Biography of Ren Zhengfei

Name: Biography of Ren Zhengfei
ISBN: 9787213078828

孙力科Zhejiang People's Publishing House · ChinaMay 2017

3.5

Word count: 160K words
Chapters: 87
ISBN: 9787213078828

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Summary

Ren Zhengfei is a name impossible to bypass in the history of Chinese business. Hailed as a godfather among entrepreneurs, he redefined the Chinese entrepreneurial spirit. His story of building a business from nothing has inspired countless entrepreneurs to fight and strive. Like the company he founded, he is steady and low-key; having weathered many ups and downs, he has finally cut through all obstacles to reach the summit of personal will and his era. In his early years he joined the military, yet never saw frontline combat—he served in the capital construction engineering corps. After reform and opening up, when the army was restructured, he was transferred to a state-owned enterprise, only to cause that enterprise a huge loss and ultimately be dismissed. At the age of 43, he was unemployed, divorced, and 2 million yuan in debt, with no capital, no connections, no technology, and no market experience. With just over 20,000 yuan, he founded Huawei in a dilapidated warehouse.

Editor's review

Written by veteran financial journalist Sun Like over five years and based on interviews with numerous Huawei insiders, Ren Zhengfei: A Biography is currently one of the more authoritative and comprehensive biographies of Ren Zhengfei on the market. The book's greatest value lies in moving beyond the simple success-story narrative framework: drawing on a wealth of first-hand interview material, it systematically traces the full arc of Ren Zhengfei's inner journey and key decisions—from his military career to founding Huawei to leading it into a world-class enterprise. The book not only records Huawei's growth history but also deeply analyzes Ren Zhengfei's distinctive management philosophy and strategic thinking, as well as his choices in several crises, revealing the complexity and contradictions of him as an entrepreneur. Compared with other editions on the market, this book offers more in-depth discussion of core issues such as Huawei's "winter" theory, its internationalization process, its shareholding structure, and R&D investment, with high information density and solid detail. When reading, readers are advised to focus on the evolution of his management thought rather than merely following the story of business success. For understanding the rise of Chinese high-tech enterprises and the essence of entrepreneurship, this book provides a highly valuable case sample.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers and readers interested in Chinese business history and entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs and business managers who wish to understand Huawei's development history and management philosophy in depth
Industry professionals seeking to explore the trajectory of the communications and technology industries
Working professionals and young students seeking inspiration for personal growth and overcoming adversity

Not a good fit for

Purely technical enthusiasts expecting Huawei's technical details or a chronicle of product development
Readers hoping for quick-success secrets or fast-food-style business stories

Reading tips

It is recommended to read this book alongside works such as The Huawei Basic Law and Will Huawei Be the Next to Fall? for a more three-dimensional understanding
When reading, focus on the logic of Ren Zhengfei's decisions and shifts in thinking across different historical periods (e.g., the early startup phase, the internationalization stage, and times of crisis)
There is no need to finish it in one sitting; you can digest its management ideas and strategic thinking in stages, in light of your own work or reflections

About the publisher

Zhejiang People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1951

Zhejiang People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for its social science, history and foreign literature titles, covering philosophy, politics, law, economics, culture and history. Among the books in the library catalogue, its foreign literature list includes Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country and The Old Capital in well-known translations, as well as Wuthering Heights; its history list is represented by Dangnian Mingyue's Ming Dynasty series, and its politics list by Zhejiang New Discourse. Authors represented include Yasunari Kawabata, Ye Weiqu, Tang Yuemei, Dangnian Mingyue, Emily Brontë and René Wellek, with Wellek's Theory of Literature (newly revised edition) among its titles in literary theory. Beyond these areas, the press also publishes works on literary appreciation and social culture, giving it a profile that combines classic translations, popular history and academic works. As publicly available information is limited, other details are not covered here.

