Chapter 9: Banquet at the Guild Hall

Taylor

Waiting is always a test of endurance, especially when it is a wait without any news. After returning from Pittsburgh to New York, I was initially confident that Morgan would come looking for me within three days at most. However, to my surprise, this wait has stretched to thirteen days.

Where does Taylor live, Brother Ou?

Li Zicheng spoke, and the two of them smiled simultaneously. For Chinatown, they were like "foreigners"; despite both being of Chinese descent, they were not particularly welcomed here due to language and regional differences.

Are you referring to Frederick Winslow Taylor in New York

Taking a sip of strong liquor and glancing around at the fellow citizens conversing in their local dialect, Li Zicheng let out a helpless sigh

Although Xiang Yue is studying agriculture, she is quite interested in business management. A few days ago, she saw in the newspaper that Mr. Taylor had concluded his congressional hearing and is currently in New York, which is why she came to visit Mr. Taylor

On the streets, there was a bustling crowd. Although today, March 3rd, is an ordinary day for Americans, it is the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, in China. Because of this, many Americans came here to experience the atmosphere of the "Lantern Festival" and to savor the exotic charm of this place

A person who was forced to drop out of school due to vision impairment; a person described by workers as brutally beastly; a person who is at odds with the union and was compelled to testify in Congress; a person who is continuously criticized by modern management scholars

Two years ago, the reason for self-funding my studies in the United States was similarly driven by the principle of "saving the country through industry." I enrolled at the University of Illinois, and although I qualified for a government-funded scholarship during my time there, life was difficult, and I often subsisted on plain water and bread

Where is your brother?

Ah...

Mu Ouchu took the initiative to greet him. As soon as he spoke, the Jiangsu dialect he used resonated in Li Zicheng's ears, instantly creating a sense of familiarity.

This individual is Frederick Winslow Taylor, the most important and simultaneously the most controversial figure in the history of management thought

When mentioning scientific management, Mu Xiangyue appeared somewhat excited. Since reading "Principles of Scientific Management" for the first time last year, he has been planning to visit Taylor in order to seek his advice in person on certain issues related to scientific management, particularly regarding its application in the management of textile factories.

... not afraid of distant ridicule, two years ago, Xiang Yue relied on the dowry jewelry pawned by her wife to be able to study abroad in the United States

I am more interested in this person! Come on, let's go visit Mr. Taylor together! My car ... ...

He stood up, raised a bowl of wine, and after toasting the people seated around the table, Li Zicheng apologized and left the table, walking towards the backyard of the Chinese Guild Hall. At least, setting aside the Cantonese and Fujian dialects, looking at those people and this Chinese-style architecture allowed him to regain a sense of belonging

Li Zicheng, who originally thought he could find a sense of belonging here, gave a helpless smile as he listened to the people around him speaking a dialect he could not understand

A similar sigh echoed from not far away. Upon looking again, a middle-aged man dressed in a suit, yet exuding an air of refinement, stood in the corridor. His expression seemed to carry a hint of melancholy. Feeling someone watching him, Mu Ouchu raised his head and followed the gaze to see a young man not far away, who offered a polite smile.

Frederick Winslow Taylor

Mu Xiangyue, courtesy name Ouchu! A native of Shanghai

That's right

www.hetushu.com briefly became a moment of contemplation as Li Zicheng uttered two words

Last year, with the support of Mr. Crozier, the Chief of the Army Ordnance Department, Mr. Taylor conducted scientific management experiments at the Watertown Arsenal in Massachusetts and the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois. The specific implementation of scientific management by Merrick at the Watertown Arsenal led to the dismissal of union members who refused to cooperate, resulting in a strike. The House of Representatives formed a special committee to conduct an investigation. From last October until a few days ago, the United States Congress held hearings on Taylorism and other workshop management systems, during which Taylor testified. Although Congress determined that Taylor was not responsible for the strike, ... a week ago, after the hearings concluded, he resigned and went to New York

With a sigh, I downed another glass of strong liquor, forcing a smile as I looked at the fellow citizens around me, listening to the dialect that I could not understand at all, which only deepened my sense of gloom.

Oh!

At the age of thirty-six, Mu Xiangyue spoke of these matters without any hint of concealment. Two years ago, when he made the decision, he was already 34 years old and had been married for 9 years. His wife pawned her jewelry and borrowed 1,000 yuan, embarking on the journey of self-funded study in the United States.

Looking at Mu Xiangyue, Li Zicheng, somewhat puzzled, said, "Illinois is located in the central United States, and this is not a holiday season."

Zhi Yuan, are you also interested in scientific management

Li Zicheng, courtesy name ... ...

For a full thirteen days, not only did Morgan not send anyone to negotiate, but even U.S. Steel did not send representatives. It seems they were truly intimidated by the high price I proposed.

The liquor from my hometown acts like a stimulant; although people have yet to stimulate their senses to the very ends of their nerves. However, after consuming some alcohol, their speech becomes audacious and bold, and their behavior turns frivolous. Those speaking Cantonese and Hokkien, along with the books, raise their voices at the dining table, accompanied by their gestures of toasting each other, as the liquor flows down in cup after cup. They even begin to tease the dozen or so courtesans specially invited by the guild. This is a rare day of relaxation in a year. After tomorrow, they will once again plunge into the hardships of life.

