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Which books have shaped these big shots?
Translated from: China Entrepreneurs
By｜China Entrepreneurs reporter Cui Xiaoyan
Collected by｜Li Yanyan, Tan Liping, Yan Junwen, Deng Shuanglin, Zhao Dongshan, Ren Yafei
Dear CEIB readers:
Hello.
I think you still remember that in early April, I launched a call for submissions to collect your thoroughly worn-out books. You might not have expected that your “bad books” photos would pile up layer after layer—so much so that they’re about to spill out of the screen.
Now, I want to tell you something else. In fact, while I was collecting your “bad books,” I was also quietly preparing a gift for you—we collected book lists from multiple heavyweight entrepreneurs, scholars, and startups, asking for the books that have influenced them greatly, that they often read, and even ones they’ve already read to the point of being worn out.
I turned these books into a curated list. This highly valuable “bad books” list is my World Book Day gift to you.
Yu Minhong loves reading. He’s also generous in recommending books. 《The Story of the Romans》 and 《Never Let Me Go》 are two books he has recommended many times.
《The Story of the Romans》 is a very engaging history of Rome, satisfying people’s curiosity about everything Rome-related. In the eyes of the world, the Romans were not as intelligent as the Greeks, not as physically strong as the Gauls, not as technically advanced as the Etruscans, and not as economically powerful as the Carthaginians—but they were still able to defeat their opponents one by one and build a massive Roman Empire. How did they do it?
To explore the “secrets” of the Romans, Japanese novelist Shionoya Nanao settled in Rome for thirty years and spent fifteen years writing this monumental work, 《The Story of the Romans》, recreating that empire whose brilliance lasted for 1,300 years.
《The Story of the Romans》 has won so many awards it’s practically piling up at hand: the 24th “Daily Publishing & Culture Award,” the 30th “Kikuchi Kan Award,” the 27th “Women’s Literature Award,” the 6th “Shinchō Arts Award,” the 2nd “Ryōtarō Shiba Award,” the 41st “Bookstore New Trend Award,” and more.
《Never Let Me Go》 is Yu Minhong’s collection of essays. It records the stories, insights, and reflections from nearly thirty years of his entrepreneurship. From a rural boy harvesting crops, to an anxious young man who took the college entrance exam three times and finally entered Peking University, to the “old man” who became wildly popular as “Chinese Partners” and then turned things around amid storms and heavy rain—why does Yu Minhong always manage to turn the tide and pull through?
The answer is in 《Never Let Me Go》. In the book, Yu Minhong proposes his “six great principles for the heart” when facing life head-on—original intention, sincerity, painstaking effort, attentiveness, from the heart, and uprightness. His earnest explanation of the “six hearts” is, in fact, teaching readers—step by step—how to achieve things.
《Never Let Me Go》 is a life inspiration book for people who refuse to settle for ordinary lives, written by Yu Minhong starting from the “heart.”
Kazuo Inamori’s 《The Way of Working》 is one of the books that has influenced Zhang Yiming the most. This book was recommended to him by Wang Xing, founder of Meituan. And even his first copy of 《The Way of Working》 was bought by him at a street stall. He strongly agreed with a viewpoint in the book—that hard work is a form of cultivation.
《The Way of Working》 is a globally popular bestseller and one of the most famous works by Kazuo Inamori, Japan’s “saint of management.” The book records Inamori’s view of life and work. In it, he answers a question that everyone wants to figure out: “What exactly is the key to achieving career success and happiness in life?”
Regarding 《The Way of Working》, Inamori said, “These are the unshakable beliefs I gained from more than 70 years of direct, personal experience—the correct philosophy proven through practice.”
Mr. Xu Zhuoyun has a particular fondness for history books. The books he’s most eager to recommend to you are three: 《Xu Zhuoyun Talks About America》, 《Giants》, and 《The Age of Sinking》。
He said: “A few years ago, I wrote a book, 《America: Sixty Years》（on the mainland, the title is 《Xu Zhuoyun Talks About America》）。I experienced America’s rise and fall across sixty years. In the book, I said, ‘America has declined, gone bankrupt, the wheels are broken, the machines are broken and rusted.’ Looking at it today, the more I read, the more it seems right.
“In recent years, there are two books published in America that I think can be introduced. One is Neil Ferguson’s 《Giants》，which discusses ‘unfinished emperor’—the unfinished empire. Another book is George? Parker’s 《The Age of Sinking》—the era of collapse, the era of decline.