版权信息
序言
第一章谁是任正非？
1. 不凡的父辈
2. 一个特殊的时代
3. 军旅生涯
4. 转折：另一种人生的开始
5. 华为诞生记
第二章踏上新征程
1. 寻觅商机的美国之行
2. 华为前途，喜忧参半
3. “与时俱进”，才是发展王道
4. 打一场“持久战”
第三章华为新起点
1. 万门机的问世
2. 邳州之战
3. 改变自我，改变历史
4. 兴衰“巨大”
5. 在恰当的时机出手
第四章打造软实力
1. 整顿内部，优化管理
2. 华为的“IPD”化
3. 从IPD到ISC
4. “任氏”管理法则
第五章 “狼”行天下
1. 向上海贝尔宣战
2. “北电”失落记
3. 庞大的AT&T
4. 朗讯的失势
5. “中华”大战
6. 两败俱伤
7. 祸起萧墙
8. 华为是“土星”，港湾是“光环”
9. 华为的胜利
第六章征战四方
1. 扎根香江
2. 坎坷的“俄罗斯之役”
3. 挺进非洲与拉美
4. “刀马所至皆汉土”
5. 征服“罗曼之乡”
6. 牵手英国电信
7. 开拓荷兰市场
8. 德国：欧洲的最后一战
第七章华为、思科大PK
1. “前华为”时代的商战
2. 非凡的思科
3. “华为威胁论”
4. 敢打才能和，小输就是赢
5. 华为的“统一战线”
6. “世纪之讼”
7. 再接再厉
第八章 “华为精神”
1. 从《华为基本法》说起
2. 一波三折
3. 华为的向“前”看与向“钱”看
4. 独特的“薪酬激励法”
5. 不让员工“吃亏”
6. 股权制度的改革与风波
7. 华为“控股”
8. 财务转型记
第九章以人为本
1. 潜力第一，经验第二
2. 是人才，就有平台
3. “炒干部”
4. “制造”精英
5. 从群众中来，到群众中去
6. 从“狼性”到“人性”
第十章一切都只为客户
1. 客户第一
2. 客户满意度
3. 华为“变奏曲”
4. 非凡的营销战略
5. 华为的反应力
第十一章新征程，新华为
1. 华为转型：从通信到企业网
2. 云计算时代
3. 为“中国质量”代言
4. 专利大战：华为VS三星
第十二章非凡领袖
1. 低调做人，高调做事
2. 有原则的“低调”
3. “偏执”的力量
4. 做有高度的事业
5. 他是一个“强悍”的人
6. 硬汉柔情
7. 最难割舍是亲情
8. 华为之父

FAQ

How does this book differ from other biographies of Ren Zhengfei?

The author, Sun Like, based this book on extensive interviews; its content focuses more on the evolution of Ren Zhengfei's management thought and inner journey, draws on sources relatively closer to the core, and offers a more systematic and in-depth narrative, avoiding one-sided glorification or simplistic storytelling.

Does the book cover hot-button issues and challenges Huawei has faced in recent years?

The book mainly covers the long period from Ren Zhengfei's birth to Huawei's becoming a globally leading communications equipment vendor. Owing to its publication date, it touches only in a limited way on the most recent developments and challenges (such as specific events under certain international circumstances), focusing instead on the core历程 and ideas that laid Huawei's foundation.

What can readers outside the business world gain from this book?

Even if you do not work in business, readers can draw valuable inspiration for life planning, coping with adversity, and deep thinking from Ren Zhengfei's personal struggle, his formidable capacity for learning, his resilience in the face of enormous adversity, and his distinctive philosophical reflections (such as "grey-scale management" and "self-criticism").

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About the author

孙力科 Author

Sun Like is a Chinese author whose writing focuses mainly on finance, management, and biography. Public information about him is limited, and details of his life have not been clearly established. Eight of his works are included in the collection, falling into two main categories: biographies of entrepreneurs and books on investing and personal finance. On the one hand, he writes about figures such as Ren Zhengfei, Duan Yongping, and Warren Buffett, addressing the nature of business, the truth about management, and the logic of investing; on the other, he presents investment ideas in the form of Q&A records and internal speeches. His writing tends to sort out these figures' business thinking and decision-making methods in plain language, introducing business and investment knowledge to general readers. His representative works include The Duan Yongping Investment Q&A (two volumes), Ren Zhengfei: The Essence of Business, A Biography of Duan Yongping, and Buffett's Principles.