The most rebellious richest man in Henan: An 83-year-old Chinese grandfather is becoming more and more daring as he gets older.

For many people, when they reach the age of 50, there is one key word: Stability.

They seek stability in their careers and yearn for leisure in their lives, waiting for retirement to enjoy their later years with their grandchildren.

However, there is always a group of people for whom age is never a shackle. Instead, they become more daring as time goes by. There is a remarkable Chinese entrepreneur who is just like this. At the age of 50, he started his business by selling dumplings on a tricycle. He invented the first frozen dumplings in China and became the richest man in Henan by selling dumplings.

At the age of 66, he ventured into a new field and built the second geothermal power station in China in just seven months.

At the age of 83, he embarked on his third business venture, targeting the first carbon-14 nuclear battery in China, which can make cardiac pacemakers last a lifetime without battery replacement.

This 83-year-old Chinese grandpa is Chen Zemin. He joined hands with Dr. Li Gang, the founder of Wuxi Beta, to target the industrialization of China's first carbon-14 nuclear battery.

This nuclear battery has an extremely high energy density and can provide a permanent energy source for brain-computer interfaces, cardiac pacemakers, etc. After being implanted in the human body, there is no need for surgery to replace the battery throughout the lifetime.

Moreover, it can adapt to extremely harsh conditions and provide stable power supply in extreme environments such as the Antarctic, the Arctic, and the deep sea. It can even assist interstellar spacecraft to work continuously in deep space.

What on earth does an 83-year-old person who wants to start a business again aim for?

The boldest deputy dean: After quitting his job, he became the richest man in Henan

In 1990, on the streets of Zhengzhou, a middle-aged man in simple clothes could often be seen pedaling a tricycle loaded with goods, shuttling through the streets and alleys.

The tricycle was equipped with a gas stove, pots, bowls, and chopsticks, as well as boxes of simply packaged dumplings. He visited all the large and small shopping malls in Zhengzhou.

No one knew that this sweaty and dusty peddler was the deputy dean of a hospital just a few days ago, holding an enviable iron rice bowl, with a stable career and a decent life.

This year, Chen Zemin was exactly 50 years old.

By this time, Chen Zemin had become the deputy dean of Zhengzhou Second People's Hospital, with a monthly salary of 130 yuan.

In the early 1990s, he heard the term "reform and opening up". This deeply touched Chen Zemin, who was approaching 50 years old. He resolutely quit his hospital position and started his business.

Everyone around him united to persuade him that since he was approaching retirement age, if he really wanted to start a business, he could take a long-term leave.

But Chen Zemin refused. He said: "If I start a business to make money while still enjoying the national benefits, won't people point fingers at me?"

In 1989, Chen Zemin borrowed 15,000 yuan from his neighbor and opened a cold drink shop in Zhongzhou Shopping Mall near Zhengzhou Railway Station, selling ice cream.

But in winter, the business was sluggish, and he still had to support his staff. So he began to think about other products.

At this time, dumplings came into Chen Zemin's sight.

At that time, dumplings in China were all made and eaten immediately. There was no concept of frozen dumplings. It was time-consuming and laborious for every family to make dumplings. Being able to eat a bowl of authentic dumplings at any time became a small luxury for many people.

A bold idea was born in his mind: Develop frozen dumplings so that people across the country can eat authentic dumplings at any time.

Lei Jun said, Starting a business is not for humans. It's for cats and dogs.

Perhaps Chen Zemin deeply understood this decades ago. He was once deceived and couldn't get back the payment for goods. He once overturned his vehicle on the way to deliver goods and almost lost his life...

The most difficult part was how to make the frozen dumplings not crack after being cooked. Thanks to his professional advantage of performing surgeries under low-temperature conditions for many years, his inquisitive personality, his experience in selling cold drinks, and his skill in making dumplings, he studied day and night and developed an original "two-step freezing method":

First, freeze the filling, then wrap the dough and freeze it again. The frozen dumplings made in this way are round and plump and won't break after being cooked.

In 1990, Chen Zemin invented the first frozen dumplings.

