横下心来渡苦海
Case-hardened to cross the sea of bitterness
沧海横流，惊涛拍岸。
The sea is surging, and the waves are crashed on the shore.
周兴和站在滩头上，眺望着海天一色苍茫无际的大海，阵阵海风吹来，他不禁想起佛家超度众生的那句话：苦海无边，回头是岸。
Zhou Xinghe stood on the beach, looking at the boundless sea melted into the sky. The sea breeze was blowing, and he couldn't help thinking of the buddhist saying: "The sea of bitterness is boundless, but looking back to find the shore."
是啊，何去何从，何去何从啊！小人的算计，承包的失败，司法的不公，经济的拮据，生活的艰难，让周兴和又一次走到人生的低谷。
Where to go, which way shall I take? Consipired by the villain, and failed in the contract, the injustice of the judiciary, the constraint in the economy, and the hardship of life, made Zhou Xinghe to the trough of life again and again.
经过无数个不眠之夜痛苦的思考，周兴和得出了一个结论：这些年来，不是寄人篱下替人打工，就是零敲碎打混碗饭吃，这样搞下去，只能受制于人，只能食人残羹，只能憋屈受气，永远不会有出头之日——不行，必须要有自己的企业，必须要有属于自己驰骋的一片天地！只有那样才有可能跳出苦海，才可能会有出头之日！破釜沉舟背水一战，即使头破血流，即使一败涂地，要死也要死得其所，要死也要死得个明明白白！
After the painful thinking in the sleepless nights, Zhou Xinghe came to the conclusion: over the years, he was depended on others, or just made a living in small scale, in this way, it can only be disciplined by others, and just have leftovers, which can only be bullied and suffered from indignities, and never have the day to hold up own head - no, it must have my own enterprise, and have a piece of field for oneself! Only in that way it is possible to jump out of the sea of bitterness, and have a promising day! Just like burning one's bridge and fighting to win or die, even if one's head is broken, even if one is defeated, it must die in the right path!
“出头的椽子先烂”，尽管这是古人对我们最真切的忠告，但而今已山穷水尽的周兴和，当出头的椽子也好，作先飞的鸟儿也罢，他只能勇往直前，再也不能左顾右盼、患得患失、贻误机遇了！
" The rafters that jut out will rot firstly", although this is the most sincere advice from ancients, Zhou Xinghe had been exhausted now; no matter as the rafters that jut out or as the bird of early start, he could only go forward, and can no longer just look around, be swayed by considerations of gain and loss, and miss the opportunity!
可，要拥有自己的企业，就必须要有两个前提：一是资金，二是产品。
However, to have own enterprise, there must be two premises: one is the capital, and two is the product.
周兴和这时确是一无所有，但他却拥有别人没有的更大财富，那就是——信誉和韧性。1990年5月，周兴和意外地从《中国专利报》上看到，这年6月将在北京举办中国专利博览会的消息后，他与妻子刘凤琼从亲戚朋友和银行处借贷10万块钱，天南海北地考察起市场和产品来。
Zhou Xinghe really had nothing at this time, but he had greater wealth than others, that is, credibility and resilience. In May of 1990, when Zhou Xinghe read in the China Patent News unexpectedly that the China Patent Expo would be held in Beijing in June, he and his wife, Liu Fengqiong, borrowed 100,000 yuan from relatives, friends and banks to explore the markets and products all over the country.
南国的晨霜、北方的暮雪、戈壁的风沙、东海的烈日。在一个多月时间里，为节约经费，周兴和与妻子，住最便宜的旅馆，坐最便宜的硬座车厢，有时甚至是啃冷馒头，喝着矿泉水，跑遍了国内10多个省20多个城市。尽管他在整个途程中收获不大，但却目睹了沿海改革开放新的气象，吸收了不少创办企业新的理念，这拓展了他的视野，打开了他的思路。而今，他来到东海边上的一个城市，面对着浩瀚的大海，心生无限的感慨来。
Morning frost in the south China, dusk snow in the north China, sand in the gobi desert, and sun in the East China Sea. For more than a month, in order to save money, Zhou Xinghe and his wife visited more than 20 cities in more than 10 provinces in China by staying in the cheapest hotels and taking the cheapest hard-seat trains. Sometimes they even ate the cold steamed buns and drank the mineral water. Although he did not gain much during the whole journey, he witnessed the new atmosphere of coastal reform and opening-up and absorbed many new ideas for starting enterprises, which broadened his vision and opened his mind. Now, he came to a city on the edge of the East Sea; facing the vast sea, his heart was full of infinite emotions.
