Which books have shaped these influential figures

Originally from China Entrepreneur

Text | Reporter Cui Xiaoyan, China Entrepreneur

Collected by | Li Yanyan, Tan Liping, Yan Junwen, Deng Shuanglin, Zhao Dongshan, Ren Yafei

Dear China Enterprise readers:

Hello.

You may remember that in early April, I launched a collection activity asking for your tattered books. You might not expect that your photos of “worn-out books” are stacking up so high they almost overflow the screen.

Now, I want to tell you something else. Actually, while collecting your “worn-out books,” I secretly prepared a gift for you — we gathered book lists from several influential entrepreneurs, scholars, and founders, featuring books that have greatly impacted them, that they often flip through, and some even have worn out.

I’ve turned these into curated book lists. Consider this highly valuable “Worn-Out Book” list as my gift to you for World Book Day.

1. Yu Minhong, Founder of New Oriental

Yu Minhong is an avid reader and generous with book recommendations. “The Story of Rome” and “Not Failing My Heart” are among his frequently recommended books.

“The Story of Rome” is a very readable history of Rome, satisfying all curiosity about the city. In the eyes of the world, Romans are considered less intelligent than Greeks, less physically strong than Gauls, less skilled than Etruscans, and less economically advanced than Carthaginians, yet they defeated their opponents one after another and built the vast Roman Empire. How did they do it?

Japanese writer Salt Yano spent thirty years living in Rome to explore the “secret” of the Romans, and took fifteen years to write “The Story of Rome,” restoring the empire that shone for 1,300 years.

This book has won numerous awards, including the 24th “Daily Publishing Culture Award,” the 30th “Kikuchi Kan Award,” the 27th “Women’s Literature Award,” the 6th “Shincho Literary Award,” the 2nd “Sima Ryotaro Award,” and the 41st “Bookstore New Wind Award,” among others.

“Not Failing My Heart” is Yu Minhong’s essays, recording nearly thirty years of his entrepreneurial journey, insights, and reflections. From a young farmer planting rice to a student who entered Peking University after three attempts, to the once-famous “Chinese Partner,” and the resilient “old man” who turned the tide in a storm — why does Yu Minhong always manage to turn the tide?

The answer is in “Not Failing My Heart.” In this book, Yu Minhong shares his “Six Major Mindsets” for facing life — Original Intention, Sincerity, Hard Work, Dedication, From the Heart, and Righteous Heart. He explains these “Six Hearts” earnestly, essentially teaching readers how to succeed step by step.

“Not Failing My Heart” is a book of life enlightenment from Yu Minhong, starting from the “heart,” for those who refuse to be ordinary.

2. Zhang Yiming, Founder of ByteDance

Kishō Kōdō’s “The Way of Living” is one of the most influential books for Zhang Yiming. It was recommended to him by Wang Xing, founder of Meituan. The first copy of “The Way of Living” he bought was from a street stall, and he strongly agrees with one idea in the book — working hard is a form of cultivation.

“The Way of Living” is a worldwide bestseller and one of Japan’s most famous books on management by the “Saint of Business,” Inamori Kazuo. It records Inamori’s views on life and work, answering a question everyone wants to understand: what is the key to career success and personal happiness?

Regarding this book, Inamori Kazuo said, “These are the unwavering beliefs I have gained from my over 70 years of personal experience, and they are proven to be correct through practice.”

3. Historian Xu Zhuoyun

Xu Zhuoyun loves history books. He highly recommends three titles: “Xu Zhuoyun on America,” “Giant,” and “The Sinking Era.”

He says, “A few years ago, I wrote a book, ‘Sixty Years of America’ (the mainland edition is called ‘Xu Zhuoyun on America’). I experienced America’s rise and fall over sixty years. In the book, I said, ‘America has declined, gone bankrupt, the wheels are broken, the machines are rusted.’ Looking back now, I see it more clearly.”

He continues, “Two recent books about America are worth mentioning. One is Neil Ferguson’s ‘Giant,’ which discusses the ‘unfinished emperor’ — the uncompleted empire. The other is George Packer’s ‘The Sinking Era’ — a period of decline.”

“I hope our Chinese people, my compatriots, approach these serious topics with rationality, objectivity, and calmness. The world is interconnected; we must remember that. If a 100,000-ton ship sinks in the ocean, its whirlpool can drag nearby small boats down too. The world is so big that if we are swept away by this huge wave, it would be a tragedy. At critical moments, helping and supporting others can slow down global decline, helping them realize not to be selfish, arrogant, or lawless — perhaps that’s better. We shouldn’t argue or fight with them; we should avoid ‘fighting’ each other.”

“Helping them is helping ourselves. If China does this, others will be grateful, and future generations will thank us.”

4. Scholar and poet Yu Shicun

“The book that influenced me the most is the ‘Tao Te Ching.’ As I moved from youth to middle age, Laozi’s ‘Tao Te Ching’ was one of the few books that gave me confidence. I wrote ‘Laozi Biography’ and later compiled a book on how famous people from around the world read the ‘Tao Te Ching.’ From my youth to now, I can recall fragments or sentences from this book in daily life. It has provided me with a coordinate and method for settling down and living.”

