Belief in Peace - 18 Years of Ping An Career

Author: Liang Hongyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: Captures the essence of a generation's southward job search, condenses the entrepreneurial journey of Ping An Insurance, reflects on career challenges, and concludes that success lies in perseverance just a little longer. Half of one's life is inevitably spent in a career. This career is not solely for survival, not just for providing for one's family, not just for promotions, fame, or making big money. It is also for another kind of truth, for striving, for pouring one's heart out, for risking everything, even at the cost of everything. This simplicity is the dream and the aspiration. "I wrote Ping An because I wanted to share the stories from my personal experiences at Ping An, or the changes in my career, to show how life, starting from youth, has been a relentless pursuit and effort for a desire." Belief in Ping An tells an inspirational story. It is a journey that starts from within; desire flows from here; love cannot be stopped; happiness is not a maze, but a confusion; passion has the simplest annotation; belief leaves the last courage in life; love is the only reason; and the path forward is bright.
I stood in the front hall, which was paved with black marble, feeling that the new company, Ping An, was elegantly and uniquely decorated, like a warm and exquisite home. People coming from the mainland might share the same feelings, as compared to the later renovations of Ping An when it had grown, the image of Ping An in Shenzhen was more memorable: the hall was not large, but the layout was distinctive. Except for the reception desk in the center and the wide vermilion background behind, the large golden characters "Ping An Insurance Company" were not flashy. Connected to the front hall were two relatively smaller reception areas. The larger reception area was 15 centimeters above the ground, enclosed by a wooden railing, with a golden sand-colored carpet and light gray fabric sofas, simple yet elegant. The curtains were vertical, cream-colored with delicate and dense fabric patterns, blocking the view of the business road outside. The light shone from dozens of round tubes in the ceiling, contrasting with the black marble floor, creating a more tranquil and comfortable atmosphere.
Many years later, when Ping An built its own history museum, a design company asked me how difficult the company had struggled in its early days. They asked if the desks and chairs were all broken and simple, and if dozens of people were crammed into one room. Hearing such formulaic questions was quite frustrating, as if mentioning the struggles of starting a business always meant beginning from a shack. I took them to Shenzhen, to the original site of Ping An, and showed them what the company looked like back then. I told them that at the time, Ping An had already become a pride of Shenzhen, using the best decorations and office supplies, even surpassing the China Merchants Building. Ping An's start was not low. Eighteen years ago, it was already a decent company in Shenzhen, but it was new and small, so many people outside did not know it. Adding to Ma Mingzhe's low-key demeanor—he refused interviews and advertising—fewer people knew about it. Thus, this dark horse had been quietly gathering its strength, but unfortunately, no one believed it could break out of Shenzhen.
Li Yumeng came out, looking as if he had a leg problem, casual and carefree. From a distance, he spread his arms wide and then plopped himself into the sofa (I was worried about the sofa), completely lacking the grace and etiquette I had imagined. I carried my suitcase around the large leaves of the bird-of-paradise tree and sat opposite him. He took out a lighter, lit a cigarette, smoked a few puffs, and then asked, "How did you come?" I said, "I walked." He immediately widened his eyes in astonishment, saying in an exaggerated manner, "Why walk? There's a minibus." His demeanor was somewhat aggressive, as if not taking a minibus was foolish.
However, this seemed to be a characteristic of Shenzhen and Shenzhen. It would not be an exaggeration to say there was "no other way." The city is either rainy or windy all year round (anything with wind is called a typhoon, and it's categorized by level), or it's sunny and scorching hot. The main roads in Shenzhen almost have no sidewalks (either railings or flowerbeds). A dozen years later, if you lived in Meilin Village and wanted to walk to Baoguiling for work, you wouldn't even know how to go, as there were no sidewalks. So people here are accustomed to either driving or taking transportation when they go out.
I smiled at Li Yumeng and said nothing.