding the establishment of Wuzhou Gem City, which was approved by the municipal government.
Practice has proved that this measure is correct and meets the needs of development. Without Wuzhou Gem City, Wuzhou Gem Industry would not have this pattern today; Without Wuzhou Gem City, there would be no great attention from Wuzhou Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, and there would be no first Wuzhou International Gem Festival in 2004.
Second, create the characteristics of artificial products and create a large market for artificial products.
In recent years, the jewelry industry has prospered with the jewelry culture, and the jewelry market has prospered with the jewelry culture, which has become the knowledge of the insiders. Wuzhou, as the "capital of man-made products", has become a famous city card in China, but the construction of gem culture obviously lags behind the growth of industrial scale. What is the reason? It is mainly the industry's indifference to the field of jewelry soft science in artificial products, and it also reflects our blind superstition and even copying of some foreign jewelry cultures. Many people still think that jewelry is a luxury consumed by a few high-income people, which is not unrelated to the backward research and poor promotion of jewelry culture in China.
The reasons for the lag in the cultural construction of artificial products in Wuzhou are reflected in many aspects, such as the lack of strong atmosphere, lack of cultural facilities and the need to deepen the cultural research of artificial products.
Without a vibrant and potential market for man-made products, we can't be a city with the characteristics of man-made products; Similarly, without the rich and profound jewelry culture as the pillar, we can't become a strong city of artificial products. In view of the development of artifical products industry and the present situation of artifical products culture research in our city, I think we should adopt a scientific attitude of making the past serve the present, making foreign things serve China, being eclectic and being bold and innovative, strengthen the research on artifical products culture, establish and enrich the artifical products culture which conforms to China's national conditions and has distinctive China characteristics as soon as possible, and further promote the development of artifical products industry in our city and China. To this end, I think we should start from the following aspects to ensure the coordinated development and mutual promotion of industry and culture.
1. Build urban sculptures and create an atmosphere of "man-made product city"
Cities are containers of culture. Urban sculpture is like a mirror reflecting the city, a shadow of spirit and an extension of culture. Wuzhou is an ancient cultural city with a history of more than two thousand years. Artifact culture is a part of urban culture, and it is one of the problems that must be considered when planning and building urban sculptures. With the successful holding of several international gem festivals in Wuzhou, the formation of Wuzhou Gem City and West Ring Road Gem Street, the popularity of Wuzhou man-made products has further expanded. There are more and more Chinese and foreign guests coming to Wuzhou for business, trade, investment and tourism. Man-made products have almost become synonymous with the five continents, the whole country and even the world. Therefore, we should build several urban sculptures related to the culture of man-made products in Wuzhou, so that domestic and foreign guests can have the concept of "man-made products" as soon as they enter Wuzhou, and create a strong cultural atmosphere in man-made products. Fortunately, the relevant municipal departments have noticed this. On the south bank of Xijiang Bridge, a sculpture of "Man-made Product Capital" was built, and a gem-shaped street lamp was installed on Xidi Road. This is a good start, but it is not enough. You can also build a cultural corridor of artificial products in the municipal square or by using the inner wall of the flood dike.
2. Around the "man-made product capital", strengthen the collection and arrangement of Wuzhou man-made product culture, and enrich the connotation of man-made products.
The history of Wuzhou's artificial products industry and culture is not very long, but it has gone through more than 20 years of development, and it has become one of the main arteries of the development of artificial products, and the development of artificial products culture has begun to take shape. With the establishment of large-scale sculptures, some artistic works with the theme of artifacts have emerged, especially the musicians of the Musicians Association of our city have created many songs with the theme of artifacts, such as Sisters Visiting the Gem City, Hometown as a Gem, Gem City and Gem Song. These songs are sung at literary parties and broadcast on radio and TV stations, which all promote the development of man-made product culture. During the first Wuzhou International Gem Festival, the "Gem Beauty Competition" held in Wuzhou also added new content to the culture of man-made products in our city. Wuzhou Gem Chamber of Commerce has many papers and reports on the development of Wuzhou man-made products, which should be collected by relevant departments. All works of art, calligraphy and novels should be collected, with artifacts as the theme. How to collect it? Who is in charge? Whoever promotes it must implement it to the responsible units and individuals. Wuzhou Economic Commission has set up a Gem Department, and Dieshan District Government has set up a Gem Development Bureau. It is suggested that these two departments be responsible for this work.
