Created in China Episode 1 Recap
> Created in China Recap
Autumn 1998, Liu Jun, returning from Germany, stepped onto his homeland. What greeted him was not just the urban changes he hadn't seen in six years, but also the devastating news that his family's factory was on the verge of bankruptcy. As soon as the plane landed, he immediately called his German colleague to briefly explain the situation. His father, Liu Shitang, had a sudden stroke and was hospitalized due to poor management, remaining unconscious to this day.
The chaos of airport illegal taxis hiking up prices gave this mechanical engineering PhD his first taste of the stark realities of human relationships under the tide of the market economy. Just at this moment, a figure of medium height brushed past him. Liu Jun instinctively called out the name "Qian Hongming".
This was the man who had once been as close as a brother to him, and who they had fought desperately with before Liu Jun went abroad, vowing to sever all ties. Now, he was the manager of the second department at Xiangtong Machinery Import and Export Company. With a shiny small car and a well-tailored suit, he looked completely refreshed and radiant, silently announcing the rise and fall of personal destinies in the torrent of the times.
Six years had passed in the blink of an eye. On the way to the hospital, the atmosphere in the car was particularly awkward. Qian Hongming deliberately avoided the route where the factory was located, while Liu Jun maintained a weary silence. Both were communicating cautiously, trying not to touch the scar that lay between them, lacking the carefree nature of their childhood. There was less conversation on the road, with 'less is more' being the unspoken rule.
Liu Jun spent most of the time asleep until the car pulled up outside the hospital. After Liu Jun rushed to the hospital, Qian Hongming returned home to help his elder sister, Qian Hongying, take care of their bedridden mother. During their casual chat, Qian Hongming revealed his inner frustration. He had thought that achieving success in his career would allow him to stand tall in front of Liu Jun, but he found that the other man was completely indifferent.
This calculation of his, in contrast, made him feel like a clown. However, even after many years had passed, the feud between the two families, tracing back to the previous generation, had never been resolved. Back then, Qian Hongying, needing to raise money for her parents' medical expenses and her brother's tuition, had no choice but to borrow from Liu Shitang.
In Qian Hongming's eyes, Liu Shitang's intention in lending the money was malicious, causing his sister to suffer from rumors, which ruined her chances of promotion and delayed her marriage. Meanwhile, Liu Jun's paternal aunt insisted that Qian Hongying was the third party who ruined her brother's marriage, and her entanglement directly led to Liu Jun's mother's death from prolonged depression. Liu Jun firmly believed that his father was the root cause.
If the truth had been clarified sooner, things wouldn't have escalated to this point. These words left his paternal aunt speechless, and she could only advise him to resolve the knot in his heart with his father soon. In the evening, Qian Hongming came to visit him at the hospital and arranged to take Liu Jun to inspect the factory the next day. As they exchanged smiles, the ice between them slightly melted.
The next morning, Liu Jun stood in front of the factory area from his memory. Not only had the facade of the factory changed, but the factory name had also become "Qianjin Machinery Plant". Old security guard Uncle Zhang hastily handed him the keys. Liu Jun walked through the familiar factory path. The workshop that used to be bustling with activity was now lifeless.
He picked up a screwdriver from a toolbox and chiseled hard at the ground a few times, analyzing that the factory had serious problems in both equipment and management. Qian Hongming raised sharp questions about manufacturing standards, his rapid-fire inquiries momentarily silencing Liu Jun. In this era driven by profit, upholding principles was a luxury, and he had no right to blame others.
But Qianjin Plant was the foundation of the Liu family; as a man of character, how could he stand by and watch his family business decline without doing anything? Just as the two of them stepped out of the workshop, the supplier, Boss Quan, happened to arrive with a group to demand payment, and a fierce conflict erupted between the two sides.
Just as tensions were high, Master Xu, a veteran of the factory, along with the workers, timely brought the situation under control. Liu Jun voluntarily took responsibility, pleading with Boss Quan for a two-day grace period to clarify the accounts, and promising to raise funds for repayment. With Qian Hongming acting as a guarantor, Boss Quan reluctantly agreed.
Only after the debt collectors had left did Master Xu reveal the truth: the factory had been owing wages for a long time. Liu Jun immediately pressed Master Xu about the truth behind the shutdown. Master Xu retrieved a contract. It turned out that Liu Shitang, in his eagerness for achievement, had taken on an order far exceeding the factory's technical capabilities. The sample products were consistently plagued by unresolved pore and pinhole defects.
After multiple unsuccessful attempts, Liu Shitang was overwhelmed by stress and hospitalized. Master Xu emphasized that if the goods could not be delivered next month, even bankruptcy liquidation would not be enough to fill this bottomless pit. Facing this predicament, Liu Jun borrowed Qian Hongming's office to contact his assistant in Germany. Qian Hongming made proper arrangements for his food and lodging and took him back to his own home.
Liu Jun met Qian Hongming's wife, Shen Jiali, a designer, for the first time. In the quiet of the night, Shen Jiali sensed the subtle atmosphere between her husband and their guest. Qian Hongming confessed that the long-standing feud between their families made their friendship feel like walking on thin ice. In the following days, Liu Jun spent his days and nights immersed in the workshop, improving the molds. The final products met all of the client's requirements.
Master Xu was eager to resume production. Liu Jun inquired about the technical lead and was shocked to realize that no one in the factory truly understood design. Just then, a call from the hospital informed them that Liu Shitang had regained consciousness. Liu Jun rushed to the ward and was overjoyed to see his father's fingers moving slightly.
