Preface
He was once a candidate for academician, but he was imprisoned for 3 years for being accused of embezzling public funds for scientific research and engaging in relationships between men and women.
As a result, after being released from prison, he not only made a comeback and became a billionaire, but even received a huge amount of 27.58 million yuan from the state, directly breaking the foreign technology monopoly.
Who is he?
Why so much ambition?
What kind of bizarre past is behind this?
The higher you fly, the worse you fall
He is Chu Jian.
In that year, with the support of his alma mater, Zhejiang University, Chu Jian founded ZKTeco Group, injecting his years of scientific research achievements and industry experience into the enterprise.
He has assembled a R&D team composed of top researchers and experienced engineers, focusing on the development of automated control systems suitable for the characteristics of China's industry.
Under the leadership of Chu Jian, SUPCON has grown rapidly and successfully developed core products such as Distributed Control System (DCS) and Safety Instrumented System (SIS) with independent intellectual property rights.
These products not only have superior performance, but also have relatively low prices, which save Chinese enterprises a lot of equipment investment, and also reduce the dependence of mainland industrial development on foreign technology.
ZPC's products were soon widely used in important industrial fields such as petroleum, chemical industry, and electric power.
The company's business scale has expanded rapidly, its market share has continued to increase, and it has gradually become a leading enterprise in the field of automation control in China.
Chu Jian's success is not only reflected in business, but more importantly, he has realized his original intention of promoting the development of China's automation technology and made important contributions to the country's industrial modernization.
Just when Chu Jian's career was in full swing, an accident suddenly struck.
In 2010, an anonymous whistleblower letter was sent to the authorities, accusing Chu Jian of using his power to embezzle state funds and transfer large amounts of assets abroad.
The letter details a number of violations of the law by Chu Jian, including the use of university resources for personal business profits and misappropriation of scientific research funds.
Although two months of investigation did not find any conclusive evidence of illegal activities, the incident sounded the alarm for Chu Jian.
Although this report was finally dismissed, it had a great impact on Chu Jian and the Central Control Group.
The company's day-to-day operations were disrupted for a while, and some of its partners became suspicious.
Chu Jian realized that as an enterprise with close ties with universities, SUPCON must be more cautious in its operations and strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations to avoid unnecessary doubts.
This incident also made Chu Jian deeply reflect on his way of doing things and the company's management model.
He began to improve the company's internal control system, improve the transparency of financial management, and took the initiative to strengthen communication with government departments and all sectors of society to eliminate possible misunderstandings.
Although the turmoil eventually subsided, it laid the groundwork for Chu Jian's doom in the future.
Prison time
In 2013, just as Chu Jian was about to participate in the academician selection, another more detailed report letter appeared, accusing him of embezzling 130 million yuan and having an improper relationship between men and women.
The letter was more specific and dealt with a number of financial issues and personal life issues.
Relevant departments quickly launched an investigation, and Chu Jian's qualification for academician selection was suspended.
During the investigation, Chu Jian was asked to cooperate with the investigation and was eventually arrested.
After a months-long trial, Chu Jian was finally sentenced to three years and three months in prison.
The verdict has sparked widespread controversy in academia and industry.
Many questioned the fairness of the verdict, arguing that Chu Jian was a victim of the "red hat enterprise" system.
"Red Hat Enterprise" refers to an enterprise founded by a university or scientific research institute, which has played an important role in promoting the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, but there are also some controversies due to its particularity.
Chu Jian's supporters argue that his actions are promoting technological innovation and industrial development, and should not be seen simply as self-interest.
In particular, in the determination of the equity transfer price, the practice of using the "income appraisal method" to reverse the stock price of the current year has been controversial.
This approach estimates the value of past shares based on the company's future earnings, but critics believe that this approach may overestimate the value of shares, resulting in an undervaluation of the transfer price.
A number of academicians and scholars spoke for Chu Jian, and they believed that Chu Jian's contribution should be fairly evaluated, and the handling of the case should take into account the particularity of scientific and technological innovation.
However, these calls ultimately failed to change the verdict.
In prison, Chu Jian did not give up.
He maintains a positive and optimistic attitude, seeing this time as an opportunity for reflection and learning.
He has always paid attention to the industry by reading a large number of cutting-edge books on science and technology.
Chu Jian paid special attention to the application of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things in the field of industrial automation, and began to think about how these technologies can be combined with traditional automation control systems.
In addition, Chu Jian also used this time to sort out his life experience and business management experience, and began to write memoirs and management experience.
He deeply reflected on his mistakes, and at the same time strengthened his determination to continue to contribute to the development of China's automation industry.
Chu Jian believes that as long as he maintains his enthusiasm for learning and innovation, he will be able to stand up again and create greater value for the society.
Despite being in prison, Chu Jian still cares about the development of ZPCG through various channels.
He entrusted his family and trusted colleagues with his thoughts and suggestions, hoping that the company would continue to grow steadily in his absence.
Rise like the phoenix
In January 2017, Chu Jian was released from prison and immediately returned to SUPCON Technology Group.
His return is a source of encouragement for the entire company.
Chu Jian knows that to regain trust and respect, he needs to take action.
He published a touching letter to employees, reviewing past experiences, expressing apologies to the company and employees, and also elaborating on future development visions.