他是第一次走出大山来到海边。尽管他过去从书本上看见过关于海的描写，在电影电视中看见过惊天的海浪，但这是他有生以来第一次如此真切地触摸和见识大海，如此真切地感受到大海的动感、力度、威严和雄奇。站在海边，他才感受到凡夫俗子在广博的大海面前无法掩饰的渺小，吸一口大海那充溢天地间亘古不变的浩然大气，肃然面对自然界中生命的不竭活力，让人不由萌生出生命需要接受锻打、洗涤、净化和提升的欲望来。
It was the first time that he had come out of the mountains to the sea. Although he had seen the descriptions of the sea in books and the huge waves in movies and television, this was the first time in his life that he had really touched and seen the sea, felt its movement, strength, majesty and magnificence so vividly. Standing on the beach, he felt the insignificance of ordinary people in front of the vast sea, inhaled the vast and unchanging atmosphere of the sea, and faced with the inexhaustible vitality of life in nature, which made people not only feel the need to accept forging, washing, purifying and upgrading of life.
真的只有回头才能找到归宿之岸吗？不，这湛蓝浩大的海，不正是通向外边世界最古老的航道，不正是打开探测未来的一扇神奇天窗么？海风扑面而来，周兴和心胸豁然开朗——即使前面是无边的苦海，也没有什么人、没有什么理由能阻止他向往彼岸的梦想或野心！
Is it true that only looking back can we find the shore? No, this vast blue sea is the oldest shipping lane to the outer world, isn't it just to open a magic skylight to explore the future? With the sea breeze blowing in his face, Zhou Xinghe was suddenly enlightened - even though there was an endless sea of bitterness ahead, no one and no reason could prevent him from dreaming or ambition toward the other shore!
燕雀焉知鸿鹄之志哉！
How can a sparrow understand the ambition of a swan!
如果我们今天从这个角度来审视和理解这个周兴和，他无数次创业的苦难、无数次试验的失败，无数次官司的缠身，几次生生死死、几次与道不同的妻子分手，而矢志不渝无怨无悔，或许就和他这梦想或野心有关吧！
If we examine and understand this Zhou Xinghe from the present angle, his numerous entrepreneurial sufferings, failures of numerous experiments, numerous lawsuits entangled, several alomost dead, several goodbyes with wives of different aims, but unswervingly and unrepentant, perhaps it is related to his dream or ambition!
蜀相诸葛曰：“志之所趋，无远勿届，穷山距海，不能限也。志之所向，锐兵精甲，不能御也！”
Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu Kingdom, said, "If one has enough ambition, he can always reach the place where he wants to reach, no matter how far it is, even crossing and mountain and sea. If one has enough ambition, he can always reach the place where he wants to reach, no matter how strongly it is defended, even with the best soldiers and armors."
