For most Chinese and foreign expats in China, Wang Junyao is recognized for his Junyao Milk. However, it may not be known widely that Wang Junyao was the first person who entered the aviation industry as a private business owner.
Born in 1967, Wang dropped out of high school to eventually become a successful entrepreneur with a large diversified business group that totaled some 1.5 billion in assets. Wang's story has inspired numerous young entrepreneurs in their quest for success.
When Wang was 16 years old, he dropped out of school and left his hometown, Longgang, a small town in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. At the time, he made a living by doing hardware and printing business around Changsha, Hunan Province.
In 1989, a joke changed Wang's life. Before the Chinese Lunar New Year, he and his friends from Wenzhou chartered a bus for their return home to celebrate the Lunar New Year. During the 1200-kilometer-long journey through the mountains, all his fellow travelers complained that the bus was too slow. One of Wang's friends joked that a chartered plane would be much faster than a chartered bus.
Right. So why not charter a plane? After returning home, Wang pondered over this idea again and again. Regardless of his family and friends' sneers, Wang put his idea into action. He spent a long time working out a detailed plan, and after another 9 months of investigation, information collection and communication with concerned departments, he was finally making notable progress.
July 28th of 1991 was a memorable day for the 25-year-old Wang Junyao. Having overcome tremendous difficulties, Wang succeeded in chartering an airline from Changsha to Wenzhou. The passenger plane, AN 24, took off from Changsha and landed safely at the Wenzhou Airport.
People commented that Wang Junyao was "audacious in the extreme" and reporters in the New York Times even predicted Wang's courage and insight would encourage other potential business owners to step into China's rocketing privately owned business market.
Having dug out a small fortune, Wang turned his attention to the dairy industry. He believed that more and more Chinese would love drinking milk when they had more money. In 1994, Junyao Dairy Company was established and in 1995, Junyao Group of China was founded. By then Wang had determined the main orientation of his business development-aviation and dairy.
When everyone in Wenzhou learned about Wang Junyao's success, he had already purchased a piece of land, constructed a building in Shanghai and moved Junyao Group's headquarters there.
"Now I am middle aged. Just like other business owners in Wenzhou, my life has become a lot more comfortable. Isn't it enough if one earns ten to twenty million yuan every year and is able to go abroad for fun? But when I came to Shanghai, I felt I was like a grain of sand falling into a pile of stones-too tiny. I can drive in Wenzhou with my eyes closed, while in Shanghai, the streets are a maze to me. Why do I come here? Because I think Shanghai resembles New York, a city that has a seemingly inexhaustible pool of human resources and information," Wang explained.
Now with a college diploma, the used-to-be dropout wants more-he is studying to obtain his MBA. The diploma may not be necessary, but English means a lot to him. "I need to exchange ideas and information with friends in international economics every week. I have a lot to express, but my interpreters finish their work by saying just one or two sentences. So I want to speak English myself..."
Ever since Wang's success in chartering airplanes, there has been another project calling his attention: "At that time, a reporter asked me whether I would establish my own airline." On August 18, 2002, his other dream came true-Junyao Group has become one of the shareholders of the newly-founded China Eastern Airline Co. Ltd., Wuhan, marking a milestone in the development of the private-owned business.
"We should dare to dream of what others cannot, and do what others cannot. For sure, dreams and reality are mostly separate, and dreaming without action is in vain. In the process of practice, we may encounter many difficulties and problems, and the key to overcoming them is perseverance." Yes, courage, diligence and innovation are the secret of Wang's management. These three elements have led the Junyao Group to become one of the top private-owned enterprises in China, and also pushed an increasing number of young people to grow and reach for their dreams.
(CRI February 13, 2004)
