Written by: Jaleel Jialiu, BlockBeats
On August 26, 2024, at the Singapore High Court, Yang Bin, once the second richest man in China, now sat in the dock. Yang Bin, who always had a dark complexion, did not look very good. Through the court interpreter, he told the judge that he had stomach cancer.
The courtroom fell silent as the judge read out the verdict, sentencing Yang Bin to six years' jail and a S$16,000 fine for running a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme disguised as cryptocurrency investments.
The cause of all this can be traced back to 2021, when Yang Bin used the name of A&A Blockchain Innovation to attract a large number of investors, claiming to have 300,000 cryptocurrency mining machines and promising a daily return of 0.5%. In fact, these mining machines never existed, and Yang Bin used the funds of new investors to pay early participants, a typical Ponzi scheme. In the end, the scam was fully exposed under the investigation of Singapore regulators.
This is not the first time that Yang Bin has faced legal sanctions. In 2003, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Chinese court. "South African Mandela was in prison for 27 years and became president when he was released. I, Yang Bin, was in prison for 18 years and was 58 years old when I was released. I can still be president." The 68-page verdict could not suppress his arrogance.
This former richest man in China and leader of the North Korean Special Administrative Region has a legendary business empire full of ambition and glory, and also has a wonderful legendary experience: from an orphan to a billionaire, from a business tycoon to a prisoner. The following content is the full truth of this once glorious "dark horse tycoon".
Yang Bin lights a cigarette for Kim Yong Nam, the second-in-command of North Korea
From an orphan to the richest man, Yang Bin's wealth legend
Yang Bin's business legend began in poverty but was extremely dramatic. As an orphan from an ordinary family, he worked hard to get into the Naval Academy and stayed on to teach at the academy due to his outstanding academic performance. However, Yang Bin was not satisfied with this. At the age of 25, he went to the Netherlands to study and began his extraordinary international business adventure.
In the Netherlands, Yang Bin used the $10,000 he saved from working to engage in cross-border trade, and keenly discovered the market opportunities between China and Eastern Europe. He quickly emerged in the import and export market of textiles and garments, and accumulated a fortune of $20 million in just two years, completing his first pot of gold in life.
Soon after, Yang Bin turned his attention to China. Against the backdrop of reform and opening up, he founded the greenhouse agriculture project "Holland Village" and quickly became a leader in the agricultural industry. With his foreign business status, he received a large number of tax exemptions and government support, which enabled his business to grow rapidly.
Holland Village Architecture
However, what really made Yang Bin famous was his successful listing of Eurasia Agriculture in the Hong Kong capital market in 2001. This move not only brought in huge amounts of money, but also made Yang Bin leap to the top of the Chinese rich list, becoming a hot "dark horse tycoon".
"If you are good at business, you will become an official." Yang Bin also set his sights on politics. On September 24, 2002, Yang Bin won the position of Chief Executive of the Sinuiju Special Administrative Region of North Korea, which is somewhat similar to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, China. At the press conference, Yang Bin directly declared to the media: "I am Mr. Kim Jong Il's adopted son."
Yang Bin's superb "empty-handed trick"
However, the day before he was about to leave for North Korea to take up his post, the police surrounded Yang Bin’s villa and took him away from Holland Village along with the security guards and two night dogs. The police began to investigate. In July of the following year, Yang Bin was sentenced to 18 years in prison for multiple crimes and served his sentence.
It was not until this time that the public realized that Yang Bin was a superb liar who was extremely good at getting something for nothing.
The most clever scams are often not entirely fictional, but rather they cleverly interweave facts and fiction, making it difficult to distinguish. Why did Yang Bin become the richest man by cheating? To a large extent, it is because there are indeed some real parts in his experience.
In Yang Bin's own account, he was born in Nanjing in 1963, became an orphan at the age of 5, entered the Second Naval Artillery Academy at the age of 18 and stayed to teach there, studied in the Netherlands at the age of 24 and became a Dutch citizen, and founded his own company in the Netherlands at the age of 27, engaged in clothing and textile trade. This modern version of the story of "Oliver Twist" is exactly how Yang Bin deliberately shaped his public image. However, the real situation is not like this.
