2015 marks the 30th anniversary of the graduation of the first batch of Liberal Arts students from the Radio and Television University (RTVU). Among the first Liberal Arts graduates, in 30 years, one student has established a conglomerate with the assets amounting to billions of renminbi and has been paying back into society with his substantial assets. That student is Wang Ruoxiong, a “National Outstanding Graduate”of RTVU”.
Entry into the Hall of Fame
In December 1999, the RTVU 20th anniversary celebration was held at the People's Hall in Qingdao. Students with the title of "National Outstanding Graduate of the RTVU" from Qingdao were presented with the award on the stage. Wang Ruoxiong was among them.
Climbing the Heights of Learning
Wang Ruoxiong was one of the RTVU’s first Liberal Arts students. In 1982, at the age of 25, he entered into the RTVU to study the Chinese language major. The course planning at that time had a high starting level and strict requirements. To take the two language courses as examples. “Ancient Chinese” was the textbook commonly used for undergraduates in the colleges and universities throughout the country, which was revised by Mr. Wang Li and was divided into three volumes, with nearly a million characters. The book was printed in traditional Chinese characters. In addition to a heavy workload, students also needed to spend extra time and effort to learn traditional Chinese characters. “Modern Chinese” was also a three-volume book with nearly a million characters, edited for the RTVU by Professor Zhang Zhigong, an authoritative Linguistics expert. Insiders evaluated them as being of the postgraduate level. However, the elderly gentleman led the students to strive to climb the mountain of knowledge. Over more than 20 courses, he also reached the advanced level. The curriculum setting was not easy for full-time students and it was even more difficult for part-time students.
Working Through Hardships
Like most on-the-job trainees, Wang Ruoxiong had to study hard after work and could only use self-directed learning time at night to complete a full day’s schoolwork. At the time, Qingdao RTVU was at the “workstation” stage most classes were sponsored by enterprises and institutions. Wang Ruoxiong studied in a large state-owned factory. Although the leaders of the factory attached importance to the school and tried hard to create favorable conditions, the overall school operation was just so-so. A popular joke at the time said that the RTVU had “a university license, post graduates textbooks, and a so-so teaching platform”. In the beginning, the RTVU students studied hard and continued regardless under difficult conditions. At the time, Wang Ruoxiong chose the RTVU for its high standards, strictness, and degree of difficulty, demonstrating his self-confidence and bravery.
Shine Bright Like a Diamond
To succeed in such an environment can be compared to the formation of a diamond: dull carbon is transformed into diamonds under high-pressure conditions. Wang Ruoxiong featured prominently in the “Honor List” published on the front page of Qingdao RTVU Newspaper published on November 22,1999. Wang Ruoxiong performed excellently in his study and was successful in his business ventures. In 1994, nine years after graduating from the RTVU, he established Tiantai Group. The group, with real estate as its leading interest, expanded into many other fields covering industrial, commercial and service industries, as well as international trade and food. The group was the first company in China to pass ISO9002 quality system certification and the only enterprise identified as a key supported company in real estate industry by the Provincial Planning Commission. The group also put forward substantial funds to support social and public welfare, based on its belief in “Promoting Business to Serve the Country”. Most notably, Wang Ruoxiong, a man came from humble educational beginnings, became a lecturer at a national key university. He was hired as a part-time professor at the Ocean University of China. Since then, he has made his ascension into the political circle, serving as a CPPCC member of Qingdao, and Director of the Qingdao branch of the China International Chamber of Commerce.
“Sunshine” Public Welfare
Wang Ruoxiong has a refined temperament and tough quality. Despite the fact that he had an enviable position and a bright future he chose to take the more difficult path and put the belief of“Promoting Business to Serve Society” into practice.
Peak Achievements
In 1994, Wang Ruoxiong created Tiantai Group. The group expanded rapidly from its main business of real estate development and became one of the most influential professional real estate companies in Shandong. The group was one of the earliest companies to focus on meeting international standards. It passed international standardized management system certification and was the first real estate company in Shandong province to pass ISO9002 quality system certification, as well as one of the earliest companies to ISO14001 environmental management system certification. “Tiantai” was the first famous construction trademark in Shandong, with annual real estate development of more than 700,000 square meters and assets of more than RMB 2.5 billion (according to UK’s Hurun Fortune statistics, Tiantai group has total assets of more than RMB 4 billion). Its management and construction quality has won high praise on a number of occasions: It was named as one of the Top 100 Green Companies in China, one of the Top 50 Real Estate Development Enterprises Comprehensive Strength in Shandong, a Shandong provincial AAA enterprise, and a private benchmark company winning significant attention from Qingdao municipal government. It was rated as a Qingdao Top Ten Real Estate Development Enterprise for 10 consecutive years and was listed as a China Branded Real Estate Company in 2003. The booming real estate business drove its many businesses to develop fast. In just a few years, Tiantai had expanded its business interests to tourism, hotel management, property management, property consultancy, sales agents, architecture design, and culture and education, with all fields developing vigorously. In 2005,Tiantai Group was named of the Top 500 Enterprise in China’s Service Industry.