In this letter, Chu Jian put forward the "Agni Plan", vowing to completely reform the central control within three years and comprehensively improve the company's technological innovation ability and management level.
Chu Jian proposed to increase R&D investment, attract and cultivate more high-end talents, and optimize the corporate governance structure to improve operational efficiency.
He also stressed the need to strengthen the construction of corporate culture and shape a positive and innovative enterprise spirit.
Chu Jian's return has injected new vitality into the Central Control Group.
Under his leadership, the company quickly adjusted its strategic direction and focused on the field of industrial Internet and intelligent manufacturing.
The company has launched a new industrial operating system, supOS, which is an open platform for the industrial Internet, which can realize the interconnection of industrial equipment and intelligent analysis of data.
At the 2nd World Intelligent Manufacturing Conference, the supOS system shined brightly, which attracted wide attention in the industry and was considered a major breakthrough in the field of industrial software in China.
Chu Jian's efforts were soon recognized by the state.
In 2018, the project "R&D and Application of Industrial Internet Platform for Process Industry" led by him received special support of 27.58 million yuan from the state.
This is not only an affirmation of the technical strength of ZKTeco, but also reflects the country's attention to the development of the industrial Internet.
While technological innovation, Chu Jian also pays attention to the company's market expansion and internationalization strategy.
ZPCON actively participates in the construction of the "Belt and Road", promotes the automation control system to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other regions, and gradually establishes a global business network.
After several years of hard work, the performance of ZPCON Group has grown steadily, and it was finally successfully listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board in 2020.
The listing not only brought sufficient financial support to the company, but also enhanced the company's brand influence and market position.
With the rapid growth of the company's value, Chu Jian himself has also become a billionaire.
In 2023, he will be on the Hurun Report with a net worth of 8 billion yuan, ranking 755th.
However, for Chu Jian, wealth is only a by-product, and his real pursuit is to promote the development of China's automation technology and break the monopoly of foreign technology.
He often emphasized in public that the mission of SUPCON is to contribute to the modernization of China's industry and help Chinese enterprises improve their production efficiency and international competitiveness.
Come and see, the young man in fresh clothes and angry horses did not work hard in vain.
Study in Japan and aspire to serve the country
Chu Jian was born in an ordinary family in Zhejiang Province.
From an early age, he showed an extraordinary talent for learning, and skipping grades has become the norm.
He excelled in mathematics and physics, and often excelled in competitions to win honors for the school.
At the age of 15, Chu Jian was admitted to Zhejiang University as the county champion and started his academic career.
During his university years, he majored in automation and developed a strong interest in control theory and systems engineering.
Chu Jian not only has excellent academic performance, but also actively participates in various scientific research projects, showing excellent scientific research potential.
His performance attracted the attention of the school leaders, and he was finally awarded a rare opportunity to study abroad at public expense.
At Kyoto University in Japan, Chu Jian studied under Professor Goshiro Takamatsu, an authoritative expert in the field of automation, and learned the most advanced theoretical knowledge in depth.
In addition to studying his professional knowledge, he also worked hard to learn Japanese, and soon he was able to communicate academically with his classmates and professors in Japanese.
Jian Chu often participates in various academic seminars and seminars, and has been exposed to many international cutting-edge research results and technical applications.
After returning to China, Chu Jian began his research work at Zhejiang University.
He is dedicated to research in the field of automation, with a particular focus on process control and industrial automation systems.
Chu Jian has not only made breakthroughs in theoretical research, but also actively applied the research results to actual industrial production, and solved key technical problems for many industries.
His research results have been published in top academic journals at home and abroad, and have attracted wide attention from the academic community.
In just three years, Chu Jian has made a name for himself in the academic world, winning the National Science and Technology Progress Award nine times and becoming a rising star in the field of automation.
At the age of 30, with his outstanding scientific research achievements and teaching ability, Chu Jian became one of the youngest professors in the history of Zhejiang University.
He is not only a great accomplisher in scientific research, but also a favorite of students in teaching.
Chu Jian is good at explaining complex theoretical knowledge in an easy-to-understand way, which has stimulated the interest of many students in the field of automation.
He also actively supervised graduate students and cultivated a group of outstanding automation talents.
Chu Jian's talent and contribution have been highly recognized by the school.
During his tenure as a professor, he was involved in the decision-making and management of a number of major research projects, demonstrating outstanding leadership skills.
Eventually, he was promoted to vice president of Zhejiang University, responsible for the university's scientific research and industry-university-research cooperation, and made important contributions to the development of the university in the field of automation.
However, Chu Jian knows that in order to truly promote the development of China's automation field, academic research alone is far from enough.
He realized that only by translating theoretical research into practical application and promoting it on a large scale in industrial production could a technological breakthrough be truly achieved.
In order to break the monopoly of foreign technology, he resolutely decided to start his own business.
epilogue
Chu Jian's "counterattack" is not only a personal success, but also the epitome of China's independent innovation in science and technology.
His experience has inspired more Chinese scientists and technologists to devote themselves to the research and development of core technologies and make unremitting efforts to realize the dream of becoming a scientific and technological power.
With the joint efforts of Chu Jian and many scientific and technological workers, we believe that China will eventually get rid of the dilemma of being "stuck" by foreign countries and occupy its due position on the global scientific and technological stage.
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