Author: 陈春晴
Company: 上海识方会
Profession: IP creation, AI training, Xiaohongshu, Meituan, Douyin, TK
Position: New Media Operator
The Girl Who Rose from the Mountains
People often ask me, “You’ve faced so many challenges on your entrepreneurial journey. What kept you from giving up?”
Perhaps the answer begins with my childhood.
I was born in the mountains of Guizhou, China, and raised in a traditional family where sons were often valued more than daughters. Growing up, I rarely experienced favoritism, and no one ever told me that my future could be full of endless possibilities.
Life taught me not to depend on others, but to become independent; not to complain, but to keep moving forward. At a very young age, I realized that while we cannot choose where we are born, we can choose the path we take in life.
In 2016, I left my hometown and moved to Hangzhou to pursue my university education. It was my first time leaving home and my first glimpse of a much bigger world. I believed university would mark the beginning of a new chapter, but instead, life presented me with its first lesson in survival.
During my very first semester, my family did not provide me with any financial support for three consecutive months. I never complained to anyone, nor did I want to surrender to my circumstances. To save money, I ate my roommates’ leftovers and endured days when I had only a few yuan left in my pocket.
No one knew how helpless or discouraged I felt during those days. Yet it was in that darkest season that I made a promise to myself:
One day, I would build the life I dreamed of through my own abilities.
Because I had experienced hardship, I learned to treasure every opportunity that came my way.
While attending university, I began exploring entrepreneurship. I started a company and even operated a homestay business. I believed that as long as I worked hard, life would continue moving in a better direction.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.
Almost overnight, every business I had built came to a standstill, and years of effort seemed to disappear. Of course, I felt disappointed. I questioned myself more than once. But deep down, I never believed failure was the final destination. I saw it simply as one chapter of a much longer journey.
So, I started again.
In 2019, I entered the new media industry, learning content marketing and brand management from scratch. Step by step, I built a team of nine and founded my own media company. From Meituan to Douyin and Xiaohongshu, we continuously explored, adapted, and improved our strategies.
At the beginning, very few people noticed us. Over time, we earned the trust of more and more clients. Every milestone we achieved was built upon countless late nights, endless revisions, repeated failures, and the determination to keep moving forward.
Entrepreneurship has never been an easy path.
People often see today’s achievements but rarely witness the sleepless nights, the rejected proposals, the repeated setbacks, and the courage it takes to rise again after every fall.
Those experiences taught me how to embrace uncertainty and adapt to change. More importantly, they helped me realize that what determines how far a person can go is not success during comfortable times, but the choices they make when facing adversity.
Looking back, I never had a privileged background, nor was I especially fortunate.
What I did have was a heart that refused to surrender to fate.
The mountains where I was born never confined me. Instead, they shaped my resilience, my courage, and my determination to never give up. Every setback strengthened me. Every failure brought me one step closer to my dreams.
Today, I am still walking the path of entrepreneurship, and I continue to believe that no experience is ever wasted. Every challenge becomes nourishment for future growth.
I hope my story reminds everyone who is striving for a better future that it doesn’t matter where you come from or how ordinary your starting point may seem. As long as you keep learning, persevere through difficulties, and have the courage to move forward, one day you will become the person you aspire to be.
Because what truly changes your destiny is never where you come from—it is the version of yourself that refuses to give up.