DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Thursday, July 9, 2020 | 17 LIFE Resigned to a new way of life After six years of grueling schedules and long shifts, a former tech engineer is finally enjoying an early finish, Wang Qian reports.

inancial freedom and early right time, but also of his talent and retirement may be a dream endeavor to achieve financial free­ for most people, but Guo Yu, dom at an early age, according to a a former information tech­ post by his friend of 10 years, Luo Fnology engineer, achieved both at Lei, on Zhihu. the age of 28. In his eyes, Guo is changing from His resignation letter, posted in an unconventional man into an February on microblogging plat­ unconventionally rich man and his Above: Former IT engineer Guo Yu. Below: Programmers working at Alibaba Cloud. Their job is typical­ form Sina Weibo, has been shared success cannot be duplicated. ly described as busy but well­paid, representing the 996 format, which refers to working from 9 am to 9 widely online and made FIRE — an pm, six days a week. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO acronym that stands for financial Road to riches independence, retire early — a new Born in 1991 in rural Jiangxi prov­ trend in personal finance. ince, Guo spent most of his child­ The basic principle is to save hood with his grandparents before enough money so you can quit your following his parents to Shenzhen, From a consumerist job early. Although the movement province, when he was is new in China, it has gained fol­ in junior high school. perspective, many lowers around the world. In his words, he recalls he had lit­ people Guo’s story may represent a tle choice at the time but to obey his unique voice in that community, parents’ decision. He hoped that misunderstand but sheds some light on its concept. one day he would have control over financial freedom, In his letter, Guo writes that, after his own life. six years, he will quit his job at Bei­ In 2008, while in the 3rd grade of which is not about the jing­based technology company senior high school, Guo got his first money, but about ByteDance and explore new possi­ laptop because he wanted to set up personal freedom bilities in life, such as “deciding to a website to keep in touch with his retire (from the internet industry) high school classmates. It was then behind a positive free at 28 years old and live in Japan”. that he started to teach himself how cash flow.” Guo has been a trending topic on to code. Zhihu, a Chinese equivalent of Quo­ Studying political science and Guo Yu, former tech engineer ra. The search phrase “how to look public administration at a college in at Guo’s resignation” has been Guangzhou, Guangdong province, viewed more than 10 million times. Guo describes his college life as gave rise to Chinese internet giants, water was not clean, Guo was tion platform between China and Some Zhihu users questioned Guo’s “depressing” adding that he spent such as Tencent, Baidu, NetEase hooked and embarked on regular Japan. experience, while some were more most of his time coding in the dor­ along with, of course, Alibaba and hot spring visits. He spent nearly Becoming a writer was also men­ concerned with how much he mitory. ByteDance. 400,000 yuan ($57,005) a year on tioned in his “retirement” letter — earned from ByteDance. Guo says that he likes coding Like most companies in the sec­ the trips, even earning a certificate “seeking inner peace in reading and “I am the lucky one who has been because it does not require any tor, Guo’s work schedule at Byte­ for Japanese language proficiency finding life’s purpose in writing”. granted a second chance to choose a communication with other people, Dance was the grueling 996 format, in 2018. “I have always wanted to become different life,” says Tokyo­based only an interaction with the screen. which requires employees to work As a frequent flyer, he has trav­ a writer, ever since junior high Guo, who is still a bit confused He explains that his major did from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. eled nearly 900,000 kilometers, and school,” Guo says, adding he has about his sudden fame on social not carry great prospects, but his Guo remembers that everyone his target is to hit 1 million km never mentioned that to his parents. media. computer skills helped him land his wrote code like crazy, often working before the age of 30. His family is not wealthy. Once an Within days, thousands of stran­ first job. until midnight. electrician in a rural mine, Guo’s gers have tried to add Guo as a In 2011, the sophomore became One of the biggest projects he was Spring in his step father was not in good health after friend on WeChat. Their most com­ an intern at Alibaba­backed Alipay involved with was Millionaire Hero, It was the hot springs that made he fell off a pole due to an electrical mon question is “how much did you in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. a livestreamed quiz show on Byte­ him start seriously rethinking his shock. He passed away several years earn?” “Joining Alipay didn’t mean that I Dance’s Xigua video app. For the job and life. ago. The family was supported by Living a comfortable life in the saw the trend in the era, it was the whole month, his life was only sleep “Totally different from the inter­ his mother. Japanese capital and driving a only option that I had at that time,” and work. net industry, which focuses on tar­ Now his mother lives in Shenz­ Bentley Continental GT, Guo owns Guo says, adding that he was quite During that six­year period at geting the public demands, onsen hen, with no need to worry about several properties, including a cou­ satisfied that the job proved to his ByteDance, Guo says that, with his provide an isolated space, which the family or her son, which is wel­ ple of three­story buildings in the parents that he could win recogni­ tough schedule and midnight fin­ makes people introspective,” Guo comed as “the happiest time in her city, which came from previous tion his own way. ishes, he sacrificed his freedom in explains. life”, according to Guo. income and investment. The rental From a self­taught programmer the short term, but he also gained In a hot spring, the moment peo­ Without hesitation or asking for income, at a yield of about 10 per­ to a full­time developer, Guo decid­ something for the long term, which ple take off their bathing robes, his mother’s opinion, Guo quit his cent, reaches tens of thousands of ed to leave his comfortable job for will give him that second chance he they get rid of their social identities job in and moved to Tokyo. yuan every month, which is equal to one with a startup in Beijing in talks about. In 2017, he got the and just become a human in its pur­ Due to the COVID­19 outbreak, Top, middle and above: Three his salary at ByteDance and, accord­ 2014. opportunity to take part in the Byte­ est form, like an animal, no differ­ there has been no business for Guo’s hot spring resorts Guo Yu visited ing to Guo, the main reason he Later that year, the company was Dance share option scheme, some­ ent from a monkey, a flying eagle or travel agency, but it has been a good in Japan, which made him began to think about his resigna­ purchased by ByteDance, operator thing he is under an obligation to a bird in morning light, Guo says, time to adjust to a new pace of life, rethink his job and life. tion. of news portal Toutiao and short not discuss in detail. adding that the experience is he says. