Chapter 2535: Preparing to Build a Factory
"In the early Qing dynasty, when trade opened at the Thirteen Factories, Guangdong's manual cotton textile industry flourished to meet foreign demand. At the time, Guangdong wasn't a cotton-producing region. Before the 1820s, the British East India Company shipped vast quantities of Indian cotton to Guangzhou—this was before India's manual textile industry had been fully crushed by British competition. But it's a complicated story." Li Shan paused, gathering his thoughts. After Britain's textile industry took off, they too faced cotton shortages. Competition with France on the European continent drove prices skyward, and in the end, Britain relied on American colonies and foreign conquest to secure a steady supply. "The Senate should encourage private development of the cotton textile industry. When raw materials run short, the Senate's colonization efforts will gain valuable allies."
"Besides, we have the Jacquard loom, wide-width cloth, and soon, chemical dyes." Punch cards had already been successfully developed, and the flying shuttle wasn't a particularly difficult craft. Once chemical dyes entered mass production, they would become remarkably cheap. The printing and dyeing advantages that made Indian cloth famous would be nothing compared to what the Senate could offer.
"Did you call me over to design patterns?" Cheng Milian asked, quickly grasping Li Shan's intent. After all, beyond production costs, the real challenge with consumer goods lay in design—and all three innovations they'd discussed were selling points centered on product aesthetics.
"Exactly. Among us, you're the only one with any artistic talent, so we need your help."
"Seventeenth-century European nouveau riche style?" The words slipped out before Cheng Milian could stop them, his mind drifting to those gaudy real estate developments from the old timeline. The art world had always mocked such designs, but here in Lingao, transported to this era, they might actually seem fashionable.
"That settles it—this side is in your hands. Brother Zou and I will be heading to Guangzhou soon." Li Shan clapped him on the shoulder.
When Chen Ding and his nephew Chen Lin returned from Lingao with Wu Yijun, they didn't go straight back to Nansha. Instead, they began preparatory work for the Nansha Textile Factory in Guangzhou.
The blueprint Li Shan and Zou Biao had designed called for a modest facility, implemented in two phases to accommodate the investors' financial capacity. The first phase would focus on spinning alone, with a scale of eight hundred spindles. The second phase would add weaving operations: twelve hundred spindles and sixty looms.
In Guangzhou, they held a preparatory meeting and divided responsibilities.
Wu Yijun would remain in the city, overseeing procurement and transportation of construction materials and cotton. The others would proceed to Nansha. Uncle Chen Ding and his nephew would handle land acquisition, canal excavation, and building construction. Chen Xiaobing would coordinate with local authorities. The four textile interns would assist with construction and begin training workers.
Once these assignments were settled, Chen Xiaobing called Chen Lin aside. "Does your village have enough housing? We'll be sending an engineering team and technical personnel soon—they'll all need places to stay."
"If they're not too particular, we can arrange for them to stay with various villagers," Chen Lin replied. "The ancestral hall, silk workshop, and graveyard all have buildings we could borrow. It depends on how many are coming."
"Thirty or forty, perhaps. But having them constantly coming and going from private homes would be an imposition."
"Then the graveyard would work best. The Yang dwellings there—the houses for caretakers—could easily accommodate a hundred people."
The question of land proved thornier. The workshop would be built on Nansha's territory, and although Wu Yijun had purchased considerable acreage in the area, land suited for growing cotton wasn't necessarily suitable for a factory site. Water-powered machinery also raised the issue of river usage rights. Though Wu Yijun was an investor and Chen Lin's relative, close brothers still must settle accounts clearly. This brought up the matter of the Chen family's shareholding in the new textile factory.
Wu Yijun approached the issue generously, stating that if factory land needed to be purchased separately, he would cover the cost. He also offered the Chen clan one free share as reward for their assistance in establishing the factory.
The Nansha Textile Factory would have thirteen shares in total. One share without investing a penny was generous by any measure—yet uncle and nephew hesitated.
It wasn't that they found the terms unfavorable. The problem was more fundamental: who in the Chen family had the authority to make such decisions?
The Chen family of Nansha wasn't a single household but an entire clan, comprising dozens of families and hundreds of people. In theory, all "Chen family land" in Nansha Village belonged to the clan collectively. Regardless of who had actually spent the money or effort to purchase or reclaim specific parcels, disposing of any land required the consent of clan members.
Currently, the position of clan leader sat vacant, and Second Uncle had usurped the role of "Head of Case"—the manager of clan affairs. Any contract Chen Ding and Chen Lin signed with Wu Yijun, Second Uncle Chen Xuan could simply declare invalid. He might not be able to accomplish much on his own, but obstructing others was well within his power.
Worse still, Second Uncle had a female Australian backing him. Chen Xiaobing was only a "Fake Kun" after all—a naturalized citizen. If Li Yao'er truly stepped forward to support Second Uncle, Chen Xiaobing's authority wouldn't matter.
