Ding Lei's 1995: I want to be a small boss

When I graduated 10 years ago, I had a get-together with the old students at the University of the same time, only one or two of them jumped out of the system like me. The change of my fate, is inadvertently in 1995 this right moment, chose to come to Guangzhou.

Interviewed by oral/Ding Lei

I believe that sometimes people take a step in the critical moment, which will affect the fate of a lifetime.

1995, I quit the work of Ningbo Post Office and flew to Guangzhou. I remember at that time the ticket to more than 1000, far more than I am in Ningbo Post office one months of high wages. Before that, Sybase had volunteered to find me, I want to be an engineer, because I spent two years in the state-owned enterprise since graduating in 1993, although the business is very quiet, but I did not stop learning, I am in the UNIX and database is prominent, but both understand the telecommunications business also understand the operating system, in southern China is not many.

When I decided to leave the state-owned enterprise in the system, the family did not have a very enthusiastic reaction to my decision, no support and no objections. 1995, I have been in Ningbo Post office for two years, the pace of the work is more rambling. A Ningbo daily is a piece of paper, many periodicals are monthly, then the computer also can not surf the Internet. The only thing you can do is to figure out what's going on with the switch. At that time, the monthly salary 800 yuan, living in the dormitory, want to spend money also have no place to spend, also never feel money not enough to spend.

At that time, I think there is no big room for growth, most of the evaluation of an advanced worker, for me so more professional ability of people is a kind of sadness. decided to jump out, on the one hand because of their own work is boring, the second is because the future of the Internet is very good, the third is my technical personnel, out of the south, can earn thousands of yuan one months.

Like our group of college students, 1993 graduation when there is not much choice: 1, was assigned to the state unit, 2, postgraduate, 3, study abroad. So, many of my classmates were assigned to the military department. Like our God today seven, all have my classmate participation. Also some distribution to Nanjing Panda Electronics factory, from the military professional to do civilian products.

At that time want to go to Shenzhen enterprises very difficult. And I was assigned to the Ningbo Post office after graduation, is a very good job. Just go in the first month 80 dollars of wages, not good, also not good. Because all the college students who come in are taking 80 bucks. Everything seems to be arranged. "

The year before I graduated from college, 1992 Deng Xiaoping's southern patrol speech and the 14 big let my blood boil. At that time the school is to organize learning South Tour speech and 14 great spirit, but also to test. I think this is a signal that can go overboard. The Society of China can give people who have the ability a chance.

So, after tired of the work of state-owned enterprises, I came to Guangzhou.

At that time, Guangzhou, although compared to today's Guangzhou, the area is much smaller, but the status is far from Guangzhou compared to today, when a mainland people to Guangzhou, the kind of strong freshness, like today's mainland people for the first time to see Hong Kong. She is a completely different world, compared with the mainland city, it is a very modern very open and very pragmatic international city. Here, you hear people say Cantonese, singing is Cantonese songs, TV watching is Hong Kong Taiwan, newspapers have the big Bulletin of traditional characters, taxis are hongkong-style red. Because of the subtropical reason, the city is always green, and looks forever vibrant. The most important thing is that the people in this city look and rhythm completely different from those in the mainland, and the service level and service consciousness of the whole society are entirely beyond the imagination of the mainland.

It is really an era of Guangzhou in full swing, every day there are all kinds of the latest information, every day there are all kinds of opportunities, we all believe that individuals as long as willing to struggle, can achieve success.

I was in Guangzhou the best times came to this city, she gave me unexpected harvest, I have to the city for a lifetime of special feelings.

To Guangzhou after my first job is a foreign company, I was lack of social experience, want to pass this transition springboard familiar with the management of foreign companies, it really left me with a completely different impression of the mainland, very humane, no seniority, respect also encourages individual talent.

As soon as I arrived in Guangzhou, I spent 12,000 yuan to buy a computer, this money is basically in Ningbo for two years of all the savings. There was no internet, I did not play computer games, the computer is mainly used to learn. At that time there is a disc, no VCD disc, only to take a computer to see the document, learning some software, computer city can buy a lot of pirated software, you can try.

I first lived in the vicinity of the southern hospital, the company rented a suite, I live in one. I didn't have to pay my rent. A person lives more time, occasionally there will be companies to travel to stay with colleagues.

I don't have much dealings with outsiders. I have students in Guangzhou, but not much, because I think my life in Guangzhou is very busy and full, Guangzhou is near to Hong Kong, every day there are new information, new ideas, and the world's most developed place is no time lag.

Usually after work, I am basically in front of the computer or watching TV. In Guangzhou, you can see 4 Hong Kong Taiwan, and CCTV at that time seems to have only two sets of programs, I mainly look at the Pearl platform, see the process, can also improve English. I remember the Pearl TV series before 9:30, when I like to see "X-Files", very enjoyable. Watching TV, is my most important night life in Guangzhou.

South Hospital traffic is not convenient, every day to take the CMB, 7:30 A.M. out, to sit 1 hours of CMB before the company. Once the wallet almost stolen on the bus, and then I moved to the Gold Road, the monthly rent is 1000 or 1200, here from the company near, I can walk to work every day.

I remember the first month's income is 4,000, is several times before, but at that time in Guangzhou, even the foreign companies are low, and in 1995, Guangzhou, the price is very high, I remember to go out at night, some bar a bottle of beer to sell to 40 pieces.

At that time, one of Guangzhou impressed me was that after Deng Xiaoping's south tour, many young people in Guangzhou became small bosses, I know some friends who sell equipment in computer city, have no education, and have millions of assets. I am not jealous, there is no imbalance, because I think there is no reason worse than them, I have been 4 years of higher education, 2 years of professional work experience, technical expertise, I believe I can succeed.

At that time, Guangzhou was such a city to give people hope.

Because I worked in the Telecommunication Bureau, the business of telecommunications is very understanding, when the hotel's program-controlled switches began to pop, a phone call with this equipment billing, then all hotels need to switch billing software. I have been in this field rejoined, the first pen to earn tens of thousands of yuan, at that time to buy the switch too many people.

Can say, if I did not at that time in these business funds and experience in the accumulation of technology, there is no netease today. At that time, in these projects, a total of how much money I have not remember, but basically I later founded NetEase money, are from the hotel to write the program-controlled exchange of billing software accumulation.

I 1995 from Ningbo to Guangzhou, the biggest dream is to be a small boss, do their own good, like things. The company is not big, there is a small company of twenty or thirty people. And then I can not be forced to make the enterprise bigger, take the investment of others, want to go public, listed on the Get more money, it must be responsible for the shareholder's investment. This is the current netease.

Today, if someone asked me how to do after graduation, I do not recommend him to start a business, I would suggest him to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, now the funds, opportunities may be more than Guangzhou, Shenzhen.

But if the time goes back, someone asked me, before 1997, he should go after graduation, I will certainly tell him, Guangzhou, Shenzhen.

People today may have a lack of understanding of Guangzhou before 1997. In fact, as long as we look back, today's national industry resounding brand, such as Huawei, ZTE, Vanke, the United States, TCL, and so on, almost all at the same time in a place rising. It is not difficult to imagine, at that time, there is really a convergence of funds, information, opportunities of the system to protect the city, only Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

When I graduated 10 years ago, I had a get-together with the old students at the University of the same time, only one or two of them jumped out of the system like me. The change of my fate, is inadvertently in 1995 this right moment, chose to come to Guangzhou.