Bathed in the spring breeze of Xiaoping's southern tour, in October 1992, I was sent by the Shanghai City Science and Technology Association to study at Toyota Motor Company of Japan. During that year, I was not only fortunate enough to receive the true knowledge of Toyota's management, but also had the opportunity to have a deep understanding of Toyota, a car giant.

Many people know Toyota only because it is engaged in automobile manufacturing and sales. As everyone knows, the entire origin of Toyota began with textile machine manufacturing.

Toyota's base camp is located in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan (originally called Sumo Town, renamed Toyota City because of Toyota Motors).

Toyota's first generation founder was Toshiki Toyoda, a well-known inventor at the time. In 1891, he obtained the first patent "Toyota Automatic Textile Machine" and signed a contract with Pratt Company in 1929. The price is £ 10 transfer patent contract.

After Toyoda's death, Saki left behind his will that "one person would act exclusively". Therefore, in 1933, his son Kiichiro Toyoda bore his father's expectations and added an automobile division to the Toyota Automatic Loom Factory. In 1937, Toyota Motor Company was officially established.

In Japan, someone once said that when Toyota sneezes, Aichi Prefecture will definitely catch a cold and Toyota City will get pneumonia; if Toyota catches a cold, Aichi Prefecture will definitely get pneumonia, and Toyota City will face life in danger. It can be seen that Toyota has a great influence on the local economy.

When I was studying at Toyota, Toyota's size was still second to General Motors in the United States. Then, time has changed. Since 2008, Toyota has become the indisputable leader in the world's automobile industry today.

Toyota has experienced the first generation of Toyota Saki era, the second generation of Toyota Kiichiro era, and the third generation of Toyota Shoichiro era. In June 2009, power was returned to the Toyota family and entered the current Toyoda Akio era. There are also people with foreign surnames who took charge of Toyota.

After taking over, Akio Toyoda always remembered his great-grandfather's famous saying: "Open that window, it's very vast outside." He himself often said: "Open the window and challenge the impossibility of life. Don't give up on your dreams. As long as you dare to dream, you will be able to realize it." He has been plagued by many car recalls and economic crises, but he has regained public trust in Toyota.

While in Japan, there is one saying I remember deeply: the rationalization of wringing a handful of water out of a dry towel. In Toyota, this awareness is always reflected. As a result, there is a work creed such as "good products, good ideas". Everyone regards Toyota as their home and always contributes good suggestions to the company.

Whether it is the familiar technical terms of "three timeliness" or "Kanban management", they have become synonymous with Toyota's management model and one of Toyota's major contributions to the world. However, only when you are beside the assembly line can you correctly understand the connotation of Toyota management. Only when you are with Toyota cadres and workers can you truly experience the spirit of Toyota people. Only when you shuttle between different Toyota units can you truly understand why Toyota has become a giant.

When people travel to Japan or visit Nagoya, they must go to Toyota City to see the appearance and full picture of Toyota, the world's giant car company. After visiting the Toyota Museum, Toyota Industrial Technology Museum, and Toyota Stadium, you will have a different feeling.

Toyota's management methods and corporate culture have a great impact on people. My success in the insurance industry is largely due to my studies at Toyota.

For a long time after returning to China, I have also been paying attention to Toyota Motors and have been studying it. It has something to learn from, and it has endless stories. The more you study, the more surprises you can discover. I didn't expect that Toyota and Shanghai still had an indissoluble bond.

In Shanghai, there are still several properties that Toyota developed in Shanghai in the early days. These properties reveal and witness Toyota's development in Shanghai at that time.

The past of Toyota is left on Wanhangdu Road, Yuyuan Road and Anxi Road in Shanghai.

The story of Toyota on Wanhangdu Road

Mr. Toyoda Sakichi had long noticed the importance of the Chinese market to his career (textile machinery development). After establishing the Toyota Automatic Loom Manufacturing Factory in Japan in 1918, he came to Shanghai to inspect the spinning industry in the same year. In 1921, Toyoda Sakichi founded Toyota's first company in China and overseas-Toyota Textile Factory on Wanhangdu Road (Changning District Section) in Shanghai.

