From Poverty to Principal | Generated by AI
The article is a profile/interview piece about Xu Qinye (许勤业), founder and chairman of Ruidecaihong Hong Kong Study Abroad Center in Wuhan, China.
Key points:
Background
- Born in Hong Kong into a poor family. His mother sold vegetables, father switched jobs frequently. Noticed as a child that poor families had fewer social visitors — poverty creates “blank spots on the family map.”
- Inspired by Rich Dad Poor Dad, decided to change his fate through hard work. His name “Qinye” (勤业) literally means “diligent work.”
- Graduated from CUHK (Chinese University of Hong Kong) in economics, then HKU for his master’s.
Career
- Worked at Tokyo Bank in Hong Kong, then moved to Japan for 3x the salary.
- Observed Japan’s economic miracle firsthand — a country the size of a US state that became the world’s #2 economy.
- After Japan’s 1990 credit crunch and bubble collapse, pivoted and eventually came to Wuhan.
Education Business
- Started with language training, then pivoted to Hong Kong university admissions consulting after mainland parents kept asking him for advice.
- Core philosophy: “教人向善” (education should cultivate goodness, not just knowledge). Also “积福积德” (accumulate virtue and merit) as a business principle.
- Proudest achievement: helping a student who only scored at the “second-tier” gaokao level eventually get into HKU’s education master’s program and become a teacher.
Character
- Prefers being called “Principal Xu” (许校长) over “Boss Xu.”
- Still working on the front lines past age 60, traveling nationally.
- Self-deprecating story: got scammed out of 600 RMB at a lottery booth, then quipped — “even scammers are teaching me: don’t rush for quick profit in education.”
- One-word self-description: “勤” (diligence).
Closing metaphor “Education is ferrying people across, not selling boat tickets” — the center’s name “Ruidecaihong” (瑞德彩虹, Rainbow) symbolizes a bridge connecting Hong Kong and the Yangtze River (Wuhan).