Tuesday 14 November 2023

A 100-year-old U.S. Flying Tigers veteran climbed the Great Wall again and posed for a photo in front of the "Monument of Good Men."

"The Great Wall is really a great project." On the afternoon of October 29, 102-year-old U.S. Flying Tigers veteran Harry Moyer climbed the Badaling Great Wall in Beijing, such as emotion.

On the same day, Moyer and his entourage flew from Shanghai to Beijing, and after a short rest, they went to visit the Badaling Great Wall scenic spot.

Moyer, who will celebrate his 103rd birthday on October 30, is still in good health. On that day, he wore sunglasses, a dark green Flying Tigers commemorative jacket and a yellow hat, and was in good spirits. In the peer support, Moyer from the Badaling Great Wall, "Wangjing stone" all the way up the stairs on foot, climbed to see the distance.

In 1944, Moyer traveled thousands of miles to the battlefields of China, and the Chinese people fought side by side against the Japanese invaders. He visited China again in 1995. This third time back to China, Moyer lamented that compared with the past, this time to see China's buildings and people, the changes are amazing. But there is also something that remains the same, that is, "the Chinese people have always been very hardworking".

The Badaling Great Wall scenic spot in October is full of colorful forests and peaks. After 28 years of climbing the Great Wall again, Moyer was very excited, he specially took a picture in front of the "Good Man Monument". Facing the camera, Moyer smiled and gave a thumbs up.

October 29, 102-year-old U.S. Flying Tigers veteran Harry Moyer climbed the Badaling Great Wall in Beijing, and thumbs up in front of the "good man monument" photo. China News Agency reporter Guo Chaokai photographed

Like to drink beer, he also let fellow officers to buy himself two bottles of Yanjing beer. He said he wanted to taste the flavor of Chinese beer. His companions told reporters that despite his age, Moyer "has a youthful heart". In an interview with reporters, the funny and humorous Moyer from time to time to tell jokes, the crowd amused.

As a member of the Flying Tigers, Moyer joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942, and fought in North Africa and Italy during World War II. In 1944, he joined the U.S. Air Force's 14th Air Force Squadron stationed in Sichuan, China, and carried out a series of missions with his fighter squadron.

Moyer said that before he went to China with his squadron to fight the Japanese in 1944, he "had accomplished enough to go home, but I chose to go to China with my team".

During the war in China, the Flying Tigers fought together with Chinese soldiers and civilians, shooting down more than 2,600 Japanese military planes. According to statistics, more than 2,000 U.S. Flying Tigers died in combat, more than 200 Flying Tigers were rescued by the Chinese people, and many Chinese gave their lives in the rescue process. Time has passed, and now the SDU has melted into the common memory of China and the United States, and become a shining beacon in the cause of Sino-American friendship.

Visiting China with Moyer this time, there are also 98-year-old SDU veteran McMullen, Chairman of the U.S.-China Aviation Heritage Foundation Green, granddaughter of SDU Commander General Chennault, Director of the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum Neil Kellaway, as well as a number of family members of the SDU veterans.

On October 29, U.S. Flying Tigers veteran Harry Moyer, granddaughter of Flying Tigers Commander General Chennault, Neil Kellaway, and a group of Flying Tigers veterans' family members take a group photo at the Badaling Great Wall scenic spot in Beijing. Photo by Guo Chaokai, China News Service

On the same day, Moyer, Kellaway and their entourage posed for a group photo near the "Wangjing Stone" of the Badaling Great Wall. When they climbed up to visit the Great Wall, they were welcomed by many Chinese tourists along the way, and Moyer, Kellaway and others also interacted with Chinese tourists in a friendly manner. A family member of a SDU veteran also gave his hat to a Chinese tourist as a souvenir.

According to the plan, Moyer, Kellaway and his entourage at the end of the Beijing trip, will also go to Chongqing, Yunnan Kunming, Guangxi Liuzhou and other cities.

Ten Years of Net Chartering: From Smoke and Mirrors to Harmony and Coexistence

 Ten years ago, the emergence of network car has changed the way people travel. In the past ten years, the network car has increased the supply of travel services to meet people's differentiated travel needs, but also the use of technology to enhance the efficiency and safety of people's travel.