Zhiyuan is his own online nickname. At this moment, Li Zicheng, unable to think of any suitable words to mention, had no choice but to use his own nickname as a substitute.

The "festivals" described by Ah Si differ greatly from his own imagination, to the extent that he feels like an outsider sitting here. Almost every table is populated according to the accents of the people, with these Chinese expatriates in New York hailing from various regions of Guangdong and Fujian. People from the same province cannot communicate with one another, and those from the same city also struggle to understand each other, despite being neighbors. Even their conversations often rely heavily on interpretation. When the leader of the Hongmen in New York spoke earlier, he surprisingly used English instead of Chinese. The Mandarin that Ah Si speaks sounds like an "alien language" to them, while the dialects they use are not any less foreign to him.

Frederick Winslow Taylor! Upon hearing this name, Li Zicheng couldn't help but be taken aback. This name was not unfamiliar to him; during his university years, he had read books on economic management, and this individual is undeniably a significant figure in modern economic management.

Li Zicheng, who had already stood up, turned his head for the first time and said to Mu Xiangyue

Li Zicheng's voice carried a hint of joy; just as he was contemplating the idea of returning to his home country to establish a factory, Frederick Winslow Taylor appeared at his doorstep. Could there be such a coincidence?

Wishing everyone prosperity and great fortune in the New Year

After Mu Xiangyue cupped his fists and bowed in self-introduction, Li Zicheng hurriedly imitated his gesture and performed a bow.

www.hetushu.com, the seats have not yet been cleared...

Li Zicheng urgently asked, what Taylor did was far clearer to him than to Mu Xiangyue. His scientific management could be regarded as a multiplier of production efficiency. Perhaps, as others have criticized, Taylor's scientific management "increased wages by 61%, while the workload increased by 362%". However, on the other hand, it scientifically and rationally utilized human resources, which is precisely what he needed. If he could...

In the lobby on the first floor of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Chinatown, although it is only afternoon, those without family companionship in Chinatown have arrived early. They exchange pleasantries and engage in polite conversation. For these individuals, this place is, in a sense, their home. Perhaps it is only here that they can experience the rare relaxation and comfort that is hard to come by throughout the year.

The clamor of the people behind him in the hall occasionally disturbed Li Zicheng's thoughts. Despite being here, at the Chinese Guild Hall, he felt a certain degree of exclusion because he was a northerner, speaking Northern Mandarin. Just like in this hall, the Cantonese people occupied the left side, while the Fujianese people occupied the right. Aside from the occasional toasting, the two groups hardly interacted with each other

To the distant future

After a brief introduction between the two, perhaps due to the fact that both had experienced a certain degree of rejection, they began to converse as if they were already familiar with each other, sitting in the pavilion of the mansion's backyard.

Inquire with Mr. Taylor about some management issues. Zhiyuan, China is not only lagging behind in industry but also significantly behind other countries in factory management. I believe that to operate a modern factory, it is essential to introduce modern management. Mr. Taylor's scientific management is undoubtedly the most advanced factory management system available today

In the subsequent conversation, Li Zicheng learned that Mu Xiangyue's family had been engaged in cotton cultivation for generations. By the time of his father's generation, they had established a flourishing cotton business that was renowned far and wide. However, by the time he was a youth, the family fortunes had declined. At the age of 13, he became an apprentice at a flower shop, where he stayed for 11 years, gaining a profound understanding of the issues plaguing the Chinese cotton yarn industry. After the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, he resolved to pursue Western learning as a means of self-strengthening and self-rescue.

Ah!

"More than a decade ago, during Mr. Taylor's employment at Bethlehem Steel Company, he conducted the famous 'Pig Iron Handling Experiment' and 'Shovel Experiment,' all of which demonstrated this point. Even the scientific management experiments conducted in American arsenals achieved excellent results, which is why I... skipped class to visit Mr. Taylor"

Looking at Mu Xiangyue before him, Li Zicheng couldn't help but glance at him a few more times due to his words. It is rare for someone of his age to study abroad. According to many books, most students during the late Qing Dynasty went to Japan for their studies, including many father-son pairs. However, those who were slightly older mostly chose to study in the United States at their own expense in order to pursue fame and success.

Oh? I wonder why Brother Mu has come from Illinois to New York

A person who was posthumously honored as the "Father of Scientific Management"; a person who influenced the emergence of assembly line production; a person who was highly esteemed by the great mentor of socialism; a person who impacted the process of human industrialization

Mu Xiangyue nodded, but Li Zicheng's surprise was indeed beyond his expectations

Despite it being the height of winter, with snowflakes falling from the sky, the entire Chinatown is completely enveloped in a strong atmosphere of the Spring Festival. The sounds of firecrackers occasionally ring out, along with the couplets of the New Year and mutual greetings. However, what stands out even more are the Chinese-style lanterns that adorn Chinatown, filling the entire area with the joy of the Lantern Festival.

So you came to New York to ... ...

Just as the person was about to leave, Li Zicheng suddenly halted, becoming lost in deep thought