At the 2009 shareholder meeting, Warren Buffett praised Wang Chuanfu, the founder of BYD, calling him a "real star". Warren Buffett's remarks triggered a frenzy of global shareholders to buy BYD**, which made BYD's stock price soar.
In the same year, Wang Chuanfu topped the Hurun China 100 Rich List with this success and became the "richest man in China". From a poor rural child to China's richest man worth tens of billions, Wang Chuanfu is not only grateful for his own efforts, but also for the selfless efforts of his brother and sister-in-law.
Behind every successful person, there are family members who silently support them. Let's walk into Wang Chuanfu's life, understand his struggle, and know the selfless family members behind him.
Wang Chuanfu, a native of Wuhu, Anhui Province, ranked seventh in the family, with five older sisters and an older brother, when the younger sister was born, the family had a total of ten people, all relying on his father's carpenter's skills to make a living, his father was keen on technical and ideological progress, and was a famous local carpenter and Communist Party member.
His father, Wang Lao, won the praise of the villagers for his honest and down-to-earth work, and with great enthusiasm and perseverance, he overcame the regret of his limited education level and devoted himself to supporting his children's learning, so that they could stay away from the same regrets.
In this era of universal patriarchy, he treated his six daughters equally, encouraging them to study hard and change their destiny. His dedication and efforts have not only changed the fate of himself and his family, but also influenced and inspired every member of our Wang family.
He led by example, using all available time to study, and his persistence and enthusiasm made us all develop good reading habits. However, in 1979, his father suddenly fell ill at the office, but fortunately, he was rescued in time and regained his life.
The story of my father has made us deeply understand what perseverance and selfless dedication are, and it also makes us cherish life more and be more grateful for the dedication and love of our parents.
When everyone's worries have not subsided, the doctor's words plunged the whole family into the abyss of despair, and the father was diagnosed with cancer that could not be **, and his life was about to come to an end.
After that, my father's physical condition deteriorated, and his face became emaciated. Despite his family's best efforts to hide his illness, he knew in his heart that time was running out. One day, the father called his children to their beds and told them the last thing he had done, hoping that they would continue to focus on their studies and strive to get into college.
Hearing his father's words, everyone wept bitterly and nodded in agreement. However, it didn't take long for his father to leave this world due to the deterioration of his condition, and Wang Chuanfu, who was only 13 years old at the time, lost the pillar of his life.
The death of his father put the Wang family, which was originally from a decent family, into a deep predicament, and life became difficult. In desperation, the five sisters had to marry early to reduce the financial burden on the family.
The youngest sister was also placed in foster care by her mother with a wealthy relative.
The death of my father left my mother physically and mentally exhausted, seriously ill and bedridden, and in urgent need of medical expenses. In order to take care of his mother and family, his elder brother Wang Chuanfang, who is studying in middle school, decided to drop out of school and work.
Despite his brother's hard work, Wang Chuanfu decided to share the pressure with his brother and proposed the idea of dropping out of school to work. However, the elder brother rejected Wang Chuanfu and said that his father's last wish was that the child could go to college, and Wang Chuanfu's grades were excellent, and he would definitely be admitted to college, so that his father could be comforted in the spirit of heaven.
After listening to his brother's words, Wang Chuanfu decided to concentrate on his studies and comfort his father with practical actions. However, in 1981, their mother died due to illness and left them.
This year is also a critical year for Wang Chuanfu's high school, with his strong will and diligent efforts, he was admitted to the local key high school as he wished, and he was only one step away from his college dream.
At that time, Wang Chuanfang was at the age when he should get married, and he was introduced to Zhang Juxiu from a neighboring village. The Zhang family is not optimistic about this relationship, because they think that Wang Chuanfang's family is poor, and they have to take care of his younger brother and bear his younger brother's tuition, and his life is quite difficult.
They were worried that Zhang Juxiu would have a hard time marrying in the past, so they resolutely opposed this family business. However, in Zhang Juxiu's eyes, Wang Chuanfang's sense of responsibility and kindness are the advantages she appreciates.
She believes that a person who can take care of her younger brother, has a sense of responsibility and kindness, must be a wishful husband who is worthy of being entrusted for life. After Zhang Juxiu's insistence and persuasion, her parents reluctantly agreed to the marriage.
In this way, Wang Chuanfu met his sister-in-law who influenced his life.
Zhang Juxiu is careful and considerate, treats her younger brother Wang Chuanfu well, and can detect his emotions and take care of him at any time. However, due to the poverty of his family, Wang Chuanfu's clothes were always sewn and mended for many years, and most of the clothes he wore did not fit well due to the growth of adolescence.
Despite this, Wang Chuanfu has always been sensible, never embarrassed by the misfit of clothes, and will never ask his brother to buy him new clothes. The sister-in-law felt sorry for her brother, so she used the savings she had accumulated for many years to buy him new clothes and new pants.
When Wang Chuanfu thought of this, he could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart and burst into tears. He secretly made up his mind that he must be admitted to university and live up to the expectations of his parents and brother and sister-in-law.