“I hope that we Chinese people, my fellow countrymen, will adopt a rational, objective, and calm attitude when facing the serious issues I’ve been talking about. The world is one. We can’t forget that. If a huge cargo ship of 100,000 tons sinks in the sea, its whirlpools can pull dozens or even hundreds of small boats nearby down to the bottom together. The world is just that big. If we are swept under by such massive waves together, and perish together, it would be a great pity. When they are at a critical gate, we help them—support them—so that the decline of the world can be eased. That could help them understand that they shouldn’t be selfish or arrogant or go about trampling others. Perhaps it would be better. We shouldn’t argue with them, we shouldn’t struggle against them. And between us, nobody should ‘challenge’ each other.
“Saving them is saving ourselves. If China does this, others will be grateful, and people in the future will also be grateful.”
“The book that has influenced me the most is 《The Daodejing》. In the process of moving from youth to middle age, Laozi’s 《The Daodejing》 is one of the rare books that gave me confidence. I wrote 《The Biography of Laozi》, and later I also compiled another book about famous people, ancient and modern, reading 《The Daodejing》. From knowing this book when I was young to now, I can say that my daily life can always recall passages or lines from it. In a sense, 《The Daodejing》 provides me with a coordinate system and methods for living in a way that truly matters.
“Knowledge can help a person shape their own ‘hardware structure,’ and lecturers who can pass on knowledge are an organization’s important wealth. I’d like to recommend to CEIB readers a book I previously gave to the national lecturers of Shell Huqiao Academy—《Lecture Notes on the Royal Ming Evolution Theory》. For an individual, the process of finding a goal and achieving it is rebirth. For an organization, helping employees establish goals and giving them the meaning to trigger a better version of themselves is comparable to evolution. It’s something to be proud of to value the power within every organization that drives the ‘evolution of people.’”
In Li Guoqing’s reading list, there are two books that are new and excellent.
The first is 《Believe》。The author Cai Lei is a former deputy general manager of JD Group and a fighter against ALS. When he was 41, Cai Lei was diagnosed with ALS, and his life was split into two halves from that moment on—one half is a successful career, a happy family, and becoming a father for the first time; the other half is a rare terminal illness, no one able to save him, and no medicine that can cure it.
This year is the fourth year since Cai Lei began his fight against ALS. 《Believe》 records in full the four years during which he was tormented by the disease—pain, confusion, and despair, but more than that, it’s fearlessness, reflection, and hope. When you read 《Believe》, you can feel a kind of strength between the lines—the courage to change the world, no matter what circumstances you’re in. This strength helps you find hope beyond despair.
After reading 《Believe》, Yu Minhong said, “My vision is already blurry with tears.” Cai Lei’s story can move every person who works hard to live—and it will surely move you too.
Another very new book in Li Guoqing’s reading list is 《Reliable》。It’s a new work by Hou Xiaoqiang, the former chairman of the Qidian Chinese website and “China’s #1 IP person.” Over more than twenty years of professional career, Hou Xiaoqiang has been observing and summarizing what kind of people can always keep leadership trust, what kind of people can get promoted faster, and what kind of people can continuously break through bottlenecks in the workplace and in life. Now he finally has the answer—only reliable people can achieve all of the above.
As the title suggests, the biggest value of this book is that it teaches us how to become the kind of reliable person other people see. In the book, Hou Xiaoqiang provides 132 methods. These methods can almost solve all the problems you may face in your workplace. For example: how to ask your boss for a raise and increased pay; how to report bad news to your leaders; how to keep secrets; what to do if your year-end bonus isn’t as high as expected; when is truly the right time to job-hop, and so on.
In short, with one book in hand, there’s no need to worry about being reliable.
You think that’s all? NO, NO, NO. The two books above are just a small part of the iceberg in Li Guoqing’s list. Scroll down to unlock Li Guoqing’s hidden reading list!
Erik Jorgensen 《Naval宝典》
“Make money with your mind, not with your time.”
Zhou Hongyi 《Beyond Curiosity》
“So-called ‘beyond’ means constantly experimenting and overturning the ideas you love.”
Zhou Ling 《Cognitive Awakening》
“Change the brain’s stubborn thinking through metacognition, and enhance focus, learning ability, and self-control.”
Baiyang 《Baiyang: Plain Talk on Zizhitongjian》
“An introductory reading that modern Chinese people can’t get around when reading 《Zizhitongjian》.”
Li Shuo 《Jian Shang》
“From Xia to Zhou destroying Shang—a span of more than a thousand years—retelling the beginning and transformation of Chinese civilization.”