5. Peng Yongdong, Chairman and CEO of Beike

“Knowledge can help a person shape their ‘hardware,’ and teachers who pass on knowledge are valuable assets for an organization. I want to recommend a book I previously gave to Beike Huqiao Academy’s nationwide lecturers — ‘Wang Liming’s Evolutionary Theory Lectures.’”

“Finding goals and achieving them is a process of rebirth; helping employees establish goals and giving them meaning to become better is like evolution. Valuing the power within organizations to promote ‘human evolution’ is something to be proud of.”

6. Li Guoqing, Founder of Dangdang

Li Guoqing’s book list includes two new and excellent books.

The first is “Believe.” The author, Cai Lei, former Vice President of JD.com and a fighter against ALS. At 41, Cai Lei was diagnosed with ALS, and his life was split into two from that moment — one side successful in career and happy family, the other battling a rare, incurable disease.

This year marks the fourth year of Cai Lei’s fight against ALS. “Believe” records his four-year struggle with the disease — pain, confusion, despair, but also courage, reflection, and hope. Reading “Believe,” you can feel a force — no matter the circumstances, there is the power to change the world, and this power can help us find hope beyond despair.

Yu Minhong said after reading “Believe,” “I was moved to tears.” Cai Lei’s story can touch everyone striving to live, and surely, it will move you too.

Li Guoqing’s other recent book is “Reliable.” It’s by Hou Xiaoqiang, former Chairman of Qidian Chinese Network and known as “China’s IP First Person.” Over his 20+ years career, Hou has observed and summarized what kind of people are always trusted by leaders, who can be promoted faster, and who can break through career and life bottlenecks. Now he finally has the answer — only reliable people can achieve all these.

As the title suggests, this book’s greatest value is teaching us how to become trustworthy in others’ eyes. Hou provides 132 methods, almost solving all workplace problems, such as how to ask for a raise, how to report bad news, how to keep secrets, what to do if year-end bonuses fall short, when is the right time to change jobs, and more.

In short, with this book, reliability is no longer a worry.

Think that’s all? No, no, no. These two books are just the tip of the iceberg in Li Guoqing’s list. Scroll down to unlock his hidden book list!

Eric Jorgensen’s “Nawal’s Treasure”

“Make money with your mind, not with your time.”

Zhou Hongyi’s “Beyond Curiosity”

“Beyond means constantly experimenting and overturning your beloved ideas.”

Zhou Ling’s “Cognitive Awakening”

“Change stubborn thinking through meta-cognition to improve focus, learning, and self-control.”

Bai Yang’s “Bai Yang’s Colloquial Version of Zizhi Tongjian”

“An essential entry-level read for modern Chinese to understand ‘Zizhi Tongjian.’”

Li Shuo’s “Jian Shang”

“From Xia to Zhou, over a thousand years, recounting the birth and transformation of Chinese civilization.”

Yang Tianzhen’s “Transparency”

“Live with clarity, starting from understanding human nature.”

Lan Xiaohuan’s “Involved”

“Decoding the interconnected factors behind urbanization, housing prices, wealth gap, debt, and trade ecosystems.”

Uncle Qiang’s “Leveraging”

“Every sentence is valuable; reading it is like earning.”

Romain Rolland’s “John Christoff”

“The only heroism in the world is loving life after understanding its truth.”

Debra Mankoff’s “A Brief History of Humanity at the British Museum”

“Enhance artistic and aesthetic abilities, deeply understand human society.”

Reed Hastings’ “Unconventional”

“Increase talent density; only hire adults.”

Wang Di’s “Mediocre but Capable”

“A textual version of ‘Along the River During the Qingming Festival.’”

Mitsuhiro Sanyu’s “The Complete History of Business Models”

“Past profits relied on products, marketing, management. Now, profits depend on models, financing, and招商.”

Ray Dalio’s “Principles”

“Maintain extreme openness, transparency, and pursuit of truth.”

7. Chen Xiangdong, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Gaotu Group

Chen Xiangdong has read countless books, but four stand out — “The Effective Executive,” “Built to Last,” “Good to Great,” and “Winning.” These are all management classics reprinted multiple times.

“The Effective Executive” has long ranked first on Douban’s “Popular Management Books,” with over 17,000 ratings and an 8.7 score — rare for management books. It explains two key points: what makes an effective manager, and how to become one.

“Built to Last” addresses a core concern for entrepreneurs: how to build a great and enduring company. Many of its principles are regarded as golden rules by entrepreneurs. For example, “Better to make a clock than to tell time” — the power of organization is greater than that of individuals. Leaders should see themselves as clockmakers, building a perfect organization that allows the company to operate healthily and orderly under this model, rather than relying solely on individuals or the organization.

“Good to Great” and “Built to Last” are both by Jim Collins. In “Built to Last,” Collins studies how companies sustain success; in “Good to Great,” he explores what makes teams and companies excel and endure.

He has tracked the development and management of Fortune 500 companies, identifying common traits of excellence, and distilled the “genes of greatness.” He believes a top team must have three key factors: trained people, trained thinking, and trained actions. How to cultivate these is answered in the books.