Wang Chuanfu took books as his companion and devoted himself to absorbing the nutrients of knowledge. His efforts were favored by God and he was successfully admitted to Central South University of Mining and Metallurgy, which is now Central South University.
At the same time, his sister-in-law also went through the pregnancy of October and gave birth to a healthy little girl. Looking at the fair-skinned and tender little niece in front of him, Wang Chuanfu had a decision in his heart.
Although his brother and sister-in-law save money in order to provide for him to go to school, the family does not have much savings. Now that they have children, the stress of life will be multiplied. At that time, there were very few people with high Chinese in China, and they were sought-after goods in the job market.
After careful consideration, Wang Chuanfu decided to go to work outside. However, the promised admission letter was not sent for a long time, which made his younger brother worried, and his sister-in-law also sensed that something was wrong, and decided to wait for him to come home from work in the evening, and the family talked calmly.
Faced with the concern of his family, Wang Chuanfu frankly expressed that he wanted to give up his studies to earn money. This time, his brother learned of this and angrily blamed him, while his sister-in-law understood the complexity of the matter and patiently asked Wang Chuanfu the real reason for giving up his studies.
Hearing that his younger brother was worried about tuition fees, his elder brother felt deeply remorseful and promised that as long as Wang Chuanfu was admitted to university, he would provide for him to go to school no matter what. The sister-in-law also said that Wang Chuanfu did not need to worry about the tuition fee, he only needed to concentrate on studying.
In order to raise money for tuition, the sister-in-law sold the most precious dowry, a pair of gold earrings, and the elder brother also worked two jobs in the early and late home. Wang Chuanfu also went out to work with his brother, and everyone worked together to finally make up enough tuition.
Wang Chuanfu used to have a stable job, but he only had a few dozen yuan a month of hard work in the countryside, which made him realize that such an income was not enough to support his life, and his body could not bear such fatigue.
Therefore, he suggested that his brother and sister-in-law go to the big city to do some small business. Although they had similar ideas in the previous two years, they were unable to implement them due to taking care of Wang Chuanfu. Now Wang Chuanfu is already studying in Changsha, Hunan, which provides them with the opportunity to go to the big city to pursue their dreams.
The sister-in-law went back to her parents' house to borrow some money as a start-up capital for the business, and the family embarked on a journey to Changsha, Hunan. After arriving in Changsha, they rented a simple shop in the urban-rural area and started a catering business.
While reporting on the Department of Metallurgy, Physical Chemistry of Central South University, Wang Chuanfu also tried his best to help his brother and sister-in-law settle down.
In college, the pace of life is relatively leisurely, and Wang Chuanfu makes full use of this leisure time to actively participate in club activities. Dance clubs are one of his passions, and although he didn't know anything about dance at first, he has become a master of dance on campus through self-study, and is often invited to participate in various events.
Academically, Wang Chuanfu's performance is also excellent, maintaining excellent grades for four consecutive years, and he can win a first-class scholarship every year. In addition to setting aside living expenses, he handed over the rest of the bonus to his sister-in-law to take care of.
My sister-in-law couldn't refuse, so she had to accept it. Under the careful management of my sister-in-law, the business of the restaurant is becoming more and more prosperous, and my brother and sister-in-law also have stable savings, and their lives are thriving.
In 1987, Wang Chuanfu was admitted to the Beijing Research Institute of Nonferrous Metals with excellent results, becoming one of the few graduate students that year. At that time, graduate students were still publicly-funded students, and Wang Chuanfu always used his vacation to work to make money, so he didn't need his brother and sister-in-law to bear the expenses at this stage.
Despite this, in order for him to concentrate on enjoying his graduate life, his brother and sister-in-law still prepared enough living expenses for him. The sister-in-law was worried that he would refuse, saying that the money was a scholarship he gave her for safekeeping, and now it was returned to the original owner.
It turned out that every time Wang Chuanfu's money was raised, his sister-in-law would save it for him without moving. In addition, the brother and sister-in-law also added a lot of extra money. The good intentions of his brother and sister-in-law deeply moved Wang Chuanfu.
Later, Wang Chuanfu studied at the Beijing Research Institute of Nonferrous Metals and began to study batteries, which also laid the foundation for his future establishment of BYD.
At the graduate level, with his excellent grades and positive learning attitude, Wang Chuanfu was deeply loved by teachers and students. In 1990, after evaluation, the school decided to invite him to stay and work, and Wang Chuanfu became a staff member in Room 301 of the hospital.
Driven by his hard work and innovative spirit, he was exceptionally promoted to deputy director of Room 301 in just two years. In 1993, he was promoted again and served as the general manager of Shenzhen Bigg Battery, a subsidiary of the Institute.
It was then that Wang Chuanfu realized that the battery industry was facing a once-in-a-lifetime development opportunity. This opportunity came from the emergence of Big Brother, which was prevalent in the 90s, and their emergence changed the way people lived, and one of the core technologies of Big Brother was rechargeable batteries.