3. Gem professional schools and relevant departments should become an important position to popularize the culture of artificial products.
Wuzhou, as the "capital of man-made products", has a huge industry scale and a large number of employees, but the tasks of popularizing the knowledge of man-made products and promoting the culture of man-made products are basically undertaken by Wuzhou Gem Training School and Wuzhou Gem Chamber of Commerce. There are many artificial products processing factories and households in Wuzhou, but the factory is a factory after all. Gem producers only know how to process and make gems, and master the cutting, grinding and polishing techniques of gems and the specifications, varieties, shapes and colors of artificial products. Many people don't know much about artifacts. Fortunately, the relevant departments in Wuzhou have noticed this problem and done a lot of work. Wuzhou University has also set up an art department (with jewelry design major), and some schools or enterprises such as Cangwu County and Municipal TV University have also set up some related training courses.
Gem Development Bureau, established in Dieshan District of Wuzhou City, is also actively promoting the popularization of artificial products culture, and has published a distinctive publication "Gem Man". Journals and newsletters published by Gemstone Chamber of Commerce actively promote the culture of man-made products among its members and the public.
Dieshan District Government, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau and Gem Chamber of Commerce have also successfully held two technical skills competitions of man-made products in the whole city, which has effectively promoted the development of man-made products culture.
4. Enhance the cultural connotation of man-made products and create the characteristics of man-made products in Wuzhou.
In recent years, with the improvement of people's living standards and the rapid development of tourism in Wuzhou, Wuzhou artificial products, as a local characteristic industry, naturally become the first choice for tourists. However, the cultural connotation of man-made products in our city is far from enough, which has not been well combined with the historical celebrities, folk customs, scenic spots and the development history of man-made products industry in Wuzhou, and has not yet created the characteristics of Wuzhou.
There are many anecdotes about artificial products in Wuzhou. For example, someone bought some ornaments in Thailand and came back to us for identification. We told him that this is a product of Wuzhou, and its value is about one tenth of the purchase price, or even lower. Others bought the latest American jewelry "diamond among diamonds", boasting in front of us that there are not many people in the world who can buy this product at present, and this product is only owned by an American company. In fact, this is a patented product of Wuzhou Cui Shi Gem Co., Ltd..
Therefore, it is necessary to sort out, collect and classify the legends and anecdotes about artificial products in Wuzhou. These have played an important role in expanding the popularity of Wuzhou simulation products, stimulating consumers and tourists' interest and desire to buy, and deepening their impression of Wuzhou simulation products.
Wuzhou Wangfaxin Crafts Co., Ltd. and the Tourism Bureau set up a small company product exhibition hall, which was the first shot. Now, Wuzhou Wonderful Gem Tourism and Culture Center will open an artificial product culture promotion center on the second floor of Building 5 in Lijiang, Yuanjiang, with an area of nearly 3,000 square meters. The municipal government put forward that "artificial products should drive the tourism industry and enhance the brand of artificial products through tourism". I hope they can do this well, and also hope that culture, education and enterprises will cooperate and work together.
5. Strengthen academic research, improve the level and influence of cultural research on artifacts, Wuzhou.
There are various kinds of jewelry, jade and jewelry culture seminars in China, but not many, including jade culture seminars and diamond culture seminars. Wuzhou, as a cultural seminar of man-made products, has set a precedent.
