The people of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, have a reputation for
being high-flyers in the business world. Recently, they again
created a national record by ordering 22 private aircraft.
The lofty order came during an exhibition in Yueqing in east
China's booming Zhejiang Province, and totaled at least 133 million
yuan (US$16.4 million). Yueqing is a city administered by
Wenzhou.
The order included four "Cessna 172s," four A2C seaplanes, two
"Robinson R22" helicopters, and two "Robinson R44 Ravens." The most
luxurious purchase was a Dassault business jet costing 60 million
yuan (US$7.4 million), according to Xu Weijie, chairman of the
board of Yueqing Flying Club, organizer of the exhibition.
Seven famous plane production companies from home and abroad
gathered at the exhibition, which aimed to show different types of
planes and also the cost of running them, said Xu. To Xu's
surprise, Wenzhou's entrepreneurs paid little attention to the
expense, and were more concerned about how quickly they get their
new planes into the air.
"With the aim of fostering a good company image, showing the
great power of Chinese enterprises, and improving my business
efficiency, I decided to buy an aircraft," said Tu ChangZhong,
board chairman of Wenzhou Yikai Group, who ordered a Robinson
helicopter.
"It is worthwhile spending millions of yuan on a business jet to
save time and energy, and also owning a plane convinces your
business partners that you are reliable."
Currently, there are nine private jets owned by four
entrepreneurs on the Chinese mainland.
(China Daily December 31, 2005)