On April 1, 2009, in a report titled "Industrial Heritage Preserving Urban Memory" in Shanghai's Wen Wei Po, the reporter introduced the ins and outs of the "Toyota Memorial Hall". Now the introduction is summarized as follows:

The Iron Engineering Department of Shanghai Toyota Textile Factory (also known as Toyota Yarn Factory) was established in 1921 and covers an area of 12 acres. It specializes in repairing machinery for Toyota Yarn Factory. In 1942, the Ministry of Iron and Steel was renamed Toyota Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd., and later independently became Toyota Machinery Manufacturing Factory, becoming the first company to be put into production by Japanese companies in China. In 1945, Japan failed in its war of aggression against China. The factory was taken over as enemy property by the Kuomintang China Textile Construction Company and renamed it Shanghai No. 1 Machinery Factory of China Textile Construction Company. After the founding of New China, it was taken over by the Shanghai City Military Management Council. In 1950, the factory was transformed into the state-owned Shanghai No. 1 Textile Machinery Factory (referred to as No. 1 Textile Machinery), which was affiliated to the East China Textile Administration Bureau. In 2007, it was renamed Shanghai No. 1 Textile Machinery Co., Ltd. Just in March 2007, Toyota Textile China Co., Ltd. rented the former site of the Iron Engineering Department from Shanghai Yifang Machinery Co., Ltd., hoping to transform it into the company's industrial memorial hall in China (now completed and is the Shanghai Toyota Textile Factory Memorial Hall). After the partial liberation of the original Toyota Yarn Factory, it became the "National Cotton Factory No. 5".

(To get here, you can take subway lines 2 #, 3 #and 4 #, get off at Zhongshan Park Station, and walk towards the Suzhou River for 15 minutes.)

According to research, it was also found that Toyota Yarn Factory established a branch factory on Siliu South Road, Qingdao in 1934. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, the factory and equipment were blown up by the Qingdao municipal authorities and later rebuilt. After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, it was taken over by the Qingdao Branch of the Kuomintang China Textile Construction Corporation and renamed it China Textile Qingdao No. 4 Textile Factory. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the yarn factory was renamed the state-owned Qingdao No. 4 Cotton Textile Factory, and the iron factory was changed to China Textile Qingdao No. 1 Machinery Factory.

The story of Toyota on Yuyuan Road

Lane 1249, Yuyuan Road, is the residence of senior employees of the former Niksho Toyota Yarn Factory. On the east side of Anxi Road and the south side of Yuyuan Road, there are two floors and two bays built for senior staff above the workshop leader in the factory.

According to reports, the residences here are brick-and-wood structures, all of which are made of red machine-made flat tile sloping roofs. The building layout design standards here are higher, the shape is better, and the building area is also large. Each set covers an area of about 130 square meters and covers an area of 4955 square meters.

(To get here, take subway line 2 #and get off at Zhongshan Park Station, and walk towards Yuyuan Road for about 10 minutes.)

The story of Anxi Road Toyota

Lane 23, Anxi Road, was originally a residence for employees of the Nippon Sho Toyota Yarn Factory. In 1936, Niksho Toyota Yarn Factory built a total of 8 and 56 staff residences here, covering an area of nearly 4000 square meters and a construction area of nearly 3800 square meters.

With the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and the liberation of Shanghai, it became the staff dormitory of the Fifth Cotton Mill and Textile Bureau of Shanghai City.

According to reports, the residence is a two-story brick and wood structure Japanese-style building with a machine-made red flat tile roof, a pine floor, a green exterior wall, red brick and clear water hooked and sewn brick walls, and a balcony or inner balcony in the south. The balcony has floor-to-ceiling doors and windows. There are wooden shutters outside the balcony doors and windows to prevent rain.

(After visiting the Toyota Senior Staff Residence on Yuyuan Road, Anxi Road is across the road and you can walk forward for about 5 minutes.)

When studying Toyota's development, the early development of Toyota in Shanghai had a great impact on Toyota today. This time is very important and worthy of attention.

Whether it was the invention of Mr. Saki Toyoda that led to the development of Toyota Automatic Looms, or the development and overseas expansion of Toyota Looms that led to one invention after another by Mr. Saki Toyoda, Toyota's development and growth are in this context. Iteration was completed. Some people say that from a historical perspective, it is precisely because of the bucket of gold from Shanghai Toyota Yarn Factory that today's Toyota industry and glory have been achieved. It seems to make sense.

Shanghai seems to be the "origin" where Toyota started, and Shanghai seems to be Toyota's "hometown". It is said that after each generation of new Toyota leaders takes over, they will come to the Toyota Memorial Hall in Shanghai for a "pilgrimage", which has become a place where Toyota executives recognize their ancestors.

This is not only an urban travel note, but also an urban industry travel note. It is also a reminiscence of a period of history. Sharing these stories with you will help raise your awareness of Toyota.