On the other hand, for online car rental enterprises, this is also a decade of smoke and mirrors. In the era of traffic is king, the logic of survival of one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, so that the network car companies are trapped in the survival of anxiety, tired of subsidies in exchange for market scale.

After the first decade, the net car industry is becoming rational and calm. The emergence of the aggregation model has brought about the opening up of technology and traffic, providing an opportunity for online taxi companies to change their way of survival. Patrol-network convergence has accelerated the digitization of cruising cabs, improving the competitiveness of traditional transportation enterprises; regional small and medium-sized platform capacity has been utilized more effectively, and drivers have reduced the idling rate, providing flexible employment opportunities and increasing the income of driver groups.

In addition to being large-scale, online taxi enterprises have found another development path, good service. In the second decade, online car rental enterprises no longer think of killing their rivals, but harmony and coexistence.

Net car to change the way of travel, subsidies are only a short stage

"I often use Gaode to take a taxi, and I can call a car very quickly." Now, Ms. Zhang, who works in Beijing, is used to using this software, and in her opinion, calling a car fast and less expensive are two important factors.

Looking back ten years ago, when online taxi was just emerging in China, the cost of taxi for users was even less. "In the summer of 2014, we took a taxi to the mall, a trip was only a few dollars, usually a cab will cost more than ten dollars." Ms. Zhang recalled.

The personalized and customized transportation of online taxis is increasingly inseparable from people's trips. "In the past, you needed to walk to the main road to stop a car, but now you can order a car at home and it will arrive downstairs." Ms. Zhang witnessed the rise of net car, go to some remote road, urgent use of the car, with net car is very convenient.

Ai Rui consulting analysis, drop, fast, easy to the emergence of network car, can solve the information asymmetry between passengers and cab drivers, so that passengers are more likely to hit the car, so that the cab utilization rate is higher, so that to a certain extent to solve the problem of "difficult to get a taxi".

Net car platform subsidy war, invariably cultivate the user's consumption habits, expanding the market scale of the net car. 2014, Mai Jiaxing for Youbu China to develop users. "At the beginning of the rise of online car rental, subsidies to promote the development of user habits, but also to make mobile payment of high-frequency popularity."

Prior to this, Mai Jiaxing always felt that cabs failed to meet the demand for travel when he traveled. "There are quota restrictions on cruising cabs in general cities, and it is difficult to get a taxi on rainy days. This means that the travel demand of many users is suppressed, and the emergence of online taxis gradually meets the travel demand of users, and this part of personalized travel demand is also an incremental market."

At that time, Yuan Ming (a pseudonym) finally chose to run a net car. At first, he did like a fish out of water, about 15 single a day, a week full of 21 single reward 300 yuan, a month down to earn 15,000 six. Yuan Ming recalled, "The work intensity was also relatively small at that time, 7:00 am out of the car, 6:00 pm will be able to wrap up and go home."

In August of 2016, DDT acquired Youbu China and became the "big brother" of the online taxi industry. From competition to merge into one, Yuan Ming received more orders, only in Chongqing Beibei run, the average day can have about 40 single.

In any case, from the date of birth of the network car, the people's way of traveling has changed.

Not a traffic tool but a productivity taxi, small platform digitalization to keep up with the industry wave

The Internet transformation of travel began with the cab. 2012, when Cheng Wei first founded DDT, he started with the cab business. At that time, DDT launched online cab reservation service, using the Internet to help passengers and cab drivers to solve the problem of information asymmetry.

Liu is a native of Beijing, has been engaged in eight years of cabs and five years of online cab work. 2008, Liu began to run a cab, in the golden period of development of cabs, the work is relatively free and cozy. "Every day to send his daughter-in-law to and from work, the weekend with the family, the cab as a substitute car, running a 200 yuan -300 yuan a day on the car, a month of 5,000 yuan -6,000 yuan easily."

Around 2013, with the emergence of net car, Mr. Liu's cab business quietly changed, "At first, the net car platform is quite a lot, we can also share some orders, until after the dripping of the wind car on line, the orders of the cab only obvious changes."