On June 365438+1October 3 1 day, 2004, the "First Forum on the Development of Artifacts" was held in Wuzhou. Experts and professors from all over the country attended the meeting, which provided a platform for everyone to learn from each other, exchange information and discuss, and achieved good results in integrating strength and sharing resources. Subsequently, the first batch of local standards for artificial products in China were successfully issued, which filled the gap in the standards for artificial products in China. However, the organization and publicity are not strong enough, and the impact is not great enough. One or two problems have not been specifically solved, and there is still no exchange of results. Wuzhou has many scientific research achievements in man-made products, and has more than ten national patents, such as "Baozhongbao Crystal Jewelry" produced by Yayi Co., Ltd., "Zhongzuan" invented by Cui Fuming of Cui Shi Gem Co., Ltd., gem buttons invented by Zhang Qinghua, pebbles created by Mr. Chen Pusheng, and many patents on gem processing machinery obtained by Mr. Lu Rangxian and Mr. Huang. Not communicated or announced at the exchange meeting.
After many efforts, during the Wuzhou International Gem Festival in 2006, the second National Artificial Products Forum was held in Wuzhou, and the inaugural meeting of the third China Treasure Association Artificial Products Professional Committee was also held in Wuzhou at the same time. The influence of Wuzhou, the capital of artificial products, is even more obvious.
At present, Wuzhou Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government will build a 33-story gem building behind the gem city by attracting investment. The author believes that the building should focus on jewelry trading, integrating the exhibition, exchange, trading and research and development of cultural products of artificial products, and it is an innovative project of cultural communication of artificial products, scientific and technological innovation, foreign exchange and industrial supporting services. After the completion of such a large-scale multi-functional artificial product trading and cultural platform, it will greatly enhance the cultural taste of Wuzhou artificial products, guide the cultural consumption of artificial products, and endow artificial products with richer cultural connotations. It will not only add new content to Wuzhou's cultural industry, but also become a window for China to interact with man-made products culture and international culture, further promote the internationalization of domestic man-made products culture, and establish a more distinctive brand cultural image for the construction of Wuzhou's man-made products industrial cluster base.
Third, the industrial agglomeration base will achieve the future.
Many people think that the development direction of Wuzhou artificial products industry is to lengthen the industrial chain, accelerate the development of mosaic industry, and turn upstream products into end products, so that the development of artificial products industry can have a way out. I think this is a one-sided view. Of course, it is one of the inevitable trends of the development of artificial products industry to lengthen the industrial chain and develop in various forms, but this is not the main direction. I would like to ask a jewelry processing industry from scratch, and Panyu, Dongguan and other cities that have been well-known at home and abroad compared to the jewelry processing industry, the starting line is different. When can we catch up? Strength disparity, how to compete? So, what are our advantages? What are the highlights? What are the weaknesses? What is the direction of efforts? Our advantage is that Wuzhou is already the gathering base of artificial gemstone industry in China, and the advantage of clustering is obvious. Many related enterprises are geographically located in the same area, and cooperate with each other in raw materials and semi-finished products, accessories, equipment manufacturing and maintenance, and personnel training, thus reducing transaction costs and improving overall efficiency. The highlight is that in Wuzhou, artificial products of any variety, specification, shape and style can be produced, and the price is the most reasonable, the delivery is the most timely and the reputation is the highest. These advantages and highlights are incomparable anywhere in the world.
