(Interviewed by Li Jiaxin, School of Foreign Languages, Shenzhen University May 23, 2018)
Alumnus of Shenzhen University, class of 1983, Chairman of the Marco Polo Shenzhen Hotel, Chairman of Merchiston International Education Co. Ltd. in Shenzhen.
The first impression of Chen is of a modest and even-tempered man. Advocating the “round” philosophy, he pursues harmony and happiness. “A lot of things are safe, comfortable, and calm when they are less angular.” Years of hard work have made him a successful entrepreneur, but he just thinks he’s “luckier”.
1.Passionate College Years
On September 27, 1983, Shenzhen University held its grand opening ceremony, admitting a total of 216 students, including Chen Wensheng. At the age of 16, he carried his luggage to Shenzhen University, where nothing was known to him. “I had never been to Shenzhen before, but I knew it was a special economic zone, and I thought it would be very promising in the future.” In Chen Wensheng’s memory, Shenzhen at that time had just been transformed from a border town into a small city with only a few main streets. “It felt like my hometown,” he said. But Shenzhen, which is still developing at a rapid pace, continues to bring Chen a strong sense of freshness.
“Intense emotional combustion” is Chen’s deepest impression on his college years. Shenzhen in the 1980s was like an express train, with speed and passion as the main engines. Shenzhen University shared these qualities.
“Everyone had a strong thirst for knowledge, had the courage to try, and was especially ambitious. From the principal to the teachers and students, everyone had a strong desire to make something,” Chen recalled. In this inspiring atmosphere, Chen positively threw himself into each cause at the school. Being fond of liberal arts, he was quite gifted in foreign language learning and was one of the best in the foreign language department at that time. When he first learned German, he had never learned phonetics or memorized lists of words, but the moment he got a textbook he was able to read it, which surprised him.
During his time at Shenzhen University, Chen held the post of Secretary of the Student Party Committee of the school. “I did whatever the director of the Party Committee gave me to do. Later, seeing that I was good at writing, he asked me to draw up some documents and speeches.” Chen held this post for three years. At that time, the school implemented a work-study system to encourage students to participate in the construction of the school. “We planted those trees in the school with our own hands!” Chen said with a proud smile. As one of the first students of Shenzhen University, having watched the school gradually take shape, gradually grow up, Chen’s sense of familiarity and intimacy with his Alma Mater is more profound and intense.
2.A Budding Business Acumen
While studying at university, Chen’s sister worked in the Shenzhen Import and Export Group. At that time, there were many import product specifications to be translated, and she asked him to help translate them. Chen organized classmates and set up a translation agency in the school to contract the translation work of the company and provide services for a fee. After gaining a bit of fame from his efforts, he took on many other jobs to subsidize his school expenses.
After graduating from Shenzhen University in 1987, Chen joined the Shenzhen Branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, where he was responsible for overseas market research and organizing overseas product exhibitions and so on. He went to Hong Kong at the end of 1990 as the representative of the International Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
But in 1995, he made a decision: to go to the University of California to study Comparative Literature. In Chen's view, this fulfilled his dream of studying abroad. About 70 percent of his classmates had studied abroad. At that time, the conditions for studying abroad were relatively harsh, and economic conditions were more emphasized. However, his years in Hong Kong had given him a lot of confidence, and with his financial independence, Chen said he believed he could live a good life abroad.
In the United States Chen wanted to devote himself to his studies, but domestic companies kept consulting him about their businesses. “The fax machines in my dorm room were always sending documents,” he said. He later set up two companies in the United States, one to handle exhibitions and the other to provide supporting services, such as arranging airline tickets and hotels. Even though he was running a company while studying, he didn’t feel particularly pressured. At that time, many of the young people who came to the United States were forced to work in restaurants or as tour guides in order to finance their education. In Chen’s view, he started from a high base.
3.A Hotel Dream Come True
In 1999, Chen returned to China. He joined the China Europe and America Import and Export Corporation in Shenzhen and founded the Europe and America Business Corporation. Because of his job, Chen often travels from city to city, staying at local hotels in every city he visits. Every time he checked into a hotel, he felt particularly warm and comfortable “because everyone felt respected and respected very strongly,” Chen said. At the same time, every time he checked into a hotel he would carefully observe the style and characteristics of each hotel. What kind of hotel would he have if he had his own hotel? The idea stayed with him for years, until it became clear in 2003.
In 2003, China Tobacco planned to build a hotel in the central area of Shenzhen. It happened that one day Chen went to visit the head of the tobacco group and was offered the opportunity to take over the construction and management of the hotel. At that time, Chen hired one of the most famous consulting firms in the United States and asked them to make a report. This paper investigated the prospect of the hotel market in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and even the whole country over the next ten years, and forecasted the rate of return on investment. After the evaluation, Chen decided to take over.
Although he had an ardent dream to manage a hotel, Chen had no relevant experience in hotel management at that time, so he could only “learn while doing and improve”. Determined to make Marco Polo Hotel a truly international brand hotel, Chen invited top domestic and foreign teams for the interior designing, marketing, catering, and other departments. “Even though I don’t have strong personal skills, I tend to take advantage of professional third parties to do things,” Chen said. In September, 2006, the Marco Polo Hotel opened in Shenzhen. Chen still remembers the excitement and joy on the opening day. “Years of dreams are finally coming true!”
Involved in the hotel industry for more than 10 years, Chen has his own unique views on the hotel industry. “Hotels are for serving people, but they are not humble. Hotels are a business to love and you can earn the genuine respect of others through your service and respect.” In management, Chen urged his team to cultivate the hotel as a “lady” rather than a “fashion model”. “Fashion models have their moments, but they’re short-lived. Ladies are more eternal.” This single-minded management concept helped the Marco Polo Hotel survive the financial turmoil of 2008 and to win the “Top Ten Most Popular Business Hotels in China” award.
4.“See Sentient Beings” Through Education
In the film The Grandmaster, Miss Gong says: “A martial artist's development has three stages: to see himself, to see the world, and to see sentient beings.” These three stages reflect the triple realm of life. If in the first half of his life as an entrepreneur Chen was only in the stage of “seeing himself” and “seeing the world”, then running a school made him go to the stage of altruism and philanthropy.
On the morning of November 19, 2017, the signing ceremony of the Merchiston Castle School in Shenzhen was held at the Marco Polo Hotel. Mr Lü Jianjun, President and Chairman of the Board, Dr. Gareth Moore, Vice Chairman of Chairman of the Board, Mr. Gareth Baird, and Mr. Gareth Moore signed the Cooperation Agreement on the development and operation of the school on behalf of both sides. The Merchiston Castle School will be the first International School in Shenzhen to offer a pure English education and boarding management system. It is also the first overseas branch of Merchiston Castle, Britain’s top private school with a history of more than 185 years.
“We want to raise our children to be loving, life-loving, life-long learners, and to grow up happily.” This venture reflects Chen's vision for the international school, as well as his tender heart as a father. As a father, he is keenly aware of the hardships and pressures faced by children today. Every time he helped his child with his homework or drove him to school, he could feel the child was not happy. “We want our children to grow up happily and develop their interests in school, not to learn with only a strong sense of utility. As the school motto says, ‘Ready Ay Ready’”
Chen's experience led him to study English literature, to go into society with a deep respect for self-reliance, self-discipline, and self-improvement, and to make good use of the favorable environment in Shenzhen. Now he has introduced a school with British characteristics to Shenzhen, which is also a reward to his Alma Mater as well as to Shenzhen.
