On March 10, 1988, when most Beijing residents were still looking forward to installing a phone at home in the near future, a piece of inconspicuous news on the front page of the "Beijing Evening News" announced the official start of the mobile communications era.
Open - "Public mobile phone network starts trial operation today".
Since then, things like mobile phones have officially made their debut in the capital of the Republic.
And the people in the capital, who are most talented in creating language, gave it a very arrogant name - "Big Brother" based on the plot of the Hong Kong movie.
Soon, this name that is easy to remember once heard spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.
But to be honest, for those who are early users of this communication tool, the experience is far from wonderful.
Considering the current level of technology, this thing really doesn't deserve such an arrogant name.
First of all, this "big brother" only has a phone call function, not even a text message function.
It can weigh more than one kilogram and is very inconvenient to carry.
Therefore, it is also nicknamed "brick" by people.
Secondly, Motorola’s “big brick” consumes a lot of electricity.
Although it looks big, it is not durable.
A battery can be drained after a maximum of half an hour of continuous talking.
If you have a lot of work, you have to carry several batteries with you every day for replacement.
Also, at this time, only 5 base stations and 73 channels were built in the entire capital, which can accommodate up to 2,000 households.
This means that only 73 people can make calls at the same time. If there are too many people using it, they will compete with each other for channels, and there will be a situation of "no connection".
And because it is an analog signal, the call quality is not good.
Intermittent calls are common, and people often have to crane their necks from inside the building to make calls.
Of course, the most critical thing is that the price is too expensive.
In the entire capital, at this time, only the Jingfeng Mobile Fuxingmen Business Hall located on the west side of downtown entrance, on the north side of the road, and in the southeast corner of the Long Telephone Building, exclusively dealt with this thing.
This sales department has just launched a "big brother" on the market, which sells for 20,000 yuan per unit.
This does not include the network access fee of 6,000 yuan, and there are also two-way charges for calls.
There are also monthly communication fees and frequency usage fees.
Compared with the salary of ordinary workers, which only earns 180 yuan a month, it is a sky-high price.
To be honest, based on this price, before the opening, even the people in this sales department thought that they would encounter difficulties in launching their business, and it was estimated that not many people would be willing to buy it.
But what is the result?
Even if the product has so many flaws, even if the price is so high, it still cannot stop people's enthusiasm for black technology. "Big Brother" is quickly recognized by the market and has become popular.
On the opening day, before the opening time, the door of the sales department was crowded with people.
In the business hall renovated from a wooden building, many customers came to pay with large and small bags of cash.
After paying the money, you fill out an application form, and the staff who "run the order" will take the application form and send it to the communications equipment room, and it will be activated in two days.
On the first day of opening, more than 50 units were sold.
Millions of revenue!
This good start has undoubtedly given Jingcheng Mobile Company great confidence.
But having said that, among the customers received by the sales department that day, there were two people who were special enough.
It left a deep impression on almost all the staff in the sales department and made everyone talk about it as a topic after dinner for a long time.
The reason why these two people are special is not only because they are the first customers in line, but also because they are the most generous customers that day.
They actually bought twelve mobile phones as soon as they opened the door.
Since "Big Brother" uses phone numbers prefixed with "9", these two people directly rounded up the numbers from 9000001 to 9000012.
Ask them why they bought so much?
They claimed that except for their own use, the other ten items were handled by them on behalf of others.
Such a gesture is not something that ordinary people can do.
Of course, it wouldn't be surprising if they came from some large-scale joint venture or foreign-funded enterprise and purchased them for the company's senior executives.
But the strange thing is that they are not from any large enterprises.
Almost all of their professional backgrounds are in the private sector, and they actually work in a variety of jobs.
What about wine shops, clothing companies, cultural and entertainment companies, gift companies, advertising companies, international trade companies, Xinnong technology companies...
It looks like the kind of leather bag company that boasts loudly about its reputation, but actually only has one person and a few official seals.
There was even a small owner of a cigarette shop and two self-employed people who rode three wheels among them.
It has to be said that based on the information about the machine owner that they filled in, no logical connection can be found at all.
