?Zhou Chenggang’s study experience of moving forward soberly

About the author: Zhou Chenggang, principal of Beijing New Oriental School, graduated from Suzhou University in the 1980s and taught at the university for ten years; in 1995, he studied abroad at his own expense in Australia and received a master's degree in communication; in 1998, he was admitted to the BBC in 2003 Returned to China to join New Oriental.

Three years is more important than ten years

During the college entrance examination, Zhou Chenggang’s English score ranked first in Jiangyin City. He had dreamed of becoming an outstanding diplomat since he was a child. Hesitantly applied for the Beijing Foreign Affairs University. With his first score in the English written and oral examination at that time, Zhou Chenggang had every chance of being admitted. However, by some strange combination of circumstances, he missed out on the Beijing Foreign Affairs University and eventually entered the English Department of Soochow University. And classmate Yu Minhong and others have been admitted to prestigious universities such as Peking University and Fudan University. You can imagine Zhou Chenggang's mood.

It seems that the grief has not yet resolved, Zhou Chenggang had to face a very serious question for him: should he go to middle school or stay in school after graduation? Just like the murmur of Shakespeare's protagonist Hamlet: "To be or not to be, is a question."

At that time, after graduation, it was completely allocated by the state, and no one told Zhou Chenggang what should be His pursuit, how to get out of trouble. "I have only two options: teach in a middle school after graduation, or try to stay in school to teach. I know very clearly that teaching in a middle school will only make me farther and farther away from the life I want." The grievances in my heart have turned into efforts. With the motivation, Zhou Chenggang successfully became a university teacher.

"Human desires are unlimited, but it is impossible to obtain so much in all directions." Therefore, we need to learn to make choices and learn to conduct a clear analysis of the complicated world. and judgment. "I looked back many years later and found that my English was more solid than other classmates at the university and I had a broader perspective. Ten years later, I went to Australia to study and work in the UK. The relationship between me and those classmates who taught in middle schools The gap is even further apart. I am not judging the quality of the two lives, but what is certain is that my original decision brought me closer to the life of my dreams."

Everyone knows that we should work hard. , but in which direction should efforts be made? "It must be a specific, clear goal that can be achieved through hard work; don't think about what will happen ten years from now, what we can achieve within three years is what we need to think clearly about."

Since After getting the first place in the college entrance examination in English, Zhou Chenggang discovered his talent in language. He began to cultivate himself deliberately, spending a lot of time and energy to learn how TV and radio hosts express themselves and how speakers speak; he read a lot of Western philosophical works, For example, "History of Western Philosophy", "Sophie's World" and "Big Questions". "Philosophical works are very helpful in cultivating people's critical thinking ability, and the most important aspect of language expression is logical thinking ability." This kind of critical thinking ability won him thunderous applause at New Oriental's "Ten Thousand People Speech", which made him 45 He was able to speak freely in different speeches ranging from 1 minute to 2.5 hours, which enabled him to always make the right choice when faced with various life choices.

It is always right to look further

Sometimes, clear judgment means taking a longer view. In 1995, Zhou Chenggang went to Australia to study at his own expense. At the beginning of his study abroad, he once regarded English as a research object and wanted to continue teaching after graduation. After arriving in Australia, he realized that in an English-speaking country, it was not wise to use English as a research object. He had to be proficient in other professional knowledge at the same time. Therefore, even though school had already started and it was very difficult to change schools, Zhou Chenggang still resolutely transferred to another university to major in journalism and communication.

The life of studying abroad is very difficult. Many international students work while studying to earn money to support themselves. Zhou Chenggang also went to work, doing the heaviest and most tiring work in the furniture factory - carrying and sawing wooden boards. However, he never forgot his original intention of going abroad. "Since I have chosen to study abroad, I must study well and prepare for the future." "Preparing for work." When he received his master's degree in communication, Zhou Chenggang ranked first in the written and oral examination among hundreds of people and became the only journalist in Australia admitted to the BBC in 1998. At that time, his salary was higher than that in Australia. White-collar workers' salaries are several times higher. The professional theories of news communication such as news value, secondary communication, and agenda setting, which he has long been familiar with, can be used with ease in his career as a journalist at the BBC.

When he was young, Zhou Chenggang devoted himself to English research, writing papers and translating (inspirational figure Sun), which made him able to master English and Chinese bilingualism with ease. "It was still the 1980s, A young man in his twenties actually translated a foreign book, and everyone around him was very surprised. At that time, the translation manuscript was still copied by hand; these basic skills were finally used when working at the BBC. It comes in handy.”

The BBC is well-known in the industry for its efficiency and strictness with journalists. At that time, Zhou Chenggang was in charge of international news for the "Current Affairs Program" of the BBC International Department in the Asia-Pacific region. He had to interview, record and synthesize, and also took turns hosting the program. "He went to work at 8 o'clock in the morning, and the program would be on the radio station at 11 o'clock. It's like a race against time.

I usually do international phone interviews first, and then immediately translate the manuscript into Chinese, almost as a "translation", and at the same time, I have to keep typing on the keyboard with my fingers. "It only took Zhou Chenggang the first three months to adapt to all this.

Recalling the two years he spent at the BBC, Zhou Chenggang expressed it as "professional" and "dedication"; it is precisely this Such professionalism and dedication allowed Zhou Chenggang to successfully establish Shanghai New Oriental and innovate Beijing New Oriental.

He still chose to be the principal.

In 2000, Zhou Chenggang returned to China to visit relatives and met. By the time I was a classmate in middle school, Yu Minhong, New Oriental School was already at its peak and developing vigorously in Beijing. “The Chinese market is so big and there are so many opportunities, so why should we stay in the UK and work for imperialism? "Yu Minhong's intentional or unintentional joke deeply penetrated Zhou Chenggang's heart.

"I have no doubt that I can be an excellent and professional journalist at the BBC, but in a country ruled by white people, In this world, it is very difficult for Chinese people to stand out. If you choose another path, with the same time and energy, you may achieve higher results and go further, so why not take this path? "After thorough consideration, he finally made the decision to give up the opportunity to obtain permanent residence in the UK and immigrate to Canada with his family. He even broke through the resistance of his relatives and friends and returned to China to join New Oriental. "It is true that working at the BBC can earn a high salary, apply for a passport, and permanently There are a lot of contracts, welfare guarantees, etc. However, what are these things compared to my *** when I return to China to start a business? "

In 2003, Zhou Chenggang, who successfully founded Shanghai New Oriental and set off "New Oriental Storms" time and time again in Shanghai, was transferred to Beijing New Oriental when he was in danger. He single-handedly went deep into an enterprise with deep roots to implement management. Reform. At that time, Beijing New Oriental had already had a development history of more than ten years. The entire team structure was complicated and was in the process of adjustment and internal crisis. Each department was like a small school and worked independently, which caused New Oriental's labor costs to rise sharply. Even departments compete with each other for students.

It is unclear how much reform is needed in a complex enterprise, but Zhou Chenggang understands that only performance can convince the public. He ignores all kinds of objections and unifies the key. The important Academic Affairs Department and Marketing Department, “When a company seeks long-term development, it must establish a system to maintain it. So what I did was to connect all the departments, realize the systematization and institutionalization of the business, and reintegrate New Oriental into a brave and capable team." This in turn greatly saved the company's costs. That year, Beijing New Oriental achieved a historic achievement The best performance.

Zhou Chenggang said that English has completely changed his life and given him spiritual and material enrichment; and clear judgment has given him confidence and life. performance and sense of accomplishment.