My father returned to Nanyang last month – visited new factory, new line and old original line – he was interviewed for the newspaper over there – I am including photos and translation of the newspaper write up about him for you to use on the Polychrome Blog.
Doug
A non-stopped “journey”
- Interview with Mr. Simon Chu, former Senior VP of Polychrome (USA)
"There are so many stories about working with 2FF (Lucky Huaguang Graphics Co., Ltd) and there are so many stories about 2FF and PS plates. My experience of coming to China, to Nanyang, to 2FF, is a wonderful 'journey', and it is also a 'journey' that does not end. Wish Huaguang (2FF) become the world's No. 1.” Mr. Chu, former Senior Vice President of Polychrome, spoke out these words movingly when he came to visit us and was interviewed by “Huaguang Ren” – 2FF’s newspaper, expressing his deep friendship for "2FF"/ Huaguang.
Simon Chu has a Chinese name – 赵龙孟, though he does not speak Chinese. He is 86 years old this year. He was personally involved in the whole work of introduction and construction of the first PS production line for 2FF, and he is the historical witness and participant. "Mr. Chu, you personally participated in the introduction and construction of Huaguang PS production line, please say something about the situation at that time." Mr. Chu understood our purpose with the help of an interpreter.
The first PS production line contract was signed on December 13, 1985. This is the first line at 2FF and also the first continuous processing line in China. It is called A line, using Polychrome (USA) technology and Durmak (UK) equipment.
During the discussion, Mr. Chu, Senior VP, responsible for the company's external technical evaluation and establishment of joint ventures, requested a site visit. In a summer time, he and a fellow engineer set out on their first trip to Nanyang.
There are some interesting stories about Simon Chu's first trip to Nanyang.
At that time, 2FF wanted to import foreign PS plate production line, but has no foreign affairs right. So, all the foreign reception activities were handled by China National Chemical Construction Corporation (CNCCC), a unit under the Ministry of Chemical Industry. In 1980s, China's reform and opening up had just started, and everything was still so closed and backward. The traffic is inconvenient and the information is not smooth. Nanyang, located in the central plains abdomen is more isolated. Worried that Simon Chu's trip to Nanyang would bring adverse impact on the project, the receptionist of CNCCC politely persuaded them not necessary to come to Nanyang. But Mr. Chu insisted on going. Now it seems that the participant from CNCCC is overcautious.
Mr. Chu's visit to Nanyang from Beijing was an exciting journey. "The Beijing station was full of people. I stepped over them to get on the train. After more than 24 hours, I learned how to eat and sleep on the train, "Mr. Chu said tastily.
Although the road is long, twists and turns, many stop-and-goes, even to change engines to go back from time to time, Mr. Chu arrived at Nanyang, to 2FF at last. Here, he made the final decision - build the production line and license the technology to 2FF at Nanyang. "The main reason for our decision making was because of the enthusiasm and capability of the technicians and staff in 2FF," he said. Mr. Chu is also very interested in and very familiar with the legendary site selection experience of 2FF. He said that 2FF is a factory established with the consent of Premier Zhou Enlai. 2FF’s old factory site has beautiful mountains and water, superior natural conditions, and is suitable for film production. 2FF people are enterprising, eager to learn, warm, friendly.
“I came, I saw, I conquered." Mr. Chu quoted the famous saying of Julius Caesar, expressing his sense of achievement in Nanyang.
Mr. Chu remembered clearly the journey to Xi’an through Mountain Qinling by bus that summer. The road to Xi 'an spiraled the Qinling mountains and passed other dangerous sections with rocks standing overhead and deep cliff mountain valleys aside….. Because it was a foreign activity, in front of the bus, there was a jeep to open the road. The road twisted and turned and dust blotted the sun….”Now everything is changing, the environment has changed, the conditions have changed, and China has changed. There are trains and highways from Xi 'an to Nanyang. Many hill tunnels through mountains shorten the course. The roads are flat, safe and fast”.
In the harmonious and pleasant atmosphere of the interview and chat, Mr. Chu also told a story related to the content of the contract. According to the contract, American and British experts and technicians would come to 2FF for installation, commissioning for quite a long time, the two parties agreed that 2FF would establish a foreign guest house with the standard of Holliday Inn to meet the living needs of foreign experts and technicians. Huaguang Guest House thus came into being. The guest house was built in primitive conditions. A billiard table and other entertainment equipments had to be sent here for foreign technicians to relax. Now, not only did the guest house become Huaguang Hotel, 2FF has also undergone great changes, the production lines have been upgraded, the production scale has been expanding. Some of the technical personnel who studied PS plate technology at Polychrome site in early days have become senior management personnel. A large number of offset printing plate experts have come up, capable for engineering and installing by themselves with independent intellectual property rights of the production lines. "Everything is improving," says Mr. Chu heartily.
During his visit, Mr. Chu visited several production lines of the company at two sites. As he said, to be able to see the original construction of the production lines set up by him and to revisit the old haunt are also a true aspiration and a wish to complete.
Now, the output of 2FF offset printing plate is increased from the original output of 2 million square meters annually to the current annual output of nearly 100 million square meters, from one production line to 11 production lines with technology progressing, equipment upgrading. The domestic market share is No. 1 and the overseas market is also relatively heavy. Learning all this, Mr. Chu was proud of these achievements.
Mr. Chu is very familiar with some of the old staff and the old technical personnel of PS plate division he met, he happily accepted the invitation to take pictures with them after visit.
Since the 1980s, Mr. Simon Chu has come to Nanyang many times. “The journey to Nanyang is a wonderful journey, and a journey that never ends,” he said. To say it is wonderful has two implications. One is that when China's economy was just starting up, it was great to dare to do business in China, especially to choose to export PS technology and production line to Nanyang, the hinterland of the central plains where the economy was relatively backward. Secondly, it is because this decision that created the cooperation between 2FF and Polychrome (later KPG and Kodak) for many years. Since then has laid the 2FF market position in China offset printing plate industry. The process of Huaguang’s offset printing plate business developing from nothing, from weak to strong is great.
Huaguang is growing, and the process does not end. Mr. Chu's concern and blessing for Huaguang will not end. In this sense, Mr. Chu's repeated trips to Huaguang and Nanyang are a journey without end.