Wang Ruoxiong developed his talents through hard study. He is an entrepreneurial expert and a proficient writer. Push Open the Window, his monograph published by China Economic Publishing House in August 2002, revealed his own “business secrets”. Composed of six chapters and 17 sections, the book decrypted the success of Tiantai Group, explained the code of Tiantai Properties, and received favorable receptions from his peers in the academic circle. The preface to the book was written by famous economist, Marxist scholar, doctoral supervisor of Peking University, and then ninth National CPPCC Member, Professor Xiao Zhuoji.
Widespread Reputation
Tiantai Real Estate is committed to the concept of constructing energy-saving, healthy, and ecological buildings, and has been rated as a national advanced unit for quality and safety management on several occasions. From 2002 to 2012, the company won approximately 22 awards at the national, provincial and municipal level, including the “Luban Prize”, the top national real estate prize; the “Chinese Construction Epigraphy Award”; and the “China Guangsha Award”, the top award for the Chinese real estate industry. Tiantai Fuxianggu Community was granted the UN Habitat Scroll of Honor Award.
Giving Back to Society
Wang Ruoxiong had high aspirations and long-term vision. He put forward the belief of “Promoting Business to Serve Society”at the beginning of establishing Tiantai company and gradually formed its corporate culture with this belief as its core. Millions of his assets have been put into social welfare undertakings, which was strong evidence of his belief. He has focused on promoting learning and education. “Students are the future of the nation and high-level workers are the backbone of the country,” Wang Ruoxiong expounded.
In 1995, following the founding of Tiantai Group, although the group was in the stage of primary accumulation and was still searching for a capital injection, Wang Ruoxiong was determined to release RMB 500,000 to set up the “Tiantai Scholarship” at the Ocean University of China to help poor students and reward excellent students. Afterwards, he established the Talent Award to reward excellent teachers and the award amount was increased to RMB 2 million. As of 2014, more than 600 teachers and students have won the award. Tiantai Public Welfare Foundation decided to double the amount for the years 2014-2018, with funding of RMB 200,000 per year.
In 2005, the college entrance examination scores of GaoYuting, a liberal arts student from Laixi first middle school, put her among the top students in Qingdao and she was admitted to Peking University to study law. However, she was having trouble raising the tuition fees. When informed of this, Tiantai Group donated RMB 20,000 to cover her four years of tuition fees. Gao Yuting completed her undergraduate studies and went on to study for a master degree.
Wang Ruoxiong is concerned about China’s western regions. He has donated to several elementary hope schools, of which Changtian Elementary Hope School and Elementary Cultural Hope School in Guizhou were put into use. He is also concerned with the education of minorities and in 2003 built an elementary hope school in Jiaqingzi,Nierixiong,Shigatse region, Tibet, so as to benefit Tibetan students. In September 2006, he built Tiantai Liuquan Elementary Hope School in Taiyangshan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region.
Wang Ruoxiong is also enthusiastic about sports. He supported Qingdao’s “Olympic Glory Plan” and donated RMB 12.5 million to support Olympic projects in his hometown from 2002 to 2007.He also rewarded all Qingdao athletes taking part in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
In addition, in May 2003, Tiantai donated RMB 200,000 to build and repair houses for the disabled in Chengyang district and launched the Comfortable Housing Project. In 2005,the company once again donated RMB100,000 to help renovate houses for the disabled. In June 2003, it donated RMB280,000 to set up a Rural Medical Assistance Fund in Jimo city to raise the health level of more than 900,000 farmers in the city. In June 2004, it jointly initiated and launched the Alxa SEE Environmental Protection Fund with the China Entrepreneurs Association to comprehensively control the Alxa Desert and repair the human ecological homeland. Tiantai Group has invested RMB 100,000 in the fund annually.
In just 20 years, Wang Ruoxiong built an industrial kingdom worth billions of renminbi. Furthermore, he has repaid tens of millions of renminbi to society to support education and teaching and help disadvantaged groups. The merits of his deeds are infinite.
By Yu Kunfan, Qingdao RTVU