Wang Chuanfu, an expert in the field of batteries, has a passion for entrepreneurship in his heart. He told his brother and sister-in-law about his idea, however, the brother and sister-in-law were confused by his brother's decision to give up a stable job and go to the sea to start a business, thinking that it was too risky.
They advised him to keep to himself and not to act rashly. However, this did not make Wang Chuanfu waver. He patiently explained his thoughts to his brother and sister-in-law, telling them that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that might never be recovered if it was missed.
Listening to the younger brother's passionate description, the brother and sister-in-law were deeply moved, and they said that no matter what the younger brother decides, they will fully support. With the support of his family, Wang Chuanfu strengthened his determination.
He quit his iron job and resolutely went to the sea to start a business, starting his entrepreneurial journey.
Lu Xiangyang, Wang Chuanfu's cousin, is a well-known entrepreneur in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and has been involved in the real estate industry known as the "pillar of the national economy" in the early days, accumulating a huge fortune.
Wang Chuanfu has advanced technology and strong capabilities, and Lu Xiangyang provides financial support. The cooperation between the two of them reached a consensus in the process of entrepreneurship and decided to work together to achieve a win-win situation.
In February 1995, after many field visits, they decided to establish BYD Company in Shenzhen, a frontier city of reform and opening up, with the main business of rechargeable batteries.
As a leader in new energy vehicles, BYD had only more than 20 employees when it was founded, and Wang Chuanfu was very busy with multiple hats, responsible for scientific research and innovation and some administrative affairs.
After the independent research and development of rechargeable batteries emerged in the market, Wang Chuanfu was not satisfied with the status quo, but adhered to BYD's development concept of "technology is king, innovation-oriented", and promoted product iteration and upgrading with technology and innovation to improve product quality.
As a pioneer in the foreign battery industry, Wang Chuanfu often flies around the world to cooperate and learn from industry benchmarks in various places. Two years later, BYD encountered the worst Asian financial crisis in decades.
The financial turmoil swept the world, the currencies of Asian countries depreciated sharply, the first downturn, many enterprises have closed down, and the economy is in trouble. However, the crisis also brings opportunities.
In order to survive, major battery companies have started a battle. And BYD, which has only been established for two years, stands out in this battle, occupying nearly 40% of the global market share.
Under the leadership of Wang Chuanfu, BYD has developed rapidly and expanded in scale. In 1998, BYD set up its first overseas branch in the Netherlands.
In the following years, BYD gradually emerged in the world's battery industry, covering Hong Kong, China, the United States and other places. In 2003, Wang Chuanfu focused on the field of new energy vehicles, relying on BYD's advantages in the battery industry, determined to build China's own brand of new energy vehicles.
In 2005, BYD successfully developed its own brand sedan F3, which was favored by many consumers as soon as it was listed, and BYD also earned its first pot of gold in the automotive field.
In 2007, BYD ushered in a milestone year, the company successfully listed in Hong Kong, and the scale continued to expand, allowing for more diversified investments and more profits.
Subsequently, Warren Buffett, known as the best investor in the world, invested in BYD with a shareholding ratio of nearly 10%, which further promoted the development of BYD.
Warren Buffett's investment won BYD wide attention among global investors, and BYD became the most high-profile investment project at that time. It is worth mentioning that after Warren Buffett invested in BYD, a reporter asked Musk, the president of the world's new energy vehicle giant Tesla, what he thought of BYD.
Musk couldn't stop laughing, bluntly saying that BYD does not have excellent products worth mentioning, and at the same time is very optimistic that BYD will not become a competitor to Tesla.
In the face of doubts from the outside world, Wang Chuanfu has never forgotten his original intention, insisted on putting upgrading technology and continuous innovation in the first place of enterprise development, and quietly realized the world's first dual-mode electric vehicle that does not rely on professional charging stations.
Today, BYD's electric buses, electric taxis and pure electric forklifts have spread across six continents around the world, and its business involves more than 70 countries and regions, leading the world trend.
On November 16, 2022, BYD held a press conference for the "3 million new energy vehicles off the assembly line", which is also a milestone event for BYD's new energy vehicle sales to surpass Tesla and become a global leader in new energy vehicles.
In this regard, Wang Chuanfu, the founder of BYD, expressed his gratitude to every BYD person and opponent, and hoped to continue to work hard to create more brilliance. Although he is 56 years old, Wang Chuanfu has always maintained his unremitting enthusiasm for work, leaving early and returning late every day, and is known as a "model worker".
However, after work, he was not in a hurry to go home, but first went to the villa opposite his house to eat, where his brother and sister-in-law's family lived.
After Wang Chuanfu made his career, he did not forget the kindness of his brother and sister-in-law, in addition to arranging for them to work in BYD, he also did his best to take care of his niece and let her live the best life.
He knows the truth that "the eldest brother is like a father, and the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother", and interpreted this sentence with his own actions. Wang Chuanfu's success is inseparable from his own efforts and the support of his family.
It is hoped that BYD can continue to lead the development of the new energy vehicle industry and create more brilliance.