After an in-depth investigation by the Shenyang Municipal Public Security Bureau, Yang Bin's resume was gradually revealed. He was not directly admitted to the military academy as he claimed, but was sent to the military academy after joining the army in his hometown of Nanjing, where he studied at a junior college instead of an undergraduate degree. After graduation, he continued to serve as a soldier in the engine room instead of staying in school to teach.
Reporter Wang Yude obtained different versions of Yang Bin's resume from the police and the police
Afterwards, Yang Bin changed his job and became a factory clerk. He met a Dutch girl and left China under the pretext of "visiting a friend". He then left the group and stayed in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, although he enrolled in the economics major at Leiden University, he did not complete his studies.
Xu Hongjiong, a student who was engaged in computer programming in the Netherlands, once visited Yang Bin's home. As far as he knew, Yang Bin had never been to university, did not speak Dutch very well, and did not know much about finance. The process of Yang Bin obtaining Dutch citizenship was not glorious. According to several insiders, Yang Bin obtained Dutch citizenship through disguise and deception.
From this, we can further analyze the authenticity of Yang Bin's "first pot of gold". He claimed that after the disintegration of Eastern Europe, he keenly seized the market opportunities and quickly accumulated $20 million in assets through trade between China and Poland. However, the real situation is far from this. According to some sources in the Netherlands, Yang Bin did not make any money through the so-called "international trade" in the early 1990s. Instead, he relied on government relief applied by his wife Pan Chaorong and children in the Netherlands to make a living.
"No way, no way, it must be a mistake." When Yang Bin's experience of making $20 million in the Netherlands spread back to the Netherlands, Yang Bin's former friends and people who knew him were surprised. "The Chinese community in the Netherlands is very small, and whoever opens a company or makes a lot of money will be known very quickly."
A Chinese restaurant owner who has known Yang Bin for more than a decade in the Netherlands revealed that he and Yang Bin had cooperated in some small businesses between 1991 and 1992. The scale was very limited and far from the tens of millions of dollars of assets Yang Bin claimed. Even in 1992, when Yang Bin registered two small companies, their scale was only equivalent to that of a small private enterprise in China. "It is certain that Yang Bin definitely did not have 20 million dollars in 1992," said the Chinese.
A gifted businessman and orator with a keen sense of smell
Although Yang Bin is famous for his fraud, fraud alone is not enough to enable him to quickly accumulate wealth and gain widespread influence. In fact, he has great business acumen, capital operation methods, and keeps pace with the times. He knows how to use financial tools, capital markets, and government policy dividends.
There were media reports that Yang Bin did not know English at all. This statement is inaccurate. A reporter saw Yang Bin talking to a foreign friend in English at the door of Yang Bin's office, but his accent was not so pure. According to people who know Yang Bin, he is not very interested in military affairs as he graduated from a military school. On the contrary, Yang Bin is really interested in English and Dutch agriculture.
"The Netherlands not only accounts for 73% of the world's flower exports, but is also a famous "European vegetable basket", with vegetables accounting for 67% of the whole of Europe. There are three major agricultural models in the world: one is the American model of highly mechanized agricultural production; one is the Israeli model of drip irrigation; and one is the classic Dutch agricultural model." It is said that this opening remark is Yang Bin's usual one.
Yang Bin inspects Holland Village
With his hobby and highly infectious speeches, Yang Bin made everyone believe that the Holland Village in the future would not only be an agricultural treasure land, but also a tourist destination with Disney, Universal Studios, an indoor rainforest and a seaside playground, and the world's largest indoor beach.
"Japan's annual demand for vegetables is 1 trillion yuan, and other non-staple food is 1.5 trillion yuan. As long as it occupies one-third of the market, annual profits will exceed 750 billion yuan." Yang Bin obviously knows how to convince others with concepts and prospects people. Shenyang took the initiative to invite Yang Bin to establish a base and branch, and also promised preferential land and tax exemptions.
