China Dream Team

Author: Guan Shan / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-10-01
Features: A poignant exploration of Chinese culture, Zhang returned to his alma mater, Tsinghua University, shortly after his return. This student, a physics graduate from Tsinghua University in 1986, truly came to the old lotus pond where Zhu Ziqing had poetically written. Suddenly, he encountered a delicate young girl, beautiful as a fox spirit. Unfortunately, Zhang was unaware that his near-decade immersion in American culture had clashed with the Chinese culture he cherished. That girl was unwilling to invest her entire life in him. This was destined to be a tragedy of East-West cultural conflict. Unlike others who lingered by the desolate lotus pond where Zhu Ziqing had expressed his emotions, or stood under the moon for a lifetime of sorrow over his failed love, Zhang of the digital age had to make a living with material wealth. During his later entrepreneurial phase, lacking connections or inheritable wealth, he nearly fell into poverty. On September 21, 1996, Zhang went to a street in Beijing to see how much a large pancake cost, trying to gauge how long his meager savings could last if he were to go bankrupt. Peter, the storyteller of this tragic "Sohu" tale, poetically captured it:
"The setting sun, the moon, the large pancakes baked beautifully,
When it snows, you should express your emotions,
I'm hungry, I want to eat pancakes."
As Zhang's pockets in Beijing grew emptier, he flew back to the United States, ready to "persuade" and prepare for battle. Little did he know, he would face repeated failures. His professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were all rigid and couldn't see the prospects of China's digitalization, unwilling to invest in him. Stricken with frustration and helplessness, Zhang entered a nearby bar, where, after getting drunk, he delved into divination. To his surprise, a fellow who engaged in divination with him treated him kindly. This American diviner was called Negroponte, who was known as a "futurist" in China. At the time, Negroponte was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founding and leading the renowned "Media Lab." Thus, Zhang became Negroponte's "student." In October 1996, with the support of Negroponte and Edward Robert, Zhang returned to China to establish ITC (Infoseek). At that time, the U.S. internet was booming, especially after Yahoo! went public, while China was still largely empty, with only China Online, Gelong, and Yinfo struggling to take off.
After returning to Beijing, Zhang could not forget the alluring fox spirit from Pu Songling's tales in his heart. "But he forgot that China in the 1990s was a China led by the third generation of leaders, with a strong renminbi, boosting domestic demand, cracking down on smuggling, and seeing workers laid off and retrained," his friend Peter reminded him. Zhang entered the world. In 1997, the content on ITC's information platform became a significant part of China's main network, CHINANET (163), and took on the task of designing and developing the Beijing Information Port "169" in 1998. In February 1998, Zhang raised funds from international companies like Intel and IDG to launch China's own search engine, "Sohu." "In the atomic world, there is no place to land, so search deliberately in the bit world. 'Search the fox'—how poetic a name! How tragic a digital love story!" Peter told us. No wonder, even after Sohu changed from Sohoo, Zhang still claimed, "The fox is still that fox, just transformed a little." The fox-like Eastern woman had become a recurring theme for them.
If the story above has both truth and illusion, then let me now tell you about Zhang Chaoqing's story of triumph in the world! If we can touch and communicate with him, sensing the depth within this modern hero, gaining a little insight and inspiration, perhaps we will find new rewards.
(II) His Journey to Tsinghua
When people mention Xi'an, they immediately think of ancient Chang'an, the Qin Shi Huang, the Terracotta Army, the golden age of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Minghuang, and Empress Wu Zetian. This ancient capital, with millennia of cultural heritage, has deeply influenced the hearts of generations of its people. This is what people often praise as a land of heroes and spirits. In 1965, Zhang Chaoqing, the "master of Sohu," was born in this mysterious Northwest city that evoked a sense of wonder. His parents were doctors at a factory-affiliated hospital in the suburbs of Xi'an. Soon after Zhang was born, the Cultural Revolution broke out. When he was old enough to remember things, he noticed that the workers at the factory didn't want to go to work, whether they were sick or not, and instead went to the affiliated hospital to ask his parents for medicine and sick leave. Young Zhang sometimes saw workers asking his parents for sick leave and naively thought: "Why pretend to be sick when you're not? Why take a salary without working? How has the world become so terrible?" At a young age, Zhang developed a vague sense of concern for the nation.
Zhang Chaoqing was a mischievous child and didn't study hard, spending most of his time playing outside. But he believed this was good. He later recalled, "Children's natural love for play was fully expressed. Unlike children today, who carry such heavy schoolwork. Later, I realized that a mischievous child can fully develop his nature and avoid destroying the creativity that becomes very important to him when he grows up."
Zhang was restless and imaginative as a child. In 1972, he first heard about capitalists pouring milk into the sea and shutting down factories, which he couldn't understand. "Why pour it into the sea? Why not sell it cheaply to others? Isn't this just throwing money into the turbulent waves, where not even a sound is heard? It's truly irrational." Zhang didn't know what he wanted to do when he grew up. For a while, he wanted to learn painting. His mother, as a doctor, knew many people and introduced a skilled painter from the factory to teach her son. But after painting for a few days, Zhang thought he was doing well, only to be told by the teacher, "You still need to practice the basics." Painting requires fundamental skills, and Zhang was only good at imitating with his small cleverness. Proud of his self-esteem, he quit in anger. Later, he tried making airplane models and playing the erhu, but because he was smart and somewhat talented, he did well in both. However, without a clear goal, he couldn't stick with them for long, and both efforts ended in failure.
At that time, Zhang loved watching the educated youth go to the countryside. The slogan "Educated youth in the countryside can achieve great things" echoed everywhere. Youth students, wearing red flowers, marched in groups, beating drums, heading to the vast rural areas. Zhang was so envious that he would wake up early to watch, as if watching a grand play. The factory where his parents worked often organized military-style marches, and Zhang wanted to join too. In short, Zhang had many aspirations, always hoping to grow up quickly to do something meaningful.
In 1976, when Zhang Chaoqing was in middle school, he began to understand: to stand out, studying was crucial. He had to study hard and get into university to have a future.