It's just so weird.
If you just look at the identities of these people, it seems that they have nothing to do with each other.
But they happened to know each other, and they knew each other well enough to be able to do such a favor.
This is really puzzling, and we have to wonder if these people have formed a commercial fraud gang.
And among these numbers, the most eye-catching number must be the number 9000001, which makes people have to pay attention to the identity of the owner.
According to the information filled in by the person who came to complete the formalities, this person becomes even more special.
Because his employment information was actually blank, with nothing filled in.
Since this information is not required to be filled in, and the agent made it clear that the owner wanted to keep it confidential, it was not easy for the people in the sales department to ask questions.
Therefore, they only remembered this person's name - Ning Weimin.
If you are a star-chasing person, you may think that this name has the same name as the songwriter of Teresa Teng's two songs.
But no one can tell whether they are the same person or not.
Of course, none of these people knew that the person who was about to have the "first mobile phone number" in the capital also left the territory of the Republic again on this very day and flew to Tokyo, Japan.
Even his travels were unprecedentedly ostentatious, with such grand pomp that it could astonish passers-by. Just like the mobile phone number that others obtained for him, it highlighted his extraordinary identity.
Yes, it was precisely because I knew that Ning Weimin was going back to Tokyo with Matsumoto Keiko that day.
Early in the morning on March 10, 1988, not only Luo Guangliang and Xiao Tao came to see him off, but also Zou Guodong and Shen Cun came to see him off. Chen Peisi, Liu Xiaoqing and other friends from the film and television industry came to see him off. Temple of Heaven Park, Cultural Relics Bureau, Film Bureau and TV series producers also came to see him off.
Someone from the center came to see him off.
Among these "living treasures" who had just joined Ning Weimin's camp and resigned from Pierre Cardin Company, except for two people who followed Ning Weimin's instructions to buy mobile phones for everyone, the others also insisted on delivering them, and they all arrived.
Come and meet at Yunyuan Hotel.
Although Ning Weimin had already made it clear that there was no need for them to see him off.
But these people are all human beings, and the status of their subordinates changes very smoothly.
Who can really be obedient and stay down-to-earth, and miss this opportunity to show loyalty and flatter someone?
Manager Sha's early arrival has taught them a lesson that goes deep into their bones.
So even if they are criticized or scolded, they must do what they are supposed to do.
So, in the end, ten cars lined up in a row to escort Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko to the Capital Airport.
Because there were so many luxury cars, mostly Mercedes-Benz and Crown, not only were passers-by looking at us, but even the traffic police were alerted.
Seeing that there were no balloons or happy words in the motorcade, the traffic police along the way might have thought it was some important foreign guests or leaders traveling.
Therefore, even if no relevant notification was received, the green light was directly manually adjusted.
Speaking of which, this was the first time that Ning Weimin showed off like this in his hometown.
Even the wedding car fleet for his wedding was not that long.
There is no way, it is hard to refuse such kindness.
Now that everyone has arrived, Ning Weimin cannot really send them back and can only passively accept their kindness.
Perhaps this is the inevitable result of his career gaining momentum and making further progress.
After all, his personal wealth and abilities have far exceeded the objective constraints of this era.
As long as the shackles of the times are loosened a little, even if only the tip of the lotus is exposed, it will be shocking enough.
We arrived at the airport quickly, and the actual farewell process was smooth sailing.
Since they are used to coming and going frequently, this time they left, and the couple traveled alone without any Tan Palace chef or crew members accompanying them.
Therefore, both Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko acted very relaxed and did not have too many emotional fluctuations.
They naturally followed the people on the trip and were polite, waved goodbye, and went to the VIP area to wait for their flight.
But when they walked towards the security door, they saw another scene that was very different from before.
It was at this moment that the latest changes at the airport gave Ning Weimin a sudden spiritual shock, and his heart could not help but beat wildly with the pulse of the times.
If not for anything else, it’s just because there are too many international students.
There were so many that there was a long queue in front of the airport baggage check-in window.
In the middle of the long queues are piles of suitcases for travel.