So on December 18, 1997, Eurasia Group established its headquarters in Shenyang and gradually sold seven or eight branches across the country. After acquiring the land, Yang Bin began to demonstrate his skillful operation of the capital market.
Loans were one of his main sources of funds. Yang Bin borrowed 400 million yuan from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and 30 million yuan from the Agricultural Bank of China. At the same time, Yang Bin also raised funds through the stock market, with the main strategy being asset restructuring and high-ratio distribution. After a series of capital operations, Yang Bin received huge returns.
In addition, Yang Bin also found Yan Chuang, who majored in accounting, and appointed him as director, vice president, and vice chairman of the board of directors. Yan Chuang not only became Yang Bin's right-hand man, but also became the first planner and operator of Eurasia Agriculture's listing in Hong Kong.
On July 19, 2001, Yang Bin finally launched Eurasia Agriculture into the Hong Kong capital market and successfully raised HK$700 million, becoming the big winner of the Hong Kong IPO that year. Yang Bin’s 72.3% stake in Eurasia Agriculture is worth nearly HK$1.8 billion.
But Yang Bin also aged a lot because he spent almost all his time on work. His pace of life also accelerated. People looking for donations, reporters, and foreign investors kept coming to see him or calling him every day. He kept smoking one cigarette after another and always complained that he felt very tired. People who met him said that Yang Bin looked much older and did not look like 38 years old.
Jinzhou Prison
What is shocking is that even while in prison, Yang Bin could not take a rest and continued to display his business talents.
"Those with connections would ask someone to write a note, and then fax it to the prison for Yang Bin to approve. Only with Yang Bin's signature could you buy the house." According to the buyers at the time, even though Yang Bin was in prison, he was still remotely controlling the sale of the house. Moreover, there were many people who came to buy the house, and it was impossible to buy it without connections and channels.
The prison is only 20 kilometers away from Holland Village. It is said that Yang Bin returns to Holland Village almost every week under the name of "medical parole" to manage company affairs. Usually every Thursday or Saturday, Yang Bin drives his extended Mercedes-Benz from the prison back to Holland Village to visit. In addition, Yang Bin also helped to set up the "Prison-Round Industrial Park" and cooperated with the prison on many projects, including plastic steel door and window factories, color steel factories, agricultural greenhouse projects, etc.
Yang Bin has thus been treated like a "senior prisoner". An insider said that Yang Bin is managed by a deputy director. He used to smoke four packs of cigarettes a day, but now he smokes one pack a day, or 30 packs a month. There are prison doctors to take care of his health, and his family sends him his favorite braised pork three times a week. Staff from the Dutch Embassy in China visit him every month and send him some things he needs.
The scam has been upgraded, and he has transformed into blockchain after being released from prison.
In traditional business operations, Yang Bin quickly raised money and expanded his business territory through loans and listings. In the new era of cryptocurrency, he has demonstrated a business mind that keeps pace with the times.
After 14 years in prison, Yang Bin did not disappear. With the help of several real estate friends, he built a flower town in Yunnan. He set his WeChat profile picture as the iconic windmill of Holland Village. On the construction site in the southwest, he often looked back to the northeast and recalled his experiment in the Sinuiju Special Economic Zone.
The times have abandoned him, but he has not abandoned his business acumen that keeps pace with the times, and he quickly seized the trend of blockchain and cryptocurrency.
In 2021, Yang Bin successively operated two blockchain projects, "Marscoin" and "A&A Blockchain Innovation (Mercury Chain)". Taking advantage of the blockchain craze, a new round of money-making operations began. These projects seem to rely on financial innovation, but in fact they are illegal fundraising and pyramid schemes under the banner of "blockchain".