“Winning” is the management wisdom of Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric. It summarizes his leadership art over 21 years at GE. Welch saw leadership and management as deeply interconnected, saying, “Before you become a leader, success is about your own growth; after, success is about others’ growth.”

Over the years, many benefit from this book — not just corporate executives, but anyone with aspirations to win. Even Warren Buffett praised it: “With ‘Winning,’ people no longer need to read other business management books.”

8. Wang Jianguo, Chairman of Wuzhou Holdings

Wang Jianguo’s “worn-out” books are two classics — “Stars Shining in Humanity” and “Refresh.”

He says, “The greatest blessing in life is discovering your mission while young; the greatest misfortune is giving up your ideals before old age. Mission is the greatest driving force. After reading ‘Stars Shining in Humanity,’ you will realize the power of mission anew.”

As for why he rereads “Refresh” repeatedly, Wang Jianguo explains: “Everyone, every organization, and every society should click ‘refresh’ at some point — reinvigorate, rekindle vitality, reorganize, and rethink their purpose, just like clicking the refresh button on a browser. Starting anew, seeking new goals. Not forgetting the past, there’s no future. Based on my entrepreneurial experience, I believe we should refresh ourselves periodically.”

9. Qin Yong, Founder of Tomato Capital

“I recommend ‘Su Shu.’ It’s a book I’ve studied and reread daily for a while — always fresh. ‘Su Shu’ teaches the principles of ‘Tao, Virtue, Benevolence, Righteousness, and Ritual’ as a unified system for cultivating the mind, managing the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world. Essentially, it’s a fundamental system and philosophy for managing business, life, and transforming the world.”

10. Zhu Baoquan, Co-President of Vanke and Chairman of Wanwu Cloud

“Now, my biggest hobbies outside work are reading and exercising. Today, I recommend two books: ‘Extending’ and ‘30 Years of Contemporary Chinese Collective Housing.’”

“‘Extending’ is a popular management book by PhD Scott Sornson, based on his extensive experience in teaching and practice. It teaches that achieving goals doesn’t necessarily depend on more resources; those who can discover and utilize existing potential will try innovative ways to make the most of limited resources, solving problems effectively and reaching goals.”

“The other book, ‘30 Years of Contemporary Chinese Collective Housing,’ is co-authored by Wanwu Cloud and Hunan University’s School of Architecture and Planning. It studies the evolution of residential building forms from a property perspective, reflecting China’s reform process, consumer culture, social changes, and public livelihood issues, offering a detailed view of the nation’s image.”

11. Wu Gansa, Co-Founder and Chairman of Yushiji Technology

Wu Gansa’s list revolves around one keyword — innovation. The two books he recommends, “The Innovator’s Dilemma” and “Crossing the Chasm,” are fundamentally about “innovation.”

“The Innovator’s Dilemma” by Clayton Christensen is a classic management book. It records failures, but not of ordinary companies — it’s about the collapse of successful ones.

Christensen introduces two crucial concepts: sustaining technology and disruptive technology. Sustaining technology improves existing products based on mainstream customer needs; disruptive technology develops new or non-mainstream markets.

Continuously improving existing tech while investing in mainstream demands can destroy a good company; meanwhile, breakthrough technologies rejected by mainstream customers can lead to new dominant markets.

“Crossing the Chasm” is essential for investors, entrepreneurs, and product managers. Innovative products often face a big barrier in marketing — they struggle to move from early adopters to the mainstream market, and many products disappear because they fail to cross this chasm.

The book’s core value is explaining how new products and technologies can successfully cross from early markets into the mainstream.

12. Gao Yixuan, President of Jingtou Development

Gao Yixuan recommends “Talking More About Problems,” a collection of nine long interviews with scholars and practitioners like Xu Zhiyuan, Guo Yujie, Bai Lin, and others, discussing internet polarization, societal confusion, educational inequality, environmental degradation, and more.

He says, “This deep interview collection by Sanda Team suits various reading scenarios, like short but content-rich videos on Bilibili. In this era where consciousness remains in the silicon world while our bodies stay in the carbon world, these interviews help us see some causes and underlying logic of current societal challenges from different perspectives. You may not agree with every view, but thinking always involves questions.”

13. He Youjun, Founder of Yushiji Capital

“For many fans of detective novels, reading Sherlock Holmes is an extraordinary experience — I am one too.”

“Holmes, the protagonist, has high IQ and a strong sense of justice, with a strong personality and charisma. I love Arthur Conan Doyle’s immersive storytelling style. Every case is full of twists and turns, engaging you in reasoning. Through Doyle’s descriptions, you glimpse the daily lives of people from all social classes of that era.”

“This is a timeless classic that still shines after more than a hundred years. Whether you like detective stories or not, ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ is a must-read.”

Dear readers, this book list is my gift to you on World Book Day. I hope it can heal your book drought. If you want more, scan the QR code to sign up for our “Worn-Out Book” Date event on World Book Day, April 23, where you’ll enjoy a feast of books with guests like Song Zhiping, Li Guoqing, Zhou Hongqi, Chen Xiangdong, and many others.