1990年6月，周兴和与妻子在各地考察后，来到北京参加专利博览会。毋庸讳言，周兴和与妻子在这次考察中，他们在意识、观念、习惯、素养等方面的差异，已经明显暴露出来。在44天的考察时间里，他们有30多天在闹矛盾闹纠纷，弄得两人的心情都很糟糕。刘凤琼出于一个家庭主妇过日子的心理，为节约每一分钱，他拉着周兴和，每天要花大量的时间和精力去寻最便宜的旅馆，去找最便宜的饭菜，去寻最便宜的公交车；而周兴和每到一个地方，则心急如焚如饥似渴地想利用更多的时间和精力来考察项目。由于价值观念与考察目的不同，两人就难免不时发生分歧和摩擦。久而久之，不可避免地在各自心里生出隔阂来。
In June of 1990, Zhou Xinghe and his wife came to Beijing to participate in the Patent Expo after visiting various places. Needless to say, the differences between Zhou Xinghe and his wife in their consciousness, concept, habit, accomplishment and other aspects had been clearly exposed during the investigation. During the 44-day investigation, they had more than 30 days of conflicts and disputes, which made them both in a bad mood. In order to save every penny, Liu Fengqiong dragged Zhou Xinghe and spent a lot of time and energy searching for the cheapest hotel, the cheapest meal and the cheapest bus every day. While everywhere Zhou Xinghe went to, he was eager to spend more time and energy investigating the project. Because their value concept and investigation purpose were different, two people had difference and attrition unavoidably from time to time. Over time, the estrangement grew inevitably in their hearts respectively.
这样的矛盾，终于在北京的专利博览会上彻底爆发出来！
Such contradiction erupted completely on Beijing Patent Expo finally!
北京博览会，真是别开生面热闹非凡，黄的白的黑的各种肤色的人摩肩接踵，各种发明专利琳琅满目，让人眼花缭乱目不暇接。在会议现场，周兴和亲眼见到美国一家公司，花了4000万元人民币买走一项高科技专利后，在大发感慨受到启发之余，他也跃跃欲试起来。他根据自身的情况，在仔细查看和对比多项发明专利后，毅然决定花8万元买下几项实用建筑材料的专利！
Beijing Expo, really broken fresh ground; the people with yellow, white and black skin all were filled, and a variety of invention patents were dazzling and dizzying. At the site, Zhou Xinghe was inspired to give it a try after seeing an American company paid 40 million yuan for a high-tech patent. According to his own situation, after the careful examination and comparison of a number of invention patents, he resolutely decided to spend 80,000 yuan to buy a few practical building materials patents!
“你这几项专利，我买了！”周兴和分析和综合了多种情况后，颇有几分孤注一掷的勇气将装钱的皮包往工作台上一砸！
"I'll buy your patents!" Zhou Xinghe analyzed and integrated a variety of circumstances, and dropped the leather bag of money to the workbench with the courage to put all the eggs in one basket!
天哪，8万元，这可不是一个小的数字呀！按当时的价格，这笔钱能买到1000克黄金了！那薄薄的几十页纸，就值8万元？刘凤琼费解了、惊讶了，甚至着急了愤怒了，她断然反对周兴和花那么大一笔钱来买那几十张纸！
Oh, my God, 80,000 yuan was not a small number! At that time, it could buy 1 kg of gold! The dozens of pages were worth of 80,000 yuan? Liu Fengqiong was puzzled, surprised, even worried and angry. She flatly opposed Zhou Xinghe to spend so much money to buy those papers!
是呀，为了住一晚上少花两块钱的旅馆，为了节约1块钱的公共汽车费，她东抠西挪精打细算，而今周兴和却要花整整8万块钱去买几十页“废纸”，这简直是脑壳发昏，无疑就是要她的命啊！大庭广众之下，她与周兴和发生了剧烈争执，一个坚决要买，一个坚决反对，进而两人还在那里拉扯起来！现场的人不明就里，都惊异地看起这对夫妻的热闹来。
Well, in order to stay in a hotel that costed less than 2 yuan a night, and to save 1 yuan for the bus fare, she tried to scrimping here and there, but now Zhou Xinghe would spend 80,000 yuan to buy dozens of pages of "waste paper". It was just a case of fainting in the head, and it would definitely kill her! In public, she and Zhou Xinghe had a violent argument, one was determined to buy, the other was determined to oppose, and they even pulled and pushed there! The person on the spot did not know why, and saw this husband and wife's joke.