The operating model of Mars Coin took advantage of the popularity of Musk, the world's richest man. Yang Bin named this cryptocurrency "Mars Coin" to attract investors interested in Musk and the blockchain field. In order to expand his influence, Yang Bin held a series of high-profile meet-and-greet events, including events in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing and other places. In order to build momentum, Yang Bin invited actor Xiang Zuo to the platform and claimed that 250,000 people participated online, more than 600 nodes interacted offline, and the number of live viewers reached 1.73 million.
The operating model of Mars Coin is to mine cryptocurrencies through mining machines on the surface, but in fact it is a disguised pyramid scheme. Users obtain a virtual "fire key" by registering, and then activate more mining machines by promoting friends to mine. Mining machines are divided into three levels: 300U, 1000U, and 3000U. Each level corresponds to a different storage multiple and daily interest income, and the annual income is touted to be as high as 3 times.
Mars Coin Mode
Mars Energy has set up a multi-level distribution system for its operation. The first generation of referrals can get a 5% commission, the second generation 3%, and the third generation 2%. It also attracts investors by combining dynamic and static returns. However, the withdrawal function has never been opened, which means that investors cannot really get any returns and can only maintain the operation of the capital chain by constantly attracting new people.
Marscoin has too many flaws. First of all, the grand meeting had frequent technical problems during the event. The stars mentioned in the promotion stage did not come, and even the so-called blessing video could not be played, which seemed extremely sloppy. Not only was the event organized in a mess, but even the food provided was complained by the participants, "the red wine cost more than ten yuan a bottle and was limited to each table."
In addition, Yang Bin’s reputation in China was not very good. After making a fortune from Marscoin, Yang Bin ran away. After arriving in Singapore with the social visit pass, he shifted the audience from China to Singapore and established the "A&A Blockchain Innovation" company.
It’s still the old way. The first step to start a company is to create momentum. However, Yang Bin’s cleverness lies in that he can make different strategic adjustments for different groups. When he was doing Mars Coin in China, he organized a grand meeting. When creating momentum in Singapore, he chose to find the charity organizations and shelters at the time, invited a pastor from Singapore, and donated 100,000 Singapore dollars in the name of "A&A Blockchain Innovation".
Yang Bin donated S$100,000 to the Singapore Community Service Centre (NHCS)
It is said that Yang Bin found a former sales office of Country Garden Forest City in Singapore as an exhibition hall, and used a 4U-8 card 1060s graphics card mining machine for demonstration. He invited uncles and aunts in Singapore to take classes and invest in hardware to mine ETH. At that time, the exchange rate of Ethereum was about US$1,600.
Between May 20, 2021 and February 15, 2022, A&A offered local investors a chain mining plan that promised them a fixed daily return of 0.5% on their investment, which would come from mining cryptocurrencies. In marketing materials to investors, A&A claimed to have reached an agreement with Yunnan Shunai Yunxun Investment Holding Co., Ltd. to acquire 70% ownership of 300,000 mining machines in Yunnan, China.
Yang Bin delivered a speech
The miners were said to mine cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum and to generate revenue in this way. In reality, there was no such agreement, and A&A was instead operating a money circulation scheme that paid returns to early investors using funds from later investors.
At Yang Bin’s direction, company CTO Wang Xinghong developed an app that investors could ostensibly use to buy tokens to invest in mining schemes and monitor their daily returns. But in fact, the app was a centralized “black box” software that system administrators could input random numbers to display false returns.
Left: Yang Bin; Right: CTO Wang Bin
According to the information, while operating the mining plan, Yang Bin also launched a cryptocurrency trading platform called "AAEX", claiming to provide a variety of cryptocurrency trading services.
As time went by, A&A's scam was gradually exposed. In August 2023, Yang Bin and three other A&A executives were charged in Singapore with conspiracy to defraud, involving more than $1.8 million. Although Yang Bin, 60, refused to admit his age, his business sense was still very keen, and his deception kept pace with the times, he was eventually sentenced to six years in prison in Singapore, including eight charges including conspiracy, participating in a fraudulent scheme, and operating without a valid work permit.