"At that time, I will not send my daughter-in-law to work, than my daughter-in-law left early, than my daughter-in-law back late; and then my daughter-in-law rest, I still dare not rest, a month of hard work to earn only 4,000 yuan, although the income on the difference between a thousand or so, but my hours stretched out, a month more than 8 days of work, but also early out and late back." Master Liu recalled.

In addition to the impact of the new online taxi industry, cabs also have their own problems. According to 2019 data from the Ministry of Transportation, the national average daily cab service 110 million passengers, according to an average of 1.8 people per car, the daily orders generated between 45 million and 50 million orders, the cab online rate is less than 10%, the offline yangzhu is still the main way for passengers to take a taxi.

Changes in work status, Master Liu ended running cabs in 2016. Thereafter, Liu Master entered a company to do the boss's driver, but the long-term free and unrestrained work experience, making it difficult for him to adapt to this work; six months later, Liu Master resigned to idle at home.

"Daughter-in-law work every day, you stay at home is not difficult?" So, Liu Master joined the network car industry, as the original cab driver, how much of a grudge on the network car, but really engaged in the network car, re-altered the views of Liu Master, "network car unit price is low, but do not have to go like a cab to find work, I use their own car, no share of money."

"Taxi trip route selection are based on the master's experience, for example, take the third ring road program is short, traffic jams, time-consuming, take the fourth ring journey is long, smoother, time-consuming, but the cost is high. You help passengers save time, passengers think you detour. Complaints to the management, based on the distance, it will be judged that the driver detours." Mr. Liu said that the network car will not have such disputes with passengers, as long as the passengers do not point the way, according to the platform to complete the route planned on the line.

"The trip has a dispute directly to the platform, the platform is like online shopping, you pay this money is not then on my account, the third day I just withdraw cash. So if there is a violation, according to the platform rules on the line, I found a lot of trouble, at least a lot less with the passengers of the mouth." After running a net car for more than a month, Mr. Liu changed his previous perception.

In fact, as early as before 2018, platforms such as drip travel, Tik-Tok travel, and FAW Jockey, etc., attracted traffic for cab drivers, and increased online orders by grabbing and dispatching orders.After 2018, the platforms began to diverge, and Tik-Tok travel in Xi'an, Cao Cao travel in Shantou and other places began to more deeply integrate reform, and FAW Jockey also proposed "cab alliance solutions". "In 2019, Gao De launched the aggregation mode, which accelerated the speed and depth of the integration of the cab network.

For the root of the tension between net cab and cab, Li Xinhua, head of the cab division of Gaode Taxi, believes that the domestic net taxi company is a pure Internet company, the Internet as a tool to make the efficiency of transportation services become higher, but the transportation category and the physical space offline are strongly bound, when the net taxi model is still floating in the air, how to do the ground service is safer and the capacity is better organized, all need to be grounded.

"We just did the taxi business, go to every city to meet the leaders in charge, cab companies, drivers, the first reaction of everyone is reluctant to talk, very resistant, think it will also be like before to cross the river." Li Xinhua's Gaode map launched for the cab industry solutions, starting from small business cooperation, to make a little bit of results in the industry.

The key to changing the cab industry's view and gaining trust, Li Xinhua believes is the aggregation model. "We look at cabs, not as a tool to maintain traffic, but as productivity in transportation services. The aggregation model is not here to replace cabs, it is to help them build their own platform. Patrol is fundamental, and the network is used to innovate."

From Yiwu to Shenzhen, from gold and silver built travel to Beijing cab, in three years, in more than 100 cities Gaode map to help local authorities, industry associations, rental enterprise alliance to build an exclusive platform for cab driver services. Help online, while providing traffic to these company platforms, the aggregation model integrates the upstream and downstream of the industry.

At the same time, Gaode Maps also aggregates small and medium-sized travel platforms.In 2016, after Youbu China merged into DDT, Mai Jiaxing also opened a net taxi business, and the travel brand he founded, "All GO", is positioned as an enterprise-grade service, which differentiates itself from net taxi platforms and plows into the niche market service.In 2020, All GO has accessed a number of aggregators such as Gaode and Ctrip. In 2020, All GO has been connected to a number of aggregation platforms such as AutoNavi, Ctrip, etc., which makes the scale of Mai Jiaxing's company continue to expand.