“刘凤琼，你别在这里吵闹，我们到那边去谈。”周兴和脸色铁青，这段时间来他憋在心里的怨气总爆发了，他把妻子拉到旁边一个人少的地方，决绝地对她说道，“我们出来时，一共带了10万块钱，如果买了专利，还剩2036块钱。这样，你把36块钱给我，把剩下的2000块钱你带回家去！”
"Liu Fengqiong, don't make so much noise here, let's talk over there." Zhou Xinghe's face was deathly pale, and all the resentment he had been holding in his heart had exploded now. He took his wife to a nearby place with few people and resolutely told to her, "We came out with a total of 100,000 yuan, and if we buy the patent, we still have 2,036 yuan left. Here, give me the 36 yuan and take the 2,000 yuan to go home with you!"
“你、你到底想干什么？”刘凤琼也余气未消，他问。
"What? What do you want?" Liu Fengqiong also felt angry, and asked.
“你回去后将已经修好的房屋出租，你和你女儿完全可以衣食无忧了。我呢，就带上你说的废纸，自己找个地方创业。3年后，我如果我没赚到300万，就不回来见你；这几年，你也不要找我，我也不会和你联系的！”说完，周兴和带着36块钱，一转身头也不回地就走了，留下眼泪汪汪的妻子愣在了那里。
"When you go back and rent out the house that has been repaired, you and your daughter will be well fed and clothed. As for me, I will take the waste paper you said and find a place to start my own enterprise. 3 years later, if I do not earn 3 million yuan, I will not come back to see you; during these years, you don't come to find me, and I will not contact you!" Then, Zhou Xinghe took 36 yuan and left without looking back, leaving his tearful wife stunned.
一个原本就穷困的农民，竟然花了8万元买发明专利，这在当时确实十分罕见。周兴和的举动，在博览会上引起了轰动。《中国专利报》和北京的几家报纸都在头版头条以《四川农民周兴和贷款8万元买专利》为题做了专门报道，使周兴和这个名字第一次在媒体上公开亮相，被世人所识。
It was rare for a poor farmer to spend 80,000 yuan on an invention patent. Zhou Xinghe's movement caused a stir at the Expo. The China Patent News and several newspapers in Beijing made a special report with the headline titled "Sichuan farmer Zhou Xinghe buys patents with 80,000-yuan loan," making Zhou Xinghe's name known in the media for the first time.
天高云淡，望断南飞雁。远在异乡，举目无亲，身上只揣着几十页“废纸”和36块钱的周兴和，从博览会会场出来，该往哪里去呢？
The sky was high and the clouds were light, the wild geese were flying to the south. Zhou Xinghe, who was far away from home without friends and only carrying dozens of pages of "waste paper" and 36 yuan, came out from the Expo. Where should he go?
《当今奇人周兴和》一书，目前已被收藏于中国当代作家图书珍藏馆、北京中国作家图书收藏馆、北京图书馆、北京外国语大学图书馆、湖南大学图书馆、重庆图书馆、江津图书馆、江津聂帅陈列馆、重庆渝州大学图书馆、重庆理工大学图书馆、重庆大学图书馆、重庆文理学院、北京师范大学图书馆、中国科学院成都分院图书馆、重庆三峡博物馆、重庆巴渝文化会馆、中国三线建设历史陈列馆、成都大邑三线建设陈列馆、江津文创中心、江津陈独秀旧居、江津中学图书馆、江津尚融学校图书馆、四川作家图书收藏馆、巴蜀文化博物馆。
2021年9月5日《廉政内参》第4期的第38页“人民心声”栏目刊登标题“我国建筑和建材领域一场颠覆性的革命”，其中第三节（第42页）小标题“愿星河新型材料的伟大发明得到国家大力推广，造福人类”的第七行摘要：“在当今中国，利用自己研发的高新科技成果走向世界的有两个人和两个项目：一个是袁隆平先生和他的杂交水稻，正在解决人们的吃饭问题；一个是周兴和先生和他的秸秆建材，正在解决人们的住房问题”。合乎科技兴国的伟大战略。