Yang Tianzhen 《See Through》
“Live like a person who’s truly clear-headed in human life—start by understanding human nature.”
Lan Xiaohuan 《Being Inside the Matter》
“An interpretation of how various elements behind phenomena such as urbanization, housing prices, the wealth and poverty gap, debt, and domestic and international trade ecosystems work together.”
Uncle Golden Gun 《Leverage》
“Every sentence is worth something. Reading it is like earning.”
Romain Rolland 《John Christophe》
“Only one kind of heroism exists in the world: after recognizing the truth of life, you still love life.”
Deborah Mackoff 《A Brief History of Humankind in the British Museum》
“Enhance your abilities and taste in art, and deeply understand human society.”
Reed Hastings 《Principled》
“Increase the density of talent—only hire adults.”
Wang Di 《Lived Quietly Yet Achieved》
“A written version of the Qingming Riverside Painting.”
Hiroyuki Mitani 《The Complete History of Business Models》
“Making money in the past relied on products, marketing, and management. Now, making money relies on models, fundraising, and recruiting investors.”
Ray Dalio 《Principles》
“Stay extremely open, extremely transparent, and extremely committed to truth.”
Chen Xiangdong has flipped through countless books. There are four—《The Effective Manager》, 《Lasting Foundations》, 《From Good to Great》, and 《Win》。These four are all management classics that have been reprinted many times.
《The Effective Manager》 has long ranked #1 on Douban’s “Popular Management Books” list, with over 17,000 people scoring an 8.7. That achievement is rare among management books. This book explains two things clearly: first, what kind of managers can be called “effective managers”; second, how managers can become effective.
《Lasting Foundations》 solves a question that entrepreneurs and startups care about the most: how to build a great company that can last a long time and never decline. Many of the ideas in the book are regarded by entrepreneurs as golden rules. For example, “Making clocks is better than keeping time.” The power of an organization is always greater than that of any individual. A leader should position themselves as a clock-maker—building a perfect organization for the company, so the company can operate healthily and in an orderly way under this model at any time, rather than having the organization and employees always rely on themselves.
《From Good to Great》 and 《Lasting Foundations》 both come from the same author—Jim Collins. In 《Lasting Foundations》, Collins studies how companies achieve long-lasting success. In 《From Good to Great》, he studies what kinds of teams can make a company become great and remain great for the long term.
He has long tracked the development and operations of Fortune Global 500 companies, found common traits among truly great enterprises, and distilled the “great genes.” He believes that an excellent team must have three key factors: first, well-trained people; second, well-trained thinking; third, well-trained actions. As for how to acquire and cultivate these three elements, you’ll need to find the answers in the book.
《Win》 is the management wisdom of Jack Welch, the former chairman and CEO of General Electric. It is the summary and refinement of his leadership artistry during his 21 years at the helm of General Electric. He understands the responsibilities of leaders and managers very thoroughly. He said, “Before you become a leader, success is only related to your own growth. After you become a leader, success is related to everyone else’s growth.”
Over the past decade or so, benefiting from this book isn’t just executives. Every person who has expectations for themselves and wants to win can benefit as well. Even Buffett praises this book, saying, “With 《Win》, people no longer need to read other business management books.”
What Wang Jianguo has “worn out” are two old books—《The Stars of Humanity》 and 《Refresh》。
He said, “Life’s greatest fortune is discovering your mission when you are still in your prime. Life’s greatest misfortune is giving up your ideals and pursuits before you are old. Mission is the greatest driving force. After finishing 《The Stars of Humanity》, you will re-recognize the power of mission.”
As for why Wang Jianguo has gone back through 《Refresh》 again and again, he said, “Each person, each organization, and even each society, when they reach a certain point, should ‘click refresh’—reinject vitality, reawaken life force, reorganize and rethink the meaning of our existence—just like clicking the refresh button on a browser to restart and look for new goals. Without forgetting the past, there won’t be a future. And based on my own entrepreneurial experience, it also means refreshing from time to time.”
“I recommend 《The Book of Suxi》。It’s a book that for a period of time I studied every day, repeatedly flipping through, always reading something new. The Book of Suxi teaches people to align the mind, cultivate themselves, harmonize the family, govern the country, and bring peace to all under heaven through a five-in-one approach of ‘the Way, virtue, benevolence, righteousness, and propriety.’ In essence, it is a fundamental system and thought system for running an enterprise, running a life, and transforming the world.”