"I am Mr. Kim Jong Il's adopted son": Yang Bin's network of connections
Only poor people are obsessed with technology. The lower the level, the worse the ability to handle interpersonal relationships. The higher you go, the more you will find that you think people are studying things every day, but they are often studying people. Yang Bin's "trump card" is the people and network behind him, which has become the key to the rapid rise of his business empire.
Looking back, Yang Bin's Holland Village was a project that received "special care" from the beginning. It became a key project of Liaoning Province and received large-scale land allocation, low-interest loans and other government preferential policies. There was even a whistleblower who claimed to have seen with his own eyes that there were 5 teams of prisoners digging waterways under strict organization in the underground of Holland Village.
During the trial and judicial investigation of Yang Bin's case, dozens of people from the Liaoning Provincial Department of Land and Resources to the Shenyang Yuhong Land Bureau were summoned by the public security organs to explain their relationship with the Holland Village real estate case. It is clearly stated in Yang Bin's verdict that Yang Bin obtained a piece of farmland through improper means and made more than 3 million yuan in profit from it; when applying for a loan, he found connections to modify government documents. These all involve bribery.
These connections helped Yang Bin create his own business empire and become the richest man. However, success is also a failure. Just when Yang Bin was still proudly planning to take the Holland Village tourism project to Nasnak in the United States to list it, Shenyang's political background quietly changed. The most famous "Muma Corruption" case in Shenyang has been put on file for investigation. There are more than 100 people involved in the case, including 1 at the deputy provincial level and 4 at the deputy municipal level. There are 17 "top leaders" in the party and government alone. Shenyang's Tian Changed it over and over again. At the same time, the Shenyang Municipal Government launched a large-scale investigation into land tax issues, and Eurasia Holland Village was required to sign a new contract and pay back taxes. Yang Bin did not pay the money.
According to a former colleague of Yang Bin, Yang Bin had asked to meet with the new provincial and municipal leaders several times, but was rejected every time. "Although they met later, they were enthusiastic, but they were impartial and no longer supported him almost unreservedly like the previous leaders." In addition, the media generally questioned Yang Bin and Holland Village at the time, which made Yang Bin's image in the capital market worse and worse.
But who is Yang Bin? "Yang Bin always does things that surprise people one after another," said people close to Yang Bin. The carefully planned "fraud" began to be discovered. Yang Bin, who lost his protection in the changes in the domestic political situation, mysteriously disappeared for two months. Some people said he fled, some said he was sick, and some said he was inspecting North Korea or Japan.
However, two months later, Yang Bin returned to the public eye and miraculously found a new backer and new "umbrella" across the Yalu River - the North Korean government. He also transformed himself into "Kim Jong Il's adopted son" and the leader of the North Korean Special Administrative Region.
Yang Bin's connection with North Korea probably began in 2001. That year, Kim Jong Il visited China. While touring the Shanghai Sunqiao Modern Agricultural Development Zone, he showed great interest in the flowers and vegetables in the glass greenhouse. Yang Bin, as the receptionist, was not shy and talked freely.
Kim Jong Il summoned Yang Bin after returning to Korea, and Yang Bin quickly embraced this thigh. While Holland Village was short of funds, Yang Bin began to show his generosity to the North Korean government. It was rumored online that Yang Bin donated more than 100 million yuan to North Korea, but Yang Bin himself said that "more than 20 million US dollars in free aid."
Since 2002, Yang Bin has built a glass greenhouse for North Korea in front of Kim Il Sung's tomb at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, one of the best lands in North Korea. "Let my father's spirit in heaven see the progress we have made in agriculture," Kim Jong Il said.
In North Korea, Yang Bin, who frequently travels in and out, is like an ambassador. As he became closer to North Korea, Yang Bin began his "political career". On September 24, 2002, Kim Yong-nam, the second-in-command of North Korea, awarded Yang Bin a letter of appointment, appointing him as the chief executive of the Sinuiju Special Administrative Region of North Korea, which is said to be equivalent to the vice premier of North Korea. "From the day I took office as the chief executive of Sinuiju, North Korea, I was no longer a businessman, but a politician," Yang Bin said.
