In the spring of 1980, twenty-year-old Shen Qiutong was publicly jilted by her fiancé, Zhou Jianguo. Swallowing her humiliation, she rode a battered bicycle into the city to make a living. She set up a stall selling dried sweet potatoes and met Gu Huaian, an orphaned former educated youth who repaired bicycles. The two teamed up to sell goods, starting with buttons, and grew closer over time. But Zhou Jianguo had her stall shut down on the grounds of “speculation and profiteering,” and Shen Qiutong was detained. Thankfully, Gu Huaian worked tirelessly to get her released.
In 1984, as economic reforms took hold, Shen Qiutong opened a clothing store. Business boomed, and she became a “ten-thousand-yuan household,” only to be left heavily in debt when her partner absconded with the money. Gu Huaian used his savings to pay off her debts, and together they rebuilt their business and launched a clothing brand.
After Deng Xiaoping’s Southern Tour in 1992, she moved her factory to the provincial capital, where it continued to expand. Zhou Jianguo’s state-owned factory was on the brink of collapse, and Shen Qiutong refused his request to partner up. In 2000, Shen Qiutong was named an outstanding provincial entrepreneur. As she accepted her award, she reflected, “There’s no such thing as being unworthy. You just have to dare to fight for it.” In the audience, Gu Huaian and their children were moved to tears.