Chen Lin laid out his concerns to Wu Yijun in full. Wu Yijun agreed it was a thorny situation, so together they went to seek Chen Xiaobing's advice.
"If Chen Xuan refuses to cooperate, we can't buy land or build canals and buildings in Nansha."
Chen Xiaobing nodded. "Chief Li anticipated this to some extent."
Guangdong's clan networks wielded considerable power, and Li Shan's team had thought of this long ago. Knowing the investors hailed from Nansha, they had already contacted Li Yao'er.
"Chief Li wrote to Senator Li in advance," Chen Xiaobing said, choosing his words carefully. "You can rest easy. Chief Li's mission to Nansha is promoting the new silk industry—she won't involve herself in internal clan disputes." He paused. "Of course, resolving conflicts within your clan is ultimately your own affair. As for this contract..." He considered for a moment. "Do you and your uncle hold land in your own names?"
"Naturally we do," Chen Lin said, his indignation rising. "Not only that, but the house and land for the silk workshop were purchased by my father. We have the deeds."
"Then there's your answer. Since you hold property in your own names, the contract doesn't need to specify which particular parcel constitutes your 'investment.' Sign with confidence. The Senate doesn't recognize the concept of clan land. Zhang San's land belongs to Zhang San; Li Si's house belongs to Li Si." He gave Chen Lin a meaningful look. "Do you understand?"
"Yes! I understand!" Chen Lin's response came out louder than intended. A thought struck him, and he lowered his voice. "But Chief Li—"
"Don't worry too much about Chief Li's position." Chen Xiaobing's tone was reassuring. "Once you get the textile factory running, Chief Li will naturally have other considerations."
This put Chen Lin's mind at ease. After consulting with Third Uncle, he signed the shareholding agreement in his uncle's name.
With the agreement finalized, everyone dispersed to their respective tasks. Wu Yijun rented a large house in Guangzhou to serve as a temporary office. Most construction materials would be ordered from the city, and Li Shan had provided a detailed list—specifications down to model numbers and quantities, with notes on backup suppliers and reference prices. Wu Yijun simply had to follow it.
Uncle and nephew then took a boat back to Nansha with the others to begin preparations.
Their return—openly and without shame—infuriated Chen Xuan, though he found himself powerless to act. This uncle and nephew pair had not only allied themselves with Wu Yijun but had also brought an Australian cadre and secured a Senate "capacity diffusion project."
In terms of status, of course, Chen Xiaobing—a mere naturalized citizen cadre—couldn't compare to Li Yao'er. In the past, as long as Chen Xuan served her well and cooperated with her work, he could practically rule Nansha unchallenged. But Chen Xiaobing's arrival complicated matters. Their words now carried more weight between them, and since the cadre's appearance, Li Yao'er had clearly distanced herself from Chen Xuan. No doubt Chen Xiaobing had been poisoning her ear against him.
And Han Changfu, whom he had specifically dispatched to Guangzhou to "deal with" Chen Ding? Not only had he failed to accomplish anything, he had vanished entirely. Chen Xuan cursed himself for throwing ten taels of silver down a hole.
For now, he could only swallow his anger and make a show of "cooperating" with uncle and nephew.
Chen Ding and Chen Lin didn't return to their family home either. They moved into the Yang dwelling at the graveyard alongside the work team. The internship group immediately began surveying sites around Nansha Village.
Because the water-powered textile factory depended on harnessing river current, site selection was crucial. Back at school, the four students of the textile internship group had taken a special course called "How to Build a Factory." Such practical training might seem unimaginable for textile majors in another timeline, but here it proved invaluable.
Accompanied by Chen Lin, the group conducted extensive surveys along the larger rivers near Nansha, searching for a suitable factory location.
The site itself had numerous requirements—level ground, solid foundation conditions—but the most critical factor, Li Guo explained to Chen Lin, was the river's flow.
"Since we're using water power to drive the machinery, we need sufficient current. The factory must be as close to the river as possible, with convenient transportation nearby—ideally near navigable waterways. At the same time, the land needs enough area for future expansion."
"Building an Australian factory requires such complicated preparations!" Chen Lin sighed. Watching them work with their various instruments and equipment, he felt a pang of shame at his own ignorance.
A thought occurred to him. "The demonstration textile factory in Nanbao doesn't have a big river nearby."
"Good observation," An Jiu replied, looking up with a smile. "They use steam engines there—which burn coal. Do you have coal around here?"
"Coal... we have it, but it's expensive."
"Exactly. Whether burning coal or wood, fuel is a major expense. River water costs nothing—why not use it?"
"Then why doesn't the Demonstration Factory use water power? Is there no river?"
"That's not it. Actually, when conditions allow, steam engines are more cost-effective. They can drive far more machinery—tens of thousands of spindles, hundreds of machines. And you can build wherever you want, river or no river."
(End of Chapter)