Sinuiju is one of the largest cities in North Korea. It is a "special administrative region" with an independent judicial and economic system, a bit like Hong Kong in China, and is separated from Dandong in China by a friendship bridge. In some subsequent interviews, Yang Bin recalled this experience and always referred to himself as "king". "Hong Kong's special administrative region will not change for 100 years, while North Korea's special administrative region will never change. If this is not a king, what is it?"
Jin Yongnan awarded Yang Bin a letter of appointment
After returning to Holland Village and holding a press conference, Yang Bin began his speech again: "I have been an orphan since childhood. The great General Kim Jong Il has entrusted me with important tasks with his kindness like the ocean. With the general's great care, I will repay him with my life." Yang Bin even directly declared to the media: "I am Mr. Kim Jong Il's adopted son."
It is said that Yang Bin and Kim Jong Il have a very close relationship. After Yang Bin was arrested, the North Korean government sent representatives to Beijing for consultation. It can be seen that Yang Bin is indeed very good at maintaining a network of relationships. When he was in the Netherlands, even though his experience was fabricated, his friends said that Yang Bin was very good at making friends, enthusiastic and generous, and knew a lot of people. He was a pretty good friend. Everyone had a good evaluation of him in this regard.
Arrogant and self-deprecating, the tragic "dark horse richest man"
However, those who are closer to him know that after becoming rich, Yang Bin's personality is actually quite eccentric. He is like a nouveau riche who gets angry easily and often vents hysterically, even when he has frequent quarrels with other prisoners in prison.
Yang Bin's arrogance and self-confidence reached their peak in 2001, the year his company, Eurasia Agriculture, was successfully listed in Hong Kong. "In the months after the listing, Yang Bin was full of energy and enthusiasm. He didn't count as going to work if he didn't approve millions of dollars every day." The employees of Holland Village recalled that Yang Bin's travel style was even more eye-catching. Every time he went out, he was led by several luxury Mercedes-Benz cars.
Yang Bin has a very high opinion of his wealth and status, and is even a little conceited. In 2001, he ranked second on the Forbes list of Chinese entrepreneurs with a net worth of $900 million. Yang Bin disagreed, thinking that Forbes underestimated his actual net worth. In the Hurun rankings, he was described as "China's richest man", and many media also added fuel to the fire, saying that he was the real richest man, and Yang Bin was very satisfied with this.
His arrogance is not only reflected in his display of wealth, but also in his daily decision-making. When he inspected a building in Holland Village, he thought it was not grand enough and ordered it to be demolished and rebuilt on the spot. When his subordinates reminded him that the building cost more than 20 million yuan, Yang Bin responded disdainfully: "More than 20 million yuan, demolish it!"
However, just as Yang Bin was immersed in the aura of success, his arrogance and pride also planted a fatal hidden danger for him, and Yang Bin's business empire began to collapse in 2002. But Yang Bin's pride and arrogance were fully demonstrated even during the legal trial.
When facing the legal trial, Yang Bin was very dissatisfied, "I am the chief executive of North Korea, how can you treat me like this?" "You woke me up from the bed and brought me here without explaining clearly!" Facing the verdict of the six charges, Yang Bin was emotional in court, accusing it of "political frame-up" and said in court that he would appeal: "Appeal! Of course I will appeal", "Where is justice in the world?" After being taken away, Yang Bin turned around and said to the reporter despite the persuasion of the bailiff: "You are Hong Kong reporters, Holland Village will not fall, God should have justice." The scene was chaotic for a while.
What shocked the reporters the most was that when Yang Bin met with the aunts later, he spent a lot of money: "Give each of you aunts 1 million yuan to take care of your retirement." He also said on the spot: "Nelson Mandela of South Africa was in prison for 27 years and became president after he was released. I was in prison for 18 years and I will be 58 years old after I am released. I can still be president."