Coincidentally, the TV series "Ling Dumplings" was very popular at that time. Chen Zemin seized the opportunity, registered the trademark "Sanquanling", and quickly built up the brand's popularity with the help of the popularity. From a small street workshop to a large-scale food factory and then to an industry leader, Sanquan Food has been making rapid progress all the way.

In 2008, Sanquan Food was successfully listed on the A-share market, becoming the first listed company in China's frozen food industry.

In 2013, the Chen Zemin family made it onto the Forbes China Rich List with a fortune of 6.22 billion yuan, becoming the well-deserved richest man in Henan.

It seems like a traditional story, but it didn't end here.

The most rebellious richest man: In middle age, he boldly ventured into a new field

After becoming the richest man in Henan and with Sanquan Food firmly at the top of the industry, everyone thought that Chen Zemin would stop there and enjoy his later years.

After all, he had worked hard for most of his life and was fully qualified to enjoy life.

But at the age of 66, Chen Zemin made a decision that shocked the business world: He completely let go of Sanquan Food, handed over the business empire he had built for many years to his son to manage, and ventured into the completely unfamiliar field of geothermal power generation, starting his second business in life.

As soon as the news came out, the whole network was in an uproar, and there were a lot of skeptical voices.

"My major in college was radio, but by accident, I was assigned to a medical school and became a doctor for a lifetime. But that wasn't my major or my hobby."

When he was young, Chen Zemin had thought about new energy power generation models such as semiconductor power generation, thermoelectric power generation, and tidal power generation.

As he got older, he watched the increasingly serious smog problem and environmental pollution in the country and felt extremely anxious.

As a doctor for a lifetime, he deeply understood the importance of the environment to health. Seeing more and more people being troubled by health problems due to air quality, he had a new idea: Devote himself to clean energy and do something for the blue sky and clear water.

In 2009, Chen Zemin handed over the "baton" of Sanquan Group, which he had managed for 27 years, to his son and officially devoted himself to the field of geothermal environmental protection.

He established Wanjiang New Energy Company, took out all the hard-earned money he had saved in his life, and didn't touch a single cent of Sanquan Food's funds. He fully devoted himself to the research and development of geothermal power generation.

There are two reasons for his optimism:

1. Geothermal energy is an inexhaustible clean energy source. It can not only relieve the energy crisis but also completely solve the environmental pollution problem.

2. At this age, making money is no longer the only goal of starting a business. He wants to fill the gap in domestic geothermal power generation and break the foreign technology monopoly.

This time, starting a business was more difficult than his first time selling dumplings.

In order to master the core technology of geothermal power generation, regardless of his advanced age, he visited more than 50 countries that use geothermal energy, such as the United States, Iceland, Japan, and France, in 10 years. He also left his footprints in geothermal-rich areas in China, such as Tibet, Yunnan, and Xinjiang. Even on the plateau with an altitude of 4,800 meters, he went there in person, braving altitude sickness to survey geothermal resources.

"At your age, why don't you just enjoy your life instead of causing trouble?" "Selling dumplings and geothermal power generation are completely unrelated fields. It's like crossing a mountain between different industries. You're definitely going to stumble!"

"Why don't you just enjoy the existing wealth and instead waste money on new energy? You're really old and muddle-headed!"

Even his old subordinates and old friends around him dissuaded him one after another. Geothermal power generation belongs to the high-tech field, which requires a large investment, a long cycle, and high risks. It often takes five or six years for foreign mature projects to be implemented, and the domestic market has long been monopolized by foreign technology. There is almost no successful experience to learn from.

How could a 66-year-old layman succeed?

In the face of all the doubts, Chen Zemin just calmly replied: Life is about continuous challenges. As long as you identify the direction, age is never a problem.

The most daring Chinese grandpa: Opportunities are only reserved for those who are prepared

In 2016, the geothermal power generation project in Ruili, Yunnan, was officially launched.

This time, Chen Zemin led his team to challenge the industry limit: For similar foreign projects, it takes at least 5 - 8 years from site selection, exploration, well drilling to grid-connected power generation, but he personally supervised the project site.

On July 5, 2017, the geothermal power station in Ruili, Yunnan, was successfully connected to the power grid. It only took seven months from project establishment to power generation.