The Inspiring Journey of Richard Qiangdong Liu: From Humble Beginnings to the Founder and CEO of JD.com
Richard Liu Qiangdong founded JD.com. The company was previously known as Jingdong and 360buy Ltd. He has served as chairman and CEO of the organization since its founding in 2004.
Richard has managed to accrue a few important accolades over the years Richard Liu has been featured as an Honoree in Variety 500 website entitled, “JD.com Richard Liu; Founder / Chairman / CEO”, as a result of his persistence, innovation, and hard work.
The Early Life of Richard Liu
Liu Qiangdong grew up in Chang’an, a rural area near the Chinese city of Suqian in the province of Jiangsu. Liu was born into a poor village without modern amenities like electricity or running water. His parents were once wealthy Chinese merchants, but they had lost everything by the time he was born.
Liu’s maternal grandmother cared for him while his parents were at work, and it was she who instilled in him the value of making do with what you have. He’d help her make basic dinners out of sweet potatoes and maize when money was tight.
On rare occasions, though, he would accompany his grandmother to the local farmer’s co-op, where she would bribe the meat seller with peanuts in order to buy the fattiest piece of pig he had. That way, once the meat was cooked, there would be enough of leftover fat to utilize for various purposes all through the year.
Richard Liu’s ingenuity was evident even at a young age, when he proposed using hot water to wash the residual fat out of the pan and reusing the combination in soup.
Liu only applied to universities in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai when he was ready to enroll in college. Qiangdong did so quite successfully, earning a slot at the very competitive Renmin University. Despite the fact that Liu’s family could not have afforded the train ticket to Beijing on their own, everyone in his village chipped in to help pay for his trip. Those who could not afford to give him money instead gave him eggs to eat on the train and for the week after he arrived at the university in Beijing.
On completing his studies Richard Liu went to pursue various business ventures which have led him to be the successful entrepreneur he is today. Refer to this article for more information.
More about Richard Liu on https://ceoworld.biz/2020/03/19/jd-coms-richard-liu-leading-the-charge-of-chinas-e-commerce-giants-during-coronavirus-outbreak/