“Now, my biggest hobby during my time off work is reading and exercising. Today I’m recommending two books: 《Extend》 and 《30 Years of Chinese Contemporary Cluster Housing》.
“《Extend》 is a popular management read summarized by management PhD Scott Sonnanschein based on his many years of work teaching experience. For an individual or a company to achieve goals, it doesn’t necessarily rely on more resources. People who are good at discovering and leveraging the potential of existing resources will try to use unconventional methods to make use of the limited resources at hand, thereby achieving the goal of using limited resources to solve problems excellently and meet objectives.
“Another book, 《30 Years of Chinese Contemporary Cluster Housing》, is co-edited by Vanke Cloud and the School of Architecture and Planning at Hunan University. From the perspective of property management, it studies changes in the building forms of residential compounds, and it also reflects the process of China’s economic reform and the penetration of consumer culture. It reflects changes in social forces and everyday livelihood issues for the general public. On the other hand, it also carefully and subtly embodies the image of the country.”
Hidden in Wu Gansha’s reading list is a keyword—innovation. The two books he recommends, 《The Innovator’s Dilemma》 and 《Crossing the Chasm》, are fundamentally related to “innovation.”
《The Innovator’s Dilemma》 is a timeless management classic by Clayton Christensen, the “father of innovation.” It’s a book about failures, but what it writes about isn’t the failure of ordinary companies—it’s the collapse of good companies.
In the book, Christensen proposes two important concepts that determine whether a company succeeds or fails: sustaining technologies and disruptive technologies. Sustaining technology refers to technologies that continuously continue or strengthen product performance based on the needs of mainstream customers. Disruptive technology refers to technologies that haven’t yet entered the mainstream market for the time being, or technologies developed for new markets.
By constantly modifying and refining the original technologies, being devoted to investing in and developing for mainstream customers’ needs, you may ultimately destroy an excellent company. But those critical breakthrough technologies that mainstream customers reject for the time being instead become “disruptive innovations” that lead new markets.
《Crossing the Chasm》 is a must-read book for every investor, entrepreneur, and product manager. A new product—especially an innovative one—faces particularly great obstacles in the marketing process. It’s hard for these products to smoothly and quickly move from the early market to the mainstream market. Many products even disappear forever simply because they never cross this barrier.
The true value of 《Crossing the Chasm》 lies in this: it explains in depth how new products and new technologies cross the “chasm” from the early market to the mainstream market.
This book 《Talk More About Problems》 recommended by Gao Yixuan is especially suitable for friends who like to read using fragmented time. It’s a collection consisting of 9 long interviews: authors such as Xu Zhiyuan, Guo Yujie, and Bai Lin, discussing issues like psychological polarization on the internet, ordinary people’s spiritual confusion, injustice in elite education, and the deterioration of the ecological environment, with scholars and practitioners from different fields.
Gao Yixuan said, “This in-depth interview collection produced by a single team is suitable for all kinds of reading scenarios, like watching ‘mid-length videos’ on Bilibili that aren’t very long but are full of meaningful content. In an era where people’s consciousness enters the silicon-based world but their bodies still remain in the carbon-based world, these in-depth interviews help us, from different perspectives, glimpse part of the causes and underlying logic behind the various challenges facing today’s society. You may not agree with every viewpoint in the interviews, but thinking always comes with the posing of questions.”
“For many people who like detective novels, reading 《The Collected Works of Sherlock Holmes》 is an extraordinary experience—I feel the same.
“The protagonist Sherlock Holmes has a very high IQ and a steadfast sense of justice. He’s highly individualistic and full of personal charm. I like the author Arthur Conan Doyle’s immersive way of storytelling. Each case in the book is bewildering and constantly twists and turns, making you want to join the process of reasoning and can’t stop. Through Doyle’s descriptions, you can touch the everyday lives of people from all social classes at the time.
“This is a classic that has remained brilliant for a hundred years until today. Whether you like detective novels or not, 《The Collected Works of Sherlock Holmes》 is one you shouldn’t miss.”
Dear readers, this reading list is my gift to you on World Book Day, and I hope it can heal all the days when you can’t find anything to read. If it’s still not enough, welcome to scan the code to reserve our World Book Day event 《“Bad Books” Agreement》. On April 23, together with dozens of guests including Song Zhiping, Li Guoqing, Zhou Hongqi, and Chen Xiangdong, we’ll “enjoy” this reading feast.
Now enjoy a 60-yuan福利红包福利红包—withdraw directly with no tricks. Join the event now!
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