Yang Bin's arrogance is actually a cover-up for his inner inferiority. People who know Yang Bin know that he has an extreme inferiority complex. As an orphan from a poor family, Yang Bin's childhood was full of hardships. Therefore, after he became successful, he became extremely arrogant, and his extreme personality and personality fission were very obvious.
At the press conference and the trial, Yang Bin's most glorious and most gloomy moments, and his own legendary life story, are all important parts of the story of this "dark horse" billionaire. Although he likes to build momentum for himself and add fuel to the fire, judging from some of the details, Yang Bin's tragic experience is basically true.
When Yang Bin was 5 years old, his father passed away and his young mother remarried, leaving him an orphan. His grandmother, who sold tea, saved every penny to raise him. Since elementary school, Yang Bin has relied on tuition waivers to study. At that time, Yang Bin thought most about making more money when he grew up so that he could buy delicious food for his grandmother.
When he was 8 years old, Yang Bin found his biological mother and followed her for an hour. Unexpectedly, she turned around and slapped him, and threw 5 yuan on the ground. Yang Bin picked it up and took it home. When he got home, his grandmother slapped him again and said, "You are not doing well. Why don't you grow up and make money for yourself?"
There are many lakes in Nanjing, and rowing is a popular activity for many children. Yang Bin also rowed once, but he rowed in a wooden barrel. Another time, when someone else was eating oranges, Yang Bin curiously peeked through the crack of the door, and was slapped by his grandmother, who said, "Why are you jealous of others? Earn money by yourself when you grow up!" There are many stories like this.
When he was a child, the sentence Yang Bin was most afraid to hear was: he was a child without parents. Every time he heard such words, Yang Bin would be very sad. Extreme poverty made Yang Bin vow to become a superior person.
These experiences basically laid the foundation for Yang Bin's life. His arrogance and inferiority, boldness and cunning after becoming famous all originated from his poverty and struggle, ideals and loneliness in his childhood.
"Did you see the celebration party in Wulihe last night? We sponsored it," "Yang Yuying came to my office just now, did you see it?" Compared with wealth, the fame and power that Yang Bin once gained could better cover up his deep inner uneasiness and satisfy his inferiority complex.
Someone once asked him why he spent all his money to build a 6,000-acre agricultural estate? His answer was: "In Leiden, where I live in the Netherlands, the annual income of a farmer's family is 250,000 US dollars. In China, calling someone a farmer means two things: one is rustic and the other is poor; in the Netherlands, farmers are either bourgeoisie or very rich. Why are Chinese farmers so poor? It would be great if Chinese farmers were as rich as those in the Netherlands!"
Obviously, his poor peasant background was a hurdle that he could not get over. It shaped his persistent pursuit of wealth and success, and also caused him to fall into the dual contradictions of arrogance and inferiority after he became famous. On the base of the sculpture at the Holland Village Railway Station, Yang Bin engraved the famous saying: "Thirty years on the east side of the river, thirty years on the west side of the river."
On the top of Yang Bin's desk, he keeps newspapers and promotional materials about his "achievements", and he personally shares them with reporters when they visit. "For us entrepreneurs, making money is not the most important thing. The happiest thing is to see the things we created being built up little by little." In this material, Yang Bin deliberately portrays himself as a legendary figure who has created something from nothing, from poverty to success. What is reflected behind this is precisely his deep inferiority complex and his strong desire for recognition from the outside world.
When seeing Yang Bin for the first time, most people's first reaction is "so dark". Yang Bin's dark skin and face seem to be soaked in a layer of coal dust. But Yang Bin likes to wear white clothes, white shirts, white T-shirts, white pants and even white shoes. This seems to have become a symbol of his contradictions. The rich man who was once worshipped as a god by the capital market ended up being imprisoned twice.
His legendary story, which was turned into a myth, was ultimately just a tragic story of a gray character. In Yang Bin's life, wealth, status, and honor were all like passing clouds. As he himself said, "Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west." After the glory of the east, he eventually encountered the desolation and loneliness of the west.
