Entrepreneurial Role

In July 2014， my daughter Chu Feng accompanied me to a forum on the economic development of sister cities of Ningbo and Auckland， held in New Zealand. We were greeted by Mr. Wang， who has lived there for 15 years. We had a pleasant chat on our way to the hotel， and Wang asked， “How do you continue business as usual as an entrepreneur at age 73？”

“I’ve adhered to three principles，” I replied. “First， understand politics but never get involved. Second， maintain a variety of relationships but don’t become dependent. Finally， I always work diligently not only for my quality of life but to do something for society.”

Politics and economics are inseparable. The former serves as a framework with the latter as foundation. As an entrepreneur， I must monitor which direction the wind is blowing politically to keep my business on the right track. During the early days of China’s economic reform and opening up， for instance， gut was the key to making a fortune， and you ran a business through whatever means. But things don’t work that way today. The keys to success today lie in innovative transformation and hi-tech product development.

The driver of my business has been maintenance of a wide array of relationships. One cannot run a business without connections. Each piece of a network complements the others and opens communication channels. The more connections one has at his disposal， the easier business becomes. However， I have never depended on anyone， which may have been my saving grace.

As Mensius wrote millennia ago，“Sharing your happiness is much better than enjoying your happiness on your own.” Over the past few years， I’ve shared my fruits with society. Though not much， I’ve always made it a priority to give back to society.

As a parent， I stand by the rule of “no pain， no gain.” I often encourage my children to move forward what I have made as if they were starting from scratch. Maintenance is often more difficult than creation， and finding inspiration for innovation is often harder than starting from scratch.

As human civilization progresses， things are constantly changing. But a few things have always remained constant， such as the value of learning and innovation. We should all strive to work smarter more than harder.

The role of entrepreneurs should be characterized by giving back to society rather than just helping themselves.