Knowing All about Hunan

A willingness to pursue excellence leads to action

Editor:张焕勤
Source:中国日报网
Updated:2016-12-19 10:18:52

  For Jangho Group Founder and Chairman Liu Zaiwang, entering the curtain wall industry and building it into an empire from the ground up was a mixture of good luck and hard work.

  Born in Yueyang, Hunan province, Liu told China Daily his foray into the industry came by chance after he gave up his university studies to start his own business.

  In 1990, he was accepted into Northeastern University and majored in mining. He recalls that he chose to study mining as the government offered a tuition subsidy for the major, and his family was too poor to afford his tertiary education.

  He says while it was difficult to gain entry into university, he made the decision in his third year to quit and enter entrepreneurship.

  Liu says many people at that time were inspired by the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's South China tour in 1992, and flocked to private business afterward. He sensed that China would certainly open up gradually, and transform into a market-oriented economy.

  After dropping out of university, Liu tried his hand at various businesses but it was in the curtain wall business where he struck gold.

  "Starting one's own business can put self-initiative into full play and is as difficult as riding a tiger and (you) cannot easily dismount, especially in the beginning."

  He recalls the time when Jangho Group's business was greatly impacted by the global markets during the 2008 financial crisis, at a time when the group was expanding its business globally at a fast pace.

  Liu says once you decide to start a business after careful consideration, you should never give up and be persistent in moving forward.

  When asked about the key factors of how he developed Jangho into an industry-leading company in such a short time, Liu says he relies on gumption, an enterprising spirit to pursue excellence and never to be satisfied.

  "Your willingness to pursue excellence leads to your action, and your action leads to results."

  But most importantly, excellent work cannot be achieved by one person and good business requires an outstanding team to work closely and with synergy, Liu says.

  He emphasizes that teamwork is important and management should reply on team members, and every employee should always keep a learning altitude to learn from peers, the advanced and even competitors. He said excellent work cannot be done by only one person and a good business requires an excellent team to work closely and synergistically.

  Liu says charity is very important for him, and he donated 500,000 yuan ($72,400) to his alma mater Northeastern University in 1998. During the university's 90th anniversary, his family made a 50-million yuan donation to help build the Jangho Architectural Institute. He says he also supports infrastructure construction and education in his hometown.

  A willingness to pursue excellence leads to action

  (HK Edition 12/19/2016 page1)