This article is about the Bitcoin journey of Dr. Awesome Doge, the founder of TONX, who has witnessed tremendous changes over a decade, changes that were unimaginable in 2014. The price of Bitcoin has risen from $200 to over $100,000, which is only part of the story. (Background: Dr. Awesome Doge, founder of TONX: Bitcoin opens the Web3 era, TON is the ultimate masterpiece) (Background supplement: Early core members of TON recount: The 10 key contributions that influenced the early development of TON) Since 2013, I have become a Bitcoin researcher and have also translated (proficient in Bitcoin). Over the years, I have witnessed every significant milestone—from the early Bitcoin community to the evolution of exchanges, from the birth of Ethereum to the growth of the TON and Telegram ecosystem, to the recent approval of Bitcoin ETFs. When Bitcoin reached $100,000, I was both grateful and amazed at the journey we have traveled. Let me share this extraordinary ten-year Bitcoin journey. 1. Introduction: My Bitcoin Journey In 2013, as a 20-year-old university student, I was deeply attracted to the emerging blockchain technology when I first encountered Bitcoin. Many people asked me why I failed to achieve the so-called financial freedom. Indeed, I have seen some peers who dared to take risks, even selling their homes to buy Bitcoin at $200 each. However, that was not my situation—I did not have enough savings to invest at that time and could not fully understand Bitcoin's potential. In 2014, I tried to borrow $3,000 from my parents to buy Bitcoin, but was refused. Looking back, their decision may have been right—after all, no one could foresee Bitcoin's future. Perhaps it is this uncertainty that makes Bitcoin a challenging yet fascinating asset. 2. Exploring Bitcoin: From Academia to Practice In 2014, Bitcoin broke through $1,000 for the first time and became a hot topic in Taiwan. I remember discussing this new type of digital currency with my roommate in the dormitory. When he mentioned Bitcoin, I immediately felt curious, even though I initially only learned the basics from Wikipedia. Until Bitcoin reached this milestone, my professor encouraged me to delve deeper into its technical aspects. Under his guidance, I began to study how Bitcoin works and the core technologies and concepts behind it. In addition to classroom learning, I was also attracted to the Bitcoin community. On the then-popular social platform Facebook, I discovered some groups sharing the latest information about Bitcoin. Through these groups, I began to explore various cryptocurrency exchanges—such as BTC-e, Poloniex, OKCoin, and Huobi—and analyze their operational logic. The year 2014 became a year for me to explore the world of cryptocurrencies. I delved into trading bots and arbitrage strategies, which not only deepened my understanding of how the cryptocurrency market operates but also allowed me to experience firsthand the risks and challenges of Bitcoin. 3. Technological Breakthroughs and Community Building In 2014, my investment in Bitcoin became more in-depth, and I began rigorous academic research. Under my professor's guidance, I studied the core technologies that support Bitcoin—its decentralized peer-to-peer network, cryptographic hash functions, and the innovative Hashcash algorithm. Through this research, I realized that Bitcoin is not just a product of computer science but an innovative system that integrates multiple disciplines like economics and finance. This academic journey brought me to the Academia Sinica in 2015. While continuing my research on Bitcoin, I began to explore the #Tor network—a technology that shares many fundamental principles with Bitcoin's decentralized architecture. The privacy mechanisms of Tor inspired me to gain new insights into network security and made me reconsider Bitcoin's privacy features. I realized that Bitcoin offers pseudo-anonymity rather than true anonymity—which is an increasingly important distinction in subsequent research. As my understanding of the technology deepened, my community involvement also increased. I created the largest Chinese Bitcoin community at the time and connected with entrepreneurs and developers from pioneering companies like Maicon, Bito, and YesBTC. These connections were not limited to online interactions—I also participated in some of the earliest Bitcoin meetups, discussing the practical applications of the technology with enthusiasts from around the world. 4. Bitcoin's Original Intent and Global Vision In 2014, the global Bitcoin community began to think about how to make Bitcoin a universal payment tool. At that time, enthusiasts started to introduce Bitcoin into payment scenarios, and even some stores and restaurants accepted it as a payment method. Whether online or offline, the community's focus was more on practical applications rather than speculation. However, Bitcoin's adoption also exposed some problems, such as slow transaction speeds and rising fees, which made Bitcoin less practical in micro-transaction scenarios. Nonetheless, the spirit of innovation within the community continued. The emergence of the Lightning Network improved Bitcoin's performance, making transactions faster and cheaper. Although the Lightning Network achieved some success, it still faced challenges regarding usability and decentralization. 5. The Evolution of Blockchain: Ethereum and Decentralization With Bitcoin's success, many blockchain projects emerged, among which Ethereum is the most famous. By introducing smart contracts, Ethereum expanded blockchain applications from digital currency to decentralized finance (DeFi) and decentralized applications (DApps), marking the next leap in blockchain innovation. Furthermore, new consensus mechanisms continually emerged, such as Cosmos' PoS (Proof of Stake), which significantly reduced energy consumption. Privacy-enhancing technologies like ZK-SNARKs and homomorphic encryption further improved blockchain scalability, security, and privacy, pushing blockchain development to new heights. 6. TON Blockchain: Driving Progress in the Payment Ecosystem As an early Bitcoin player, I have always focused on the potential of cryptocurrency in the payment field. Because of this, in 2021, I chose to shift my research focus to @TON_blockchain and joined the TON core team. TON combines decentralized storage, networks, Lightning Network, dPoS consensus, and sharding technology, representing the future of blockchain. In addition to technical breakthroughs, its deep integration with Telegram provides an unparalleled payment solution. To promote TON Blockchain as an inclusive global financial system, I founded @TONX_Studio and launched @TONXAPI, providing powerful RPC infrastructure and API services for developers building TON applications. Telegram has 1.4 billion registered users and nearly 1 billion active users, making it one of the top five social platforms in the world. In 2023, the integration of the TON wallet with Telegram mini-programs greatly expanded the application scenarios of TON. Today, over $1 billion of USDT has been issued on TON, injecting new momentum into the global payment ecosystem. 7. Bitcoin's Decade: Reflection and Outlook This decade-long blockchain journey has witnessed tremendous changes that were unimaginable to us in 2014. The price of Bitcoin has risen from $200 to over $100,000, which is only part of the story. The real transformation lies in the increasing institutional...

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