From Village to City — My Turning Points and Business Lessons

Most people in building materials come from poverty. No background, no connections, no good jobs — just manual labor. When I was young, I couldn't even get a factory job. I could only work construction — carrying bricks, mixing cement.

I had a fierce hunger for learning. I was curious about everything — I'd chase down a scrap of paper blowing in the wind just to read what was on it.

At sixteen, I already knew what kind of life I wanted. That matters. When you have a vision for your future, you're like a migratory bird — instinctively, you fly toward it.

I've always been good with my hands. As a kid I took apart radios and TVs. At 17, after middle school, I went into construction. Quickly rose from laborer to supervisor. But construction work had no prestige — hard to even find a girlfriend. I wanted something different.

A village friend got me into an aluminum factory with travel opportunities. For the first time I saw the outside world — big cities, those wide quiet streets at midnight, streetlights guiding me toward the horizon. I walked and walked, as if exploring something. I realized then: I'm meant for the big city. Cities seem cold but are full of opportunity — here, you succeed on ability, not connections or flattery.

My technical skills earned me a position as technician at a state-owned mining tools factory. My salary was 400 yuan — college graduates with 3+ years only made 136. Later I contracted the factory's aluminum workshop. At 24, the national "triangle debt" cleanup hit — payments couldn't be collected — and the business collapsed.

Worked odd jobs to fund a rare stone business, traveling to trade shows across China. At Guangzhou's 1999 autumn trade fair, the new Panyu Trust-Mart had many empty storefronts. Eight of us visited — only I signed on. Sales were incredible — sold everything in two weeks. After Spring Festival, March 17, 2000, I returned, later opening another store in Tangxia Trust-Mart. When sales slowed, I pivoted again. I bounced through seven or eight industries — never finding stability.

Then it hit me — it wasn't the industry that failed. I just hadn't gone deep enough. I was wrong.

Feeling cut off from information, I taught myself computers, browsed forums, took online orders for window screens — and discovered a booming industry: custom furniture. I opened a factory, built a brand, franchised nationwide. Did that for over 20 years. Planned to do it for life. Then COVID hit, real estate tanked, and the home furnishing industry descended into a brutal price war.

I was wrong again: everything rises and falls. Treating a business like your own child is a mistake. I remember what Li Ka-shing said: never get emotionally attached to any project.

Is there really a business you can do for life? I researched dozens of industries — e-commerce, cross-border trade, crypto, online courses …

Finally, I found a business I can do for life: the silver economy. A 50-year industry. I'm 57 — so yes, I can do this for the rest of my life!

And it's deeply connected to my past work. Custom furniture, full-home renovation, senior-friendly design, premium supply chains, brand building, multi-channel marketing — I've done all of this before.

At my age, with parents in their 80s back home, I understand seniors' needs more deeply than ever.

This time, I'm not starting over.