1. The government attaches great importance to it and rapidly improves the cohesion of the gathering base.
Since the establishment of Wuzhou Gem Chamber of Commerce, especially since the first Wuzhou International Gem Festival was held in 2004, Wuzhou has successively established the Gem Festival Organizing Committee Office, the Gem Development Department of the Municipal Economic Commission and the Gem Development Bureau of Dieshan District Government. Since then, the development of Wuzhou's artificial products industry has changed from a spontaneous state to an organized and orderly state, which has created a new situation and injected new vitality into the development of Wuzhou's artificial products industry. At the same time, it has further promoted the all-round economic development of our city: with the artificial products industry as the core, it has created the rapid development of real estate, logistics, catering, hotels, shopping, advertising, printing, passenger transport and other industries. At the same time, due to the vigorous publicity and promotion, the formation of the gem market in Wuzhou Gem City and Wuzhou's innate advantages, Wuzhou's artificial products have gained great fame. The increasing core cohesion of artificial products industrial cluster base and the rapid development of artificial products enterprises have greatly shocked jewelry enterprises at home and abroad. Many powerful enterprises saw the development potential of Wuzhou and came to set up factories and branches one after another. Some enterprises and even self-employed individuals chose Wuzhou as the starting place, which made Wuzhou quickly become the purchasing center of artificial products in China and even overseas. Wuzhou Gem City has developed from more than 30 enterprises operating in the city in 2003 to hundreds of enterprises today. Such a speed of development is very rare at home and abroad. Wuzhou Gem City has been the gathering base of artificial gem industry in China, which has made great contributions to the development of artificial products industry in China.
Nowadays, Wuzhou Gem City is full of buyers and very lively. Not only domestic jewelry buyers who came to Wuzhou gathered, but also attracted a large number of overseas buyers. In Wuzhou Gem City, foreigners of all colors can be seen at any time, especially attracting a large number of Indian businessmen. Some foreign buyers have learned to speak Cantonese because they often go to Wuzhou. Nine times out of ten, foreigners who appear in Wuzhou are related to artificial products.
At present, due to the increase in sales, the total share of synthetic cubic zirconia in Wuzhou artificial products has increased from 80% in China to about 90%, and the world share has increased from 40% to about 50%.
2. Take the road of brand development with brand building as the core.
International business model is the only way for industrial development. Wuzhou man-made products industry should see the advancement of international business model, comprehensively integrate industry resources and enterprise resources, set goals according to its own characteristics, lock in the market, build brands, and quickly enter multi-level brand competition from simple price competition in the past.
It is the basic point of China's brand strategy to drive the development of the industry and open the door to the world with brands. Wuzhou man-made products must actively promote the implementation of the famous brand strategy, establish the aspirations of Wuzhou people, establish the aspirations of the nation, and create world famous brands.
However, many enterprises in Wuzhou are still relatively backward in business philosophy, limited in scale, low in production and R&D capabilities, and lack of communication between enterprises, which restricts the overall development of enterprises. There are100000 people engaged in the industry of artificial products, which is no longer something to be proud of, because our labor force is too cheap. The backward concept is the result of insufficient brand awareness.
However, some enterprises have moved from loose management to professional management, and some enterprises have carried out new product research and development, technological innovation, brand and cultural management, and humanized and scientific management.
Wuzhou, as a leading city of man-made products, can't compete with the world brands if it doesn't have its own brand and wants to climb the world stage by its own efforts. The government should shoulder this mission and become an important role in cultivating brands together with enterprises. In the implementation of brand strategy, we should give full play to the role of active guidance and standardization, and create a good brand cultivation atmosphere. Rectify the market economic order, increase support for brand enterprises, guide and help to establish enterprise groups with brands as the link, optimize resource allocation, reduce production costs, and improve the international competitiveness of brands.
An economy without a brand is an uncompetitive economy. The establishment of brand can change the face of enterprises and promote the development of regions and industries.
At present, Wuzhou Gem Chamber of Commerce has acquired knowledge from China Jewelry and Jade Jewelry Industry Association and China Baoxie Artificial Products Professional Committee, and plans to establish a famous brand in China and an internationally renowned brand in the artificial products industry with Wuzhou as the base and Wuzhou artificial products enterprises as the core. The brand strategy of artificial products has entered Wuzhou, and brand building will become a matter for Wuzhou artificial products industry and the whole society. I believe that in the future, more enterprises in Wuzhou will attach importance to and strengthen brand building, and build more famous brands in China and the world. There will be a qualitative change in the industrial development of man-made products in Wuzhou and even in the world.