Aggregation development, the keyword of the new decade is harmony and symbiosis

The aggregation model appeared and emerged around 2018. At the beginning of the emergence of net taxi, Gaode map provides industry technology solutions for net taxi platforms with its map navigation capabilities.On this basis, around 2018, Gaode map launched passenger taxi service, opening up traffic for net taxi platforms, forming the aggregation mode.In September 2018, Hello announced access to Tikta travel service and carried out net taxi business cooperation with Shouqi Jiaoqi.In April 2019, the Meituan taxi announced the launch of the "aggregation mode". Subsequently, the aggregation mode was also launched on platforms such as Dripping Travel.

Since 2022, the "polymerization mode" of the online car industry is even hotter. In July of that year, Huawei aggregated taxi platform Petal travel on line, WeChat internal test Tencent travel. At present, the net car aggregation mode has gathered Baidu, Meituan, Gao De and other platforms, with Huawei, Tencent and other giants into the game, the aggregation mode is more active.

"At the beginning of the aggregation of the main access to drip, the first about, Shenzhou, Cao Cao and other relatively large network car companies. Later it developed to help small and medium-sized net car companies, some more localized characteristics and quality services of small and medium-sized enterprises." Li Xinhua introduced the compound growth rate of single volume in the past three years exceeded 100%, and there are already more than 100 cooperative network car platforms with a peak monthly single volume of more than 100,000 units.

Gu Dasong, executive director of the Transportation Rule of Law and Development Research Center of Southeast University and president of the China Urban Public Transportation Association's Net Chartering Branch, said that the emergence of Net Chartering aggregation platforms has boosted competition in the Net Chartering market, pushed forward the improvement of the structure of the Net Chartering market, and provided more choices for small and medium-sized platforms.

After visiting more than 100 transportation enterprises, Li Xinhua's biggest feeling is that SMEs are a relative concept. "An enterprise with only 100 people is not big, but if those 100 people serve only one city, that enterprise is the biggest in that city." Deep regionalization is one of the qualities of the transportation industry that can help businesses in each region become more dynamic, so that the interests of passengers, drivers, and businesses on multiple fronts can be maximized.

"Goddard is good at online technology and traffic, and not good at offline operations. We help our partners do better from the perspective of win-win cooperation. "Li Xinhua said that through the technical precipitation and accumulation, Gaode map to help online car companies to improve the safety capacity, service level, for the industry to launch technical solutions, and now upgraded into a big model of safe travel, currently open to more than 200 companies.

"A process from the bull market to the bear market, and then to the bull market." Mai Jiaxing summarized nearly a decade of experience in the online car industry, when he was involved in the planning and operation of online car, YouBu China is also eager to increase the market share, the benefits of cooperation is quite good, it is a bull market.

"After the emergence of the aggregation model, Goddard positioning is clearer, the platform has user traffic, we are responsible for good capacity and safety, equivalent to reducing some of the burden, and the earnings also increased." Today, Mai Jiaxing company's capacity has doubled several times, the number of completed orders has also doubled several times, and the size of the driver has doubled less than 10 times; from the data, the driver's income is also relatively stable.

The development of Mai Jiaxing Company is only a microcosm of the aggregated development.2022, Hubei enterprise Feng Yun travel selected provincial specialization, special new "small giant" enterprises. In Ningxia, Tou Tou E line was certified by the autonomous region "science and technology small giant enterprises", and became the key cultivation of the autonomous region's small giant enterprises. Shandong's Timely Car has purchased nearly 20,000 new energy vehicles, which have been put into the online taxi business, driving the new energy vehicle industry chain to an output value of nearly 5 billion.

Ctrip's order volume in 2022 increased by 165% year-on-year, generating nearly 10,000 jobs in Hangzhou alone. At present, Ctrip has set up driver service centers in 13 provinces across the country, providing drivers with service training, safety training, etc., and serving nearly 100,000 drivers.

Mai Jiaxing said, not only does Gaode have the aggregation model, there are many platforms in the market continue to layout this model, the network car industry will be more and more detailed, traffic distribution, user operations, and other different divisions of labor have different roles, more and more detailed, and the industry will also be benign development, blossom.