On the gravel road leading from the Babaoliang Research Institute to the color TV project department, Zhou Yang, Gu Chenghua, Qiao Weiguo and others were walking and chatting.
"Director, do you think those people at Western Polytechnic University really made a color TV set?" Qiao Weiguo asked curiously.
"If nothing else happens, it should be. After all, they have solved the integrated circuit problem some time ago. If we calculate the time, we should have achieved results!" Zhou Yang said.
Gu Chenghua on the side smiled and said: "I don't doubt those people's scientific research capabilities. I'm just wondering whether this color TV project can make money?"
Perhaps because he was afraid that Zhou Yang would misunderstand, Gu Chenghua immediately explained: "Old Zhou, I am not doubting you, but color TVs are too expensive now."
"My dad and his company gave each leader a 17-inch color TV last year. It is said that just one set costs 3,600 yuan. Even if such an expensive thing is produced, how many ordinary people can use it? rise!"
Before Zhou Yang could speak, Qiao Weiguo said in shock: "3,600 yuan, why is it so expensive? Ordinary people may not be able to buy a color TV without eating or drinking for ten years!"
Zhou Yang smiled and said, "Then do you know why color TVs are so expensive?"
"It's a good thing. It produces color images, which is much better than a black and white TV!" Gu Chenghua said.
"Wrong, the price of any product is not solely reflected by its performance!" Zhou Yang said.
"What does that rely on?"
"Supply and demand!"
"I understand what you are saying. If supply exceeds demand, the price will be expensive, and if supply exceeds demand, the price will be cheap. But isn't this a characteristic of a capitalist market economy? Shouldn't our planned economy be different from this?" Gu Chenghua said.
"Theoretically, commodity prices under a planned economy should not be affected by supply and demand, because all commodities under a planned economy should be produced and distributed according to demand!"
However, Zhou Yang changed his voice and said again: "But on-demand production and on-demand distribution require extremely abundant production capacity and production materials. Theoretically, as long as the people need it, the state will arrange production, but we Can social productivity reach such a level?"
"This...should not be achieved!"
"It's definitely not achievable, otherwise we wouldn't come up with the kind of ticket supply to restrict people's consumption, especially for products with high technological content such as bicycles, sewing machines, refrigerators, and televisions. , even more so!”
Then Zhou Yang said again: "Speaking of color TVs, although some domestic research departments can do small-scale trial production, large-scale mass production is still not possible, so most color TVs have to be imported. "
"Since we are buying from others, it is natural that the price should be higher. Therefore, the fundamental reason for the high price of color TVs is that we do not know how to produce them ourselves."
After hearing Zhou Yang's words, Gu Chenghua immediately said: "So that's it, but since importing is so expensive, why don't we produce it ourselves?"
Qiao Weiguo also echoed: "Yes, it is cost-effective even to buy a production line and produce it back. Isn't anyone willing to sell us a color TV production line?"
Zhou Yang shook his head and said: "There are people who are willing to sell us the color TV production line, but it's a pity... forget it, let's not talk about it!"
Just at this time, he arrived at the gate of the color TV project department. Zhou Yang quickly walked a few steps and walked inside, which made Gu Chenghua and Qiao Weiguo feel very upset.
Regarding this matter, Zhou Yang felt uncomfortable every time he thought about it.
In fact, we had been in contact with Thieving Eagle a few years ago and wanted to introduce color TV production technology.
At that time, the Fourth Ministry of Machinery Industry sent a 12-member delegation to the Thief Eagle for inspection, and the object of the inspection was Radio Corporation of America, because this company possesses all four technologies for producing picture tubes, and its technical level is in an internationally leading position. .
More importantly, at that time, most Western countries, including Thief Eagle, were in a period of stagflation in economic development. Many companies had no orders, or no one bought the products they produced.
Therefore, they are also very sincere in selling this kind of civilian technical equipment, and even during the negotiation process, the wireless company lowered the price of the entire production line from US$130 million to US$73 million, a reduction of More than half.
During the inspection process, the radio company took the delegation to Corning Company, which specializes in the production of glass bulbs. After visiting Corning Company, Corning Company gave each of our delegation a small snail made of glass.
But no one expected that this little snail would later cause an uproar and directly cause economic losses of hundreds of millions of yuan.
In February 1974, just as the two parties were about to sign a contract, a young cadre from the Fourth Ministry of Machinery Industry wrote to the superiors, reporting that the inspection team had received a gift from Thieving Eagle, and the gift was a "snail". Point out that this is an insinuation against our country.
One of the Si villains was furious after receiving the letter. She directly escalated the matter to a diplomatic incident and went to the Liaison Office in Beijing to accuse the other party of using snails to describe my country's "creepingism."
After that, the Fourth Ministry of Machinery Industry did not dare to proceed with the introduction of the production line and advocated returning the gifts. This was the "snail incident" that caused an uproar that year.
However, subsequent investigations revealed that Corning had the habit of giving snails to guests, not only to us but also to other guests. In their view, this was just a beautiful little gift with no other extended meaning.
Although the "snail incident" was later subsided, the introduction of color TV production lines was delayed. It was not until September 1979 that our country signed a contract with Dongfang Pot Chicken, spending more than 160 million US dollars, before A color TV production line was introduced.
Compared with Thief Eagle's production line, Tiaobaji's production line is a full $90 million more expensive. Calculated based on the current exchange rate, the direct economic loss will be hundreds of millions of yuan.
More importantly, just because of the willfulness of power, it took many years for the people to watch color TV, and it also delayed the development of my country's color TV industry for many years.
Although it has been several years since the incident, because the people involved are still there, the matter is still very sensitive, so Zhou Yang stopped talking in the middle of the sentence.
As for the project, when everyone came over, Yang Guoan and others were eating.
Hearing that Zhou Yang had brought people over, several old professors and technical backbones from the project department dropped their dishes and came over.
After seeing Zhou Yang, Yang Guoan immediately said happily: "Director Zhou, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you all day!"
"Seeing as you are always like this, is it possible that our color TV has been repaired?" Zhou Yang asked with a smile.
"Yes, it's done!"
"Let's go and take a look!"
"Okay, come with me!"
Under the leadership of Yang Guoan, everyone went directly to a research room of the project department.
As soon as he entered the research room, Zhou Yang was attracted by a crude-looking device on the workbench.
The reason why it is said to be a device rather than a color TV is mainly because the thing in front of him has no casing and all the parts are exposed. It is very different from the early color TVs in Zhou Yang's memory and is also very crude.
"Professor Yang, Professor Hou, is this the color TV you developed?" Zhou Yang asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Yes, although it looks a bit shabby, the performance is good!"
"Hahaha, I'm not afraid of this. As long as the performance is good, the outer shell doesn't matter!" Zhou Yang said.
Yang Guoan said with a smile: "Yes, everyone, please sit down and I will show you the color TV we developed!"
Under Yang Guoan's greeting, Zhou Yang and others immediately gathered around the workbench, and then found a stool and sat down.
At the same time, Yang Guoan came to the simple color TV and started tinkering quickly.
As the power is turned on, the TV starts to power up.
After a "rustling" sound, a sonorous sound came from the TV. When I heard it, I knew it was the news program of CCTV.
As this familiar voice sounded, the figure of a female host clearly appeared on the small screen on the table...
........
PS: The first chapter has been delivered!