This kind of scene was a lively scene that Ning Weimin had never seen before when he took a plane from the Capital Airport in his memory. It felt a bit like the Spring Festival Transport in the 1990s.
Especially many of these self-funded students were flying for the first time in their lives, so it was very hectic.
Some people got in line, but forgot to pay the consignment fee, and were scurrying back and forth.
Some luggage is overweight, but they have no money to pay for it, so they bargain like they are asking grandpa to sue grandma, hoping that the shipper will be merciful.
Some completed the shipping procedures, but gave the extra RMB to their relatives and friends waiting outside the security gate.
Of course, every passenger who wants to take an international flight has passed the "security check" and is equivalent to leaving the country.
Although you are only a few meters away from your relatives and friends, you cannot go in or out.
Even when handing over RMB, there are customs officers supervising.
So what complements each other is also the strong contrast between them.
Those self-funded international students usually stand in the safe gate with excitement, no tears, no sadness of farewell, full of confidence and pride.
A person who waves goodbye to his relatives and friends in a "victory escape" gesture.
But outside the security gate, the parents, wives and children of these people were crying, giving them thousands of instructions and warnings, fearing that a farewell would be a scene of eternal farewell.
One self-funded student shouted nonchalantly, "Why are you crying? Go back, I'm not going to jump in line to settle down?"
One said disapprovingly, "If I had known you would cry, I wouldn't have let you come."
Another one said with a smile, "Goodbye, wait for my good news."
While they were smiling and looking cheerful, their relatives responded with sobs.
Seeing this situation, Ning Weimin felt an inexplicable feeling of anxiety.
There is no need to doubt anything anymore, the real "going abroad craze" has arrived.
The biggest positive significance of the emergence of these self-financing students is that for Chinese people, going abroad is no longer a privilege enjoyed by the social elite, and they no longer have to look for overseas connections in order to go abroad.
However, it also brings some side effects.
Such as brain drain, aggravation of cultural inferiority complex, and the further spread of the domestic trend of worshiping foreigners.
Ning Weimin looked at those who were self-financing students, and even couldn't help but think of Xiao Tao's girlfriend and An Wen, an actress from the "Dream of Red Mansions" crew, who asked him to handle their requests to go abroad during the Spring Festival.
The colorful sea of lights in developed countries shocks every Chinese person.
Nowadays, people in China probably regard going abroad as the starting point of all luck. They think that going abroad will definitely make a fortune, they will definitely become famous, and they will definitely live a better life than they do at home...
But unfortunately, they misjudged the superiority of developed countries.
At least I have forgotten that all the prosperity outside often does not belong to Chinese people who have just arrived in a foreign land, and a happy life will not fall from the sky.
Although most of these international students who choose to go to foreign lands are well-educated and are regarded as the pride of heaven at home, after going abroad, the first thing they have to face is the anxiety of struggling to survive.
These people go abroad with such beautiful hopes. What kind of blows will they have to endure in the future before they can look at each other objectively?
How many people will refresh their knowledge outside and give up their original dreams?
From then on, he became a philistine, had low self-esteem, was short-sighted, and even gave up his faith and changed his nationality?
He doesn't know.
How many of these people will stick to their dreams, return home after completing their studies, and serve the motherland?
Or should you stay and work abroad after completing your studies, find your own personal value in a foreign country, and choose to contribute your knowledge and talents to other countries?
He doesn't know either.
How many people even feel culturally lost when they return to a foreign land and regret their original choice to go abroad?
Or have you embarked on the path of betraying the motherland and committing crimes?
He doesn't know either.
What he knows is that the country has really opened its doors to ordinary people to an increasing extent.
The tide of the times is coming, which is irresistible and irreversible.
And this is also a process of great waves and waves.
Regardless of those who stay, those who go out, those who come back, or those who don’t come back, in the end the heroes will be wiped out by the waves, and they will have to bear the corresponding consequences for their own choices...
No one can help them except themselves...
Just like the lines in the 1990s TV series "Beijing People in New York" that reflected the lives of people studying abroad,
If you love him, send him to New York, because that is heaven.
If you hate him, send him to New York, because that's hell.