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY He has also invested in the stock video app TikTok. Guo became an Facing this unexpected fortune, inspiring. “I have continued writing for a markets of Hong Kong and the IT engineer at ByteDance, where he Guo was unable to sleep, feeling Seeking a new vocation into Shanghai magazine about Japanese United States. witnessed firsthand the company’s unprepared and unable to envision which he can settle for a long time, hot spring travel,” Guo says. “From a consumerist perspective, rapid evolution into a global media a future without coding. running an onsen hotel is on his After the pandemic has run its many people misunderstand finan­ conglomerate. In 2013, Guo began flying to checklist. course, his travel agency will resume cial freedom, which is not about the In the eyes of many, Guo is con­ Japan on a frequent basis and has Last year, he opened a travel agen­ the business helping Chinese travel­ money, but about personal freedom sidered “lucky” by making the right been to more than 150 onsen (hot cy to enable more Chinese tourists ers better understand Japan’s hot behind a positive free cash flow,” career decisions just as China’s spring) towns. understand the beauty of onsen, spring culture, he says. Guo says in his Sina Weibo post. internet industry went through the He still remembers his first hot which aims to pave the way for his Guo’s story is not just one of luck transformation from desktop to spring experience in a family inn. plan to establish a top onsen hotel in Contact the writer at in embracing the internet age at the mobile in the 2010s, an era which Although the place was small and Hangzhou, building a communica­ [email protected] Ancient glory of Old blossoms with resurrected lotuses

By WANG KAIHAO Even though Zhao says it feels like collection of the flowers in Beijing. [email protected] “nothing special” to grow these old Zhao says the lotuses will reach seeds, she still gives particular atten­ their full blossom in mid­August, It is probably difficult for today’s tion to them. She cleaned their pond and for the two ponds of flowers that people to imagine how splendid the more often, compared with other have grown from the sleeping beau­ architecture by the shore looked, young ones, and prayed for the best ties, they look stronger this year. with its breathtaking backdrop of result. “Probably, they’ll have seedpods flourishing lotuses, before the havoc Unfortunately, only two of them this year,” Zhao says. “If we can get of 1860. finally blossomed last year. Howev­ more seeds, maybe we can begin That was the year when invading er, for the rebirth of ancient lotus considering our next step to move Anglo­French forces burned down varieties, this is a genesis. them from the breeding base into Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Sum­ In April, Zhao’s team began to the wild.” mer Palace, in Beijing. Sprawling expand the cultivation by separat­ Following archaeological discov­ over 340 hectares, this former ing their lotus roots. And their eries at the Yuanmingyuan site over (1644­1911) resort “sons” now cover about 80 square recent years, many original areas used to be hailed as the “garden of meters of water in the breeding base have been restored to partially gardens”. of Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park. reflect the palace’s former glory. Thanks to 11 lotus seeds, Left: Lotuses blossom again from “antique” seeds, which were buried underground for over a century in The specific variety of these “Yuanmingyuan witnessed a unearthed by archaeologists in 2017 the ruins of Yuanmingyuan in Beijing. WANG KAIHAO / CHINA DAILY Right: One of the 11 lotus seeds unearthed “antique” lotuses remains unknown country’s pain,” Li Bo, director of the in the Ruyuan Park area of Yuan­ from Ruyuan Park area in Yuanmingyuan in 2017. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY as they differ from other lotuses administration of Yuanmingyuan mingyuan, some of that splendor grown in the park, Zhao says, but Ruins Park, said in a previous inter­ has returned — like envoys traveling ever found in the Yuanmingyuan regular lotus,” Zhang Huijin, a bota­ tion,” Zhao Aimei, the leading horti­ follow­up genome sequencing will view with China Daily. “However, its through time to represent the ruins, were moved to the laboratory nist at the institute, says. “And buds culturist in charge of the program, unveil the connection with their rel­ rejuvenation also marks the people’s strong spirit of the past, today. at the Institute of Botany affiliated would soon have become rotten if says. “We were worried whether atives. progress. To partially restore histori­ With July here, the flowers are to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, they stayed in earth.” these fragile seeds could blossom or About 300 varieties of lotus now cal areas based on academic studies blooming again in Yuanmingyuan where they were protected and nur­ Consequently, it seems a better not.” grow in Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park. is a good way to recall patriotism.” Ruins Park, thanks to technicians’ tured. Six of the seeds later sprout­ choice to let them “come home”. Two of the sprouts were left in the Over 60 hectares of the waters in Perhaps, the rebirth of the lost devoted cultivation. ed. “They have slept for such a long lab as samples, and four returned to Yuanmingyuan are now covered by lotuses is a crucial way to achieve The 11 seeds, the first of their kind “They grow much slower than time, and suffering from poor nutri­ Yuanmingyuan last year. them, making the site the biggest that.