This afternoon I had a fairly important tea meeting. Since it touched on the operations of two businesses for the second half of the year, I specifically invited two friends with considerable financial resources to come share their thoughts — and to help nudge a few things forward.
If you’ve spent any serious time moving in Shanghai’s big-business circles, you’d probably be able to figure out who these two are from my description alone.
The first is a man known as the Suburban Produce King. Don’t let the name fool you — it might sound earthy, but picture someone who owns seven agricultural markets in the suburbs. What does that actually mean? Put plainly: he has a handful of money-printing machines running at full capacity.
The second carries a more distinguished pedigree. His father was one of Shanghai’s original property developers from the old-money era. Though the family eventually stepped back from aggressive commercial expansion, they had quietly built a vast property management empire generating enormous daily income. The son himself is one of Shanghai’s most well-known young heirs — and a very good friend of mine.
Though we’re all close, we still chose a fine setting for the meeting: the villa district of Sinan Mansions, convenient for everyone to get to.
What I didn’t expect was this: despite only five or six months apart, both of these friends had completely transformed.
Take the Produce King. In the old days, you’d hear his engine roaring before he even arrived. Despite his age, he’s always had a fierce love for sports cars and luxury vehicles.
But today — yes, I heard his arrival, though this time it came with a cheerful chime: “Welcome back to XX Bike Share — ride green, stay safe and healthy.”
As for the young heir: he’s been a man of comfort since childhood. Every outing required an MPV with a dedicated driver — first an Alphard, then a Vellfire, and more recently a domestic MPV. The whole point was to have a driver so he could recline in peace.
Today, however, he too arrived with a driver — and in a more exclusive vehicle than ever before. One whose name every Shanghainese knows well: Metro Line 13.
Once we sat down, I couldn’t help myself: “Hey — what’s going on with you two? Since when did you both become so frugal?”
Their answer made me feel like the out-of-touch one: “Master Chi, you just don’t get it. This society isn’t about who earns the most anymore — it’s about who spends the least!”
Of course they were joking. The real reason for their humble transport was a shared WeChat group we have — something like “Shanghai Upon Shanghai, Blossoms on the Rod” — where a whole bunch of us had agreed to go green for a stretch of time. We’re all getting older, and driving door-to-door every day isn’t exactly great for your health.
But jokes aside — the world really has changed. The times have genuinely shifted.
And so should you.
Because if you don’t, I’m afraid you won’t make it through the next few years.
So — what are the things I believe you absolutely must change, and must think clearly about?
1 — If you’re an ordinary person, do not quit your job without a plan. And never, out of a moment of anger or wounded pride, slam the door on your own career development.
No matter how much resentment you feel, endure it for now. You can cope, muddle through, coast along — but don’t write the final sentence. Because finding a new path right now is genuinely very difficult.
2 — Don’t let the people around you who love to show off drag you into the trap of consumerism. I’m on good terms with the domestic general agents for several international luxury brands — and remarkably, almost all of them live extremely minimalist lives.
So never be the kind of person brands harvest like a crop. Unless you truly love a particular item, pay for quality — not for the label.
3 — The money that should be spent still should be spent — on self-improvement, fitness, learning and reading, and the quality of what you eat.
When you reach my age, you’ll fully understand that the greatest financial expenditure in a person’s life is not the house or the car. It’s your own health. Because once your health breaks down, every last cent you have goes toward fighting illness for quality of life — or even just for survival itself.
4 — I’ve mentioned this detail many times before: in these years, if your work is stable enough, your life is settled, you have no major illness, no serious financial disputes, and no legal trouble — you are already someone who can quietly count yourself among life’s winners.
But today I want to add one more thought: even if you’re carrying some debt right now, as long as it’s entirely within manageable bounds and won’t compound into an uncontrollable spiral — that’s still a reasonably decent position to be in.
From here, all you need to do is hold the line, slowly dissolve the debt over time, and eventually arrive at the lightness of being debt-free. Because there are many people who may never, in their entire lives, dig their way out.
5 — One thing you must especially remind yourself to understand: learn to let it go, see it clearly, and release it.
Do not use the failures of the era as a reason to punish yourself. In many things, doing your best is enough. There is no need to remain haunted forever by what you couldn’t turn around.
6 — Many beautiful things are free and within easy reach — sunlight, forests, the ocean, lakes, the streetscapes of a city.
When you have nothing pressing, don’t keep yourself cooped up in a small space. Get outside. Walk more. Absorb new energy.
7 — Stop watching low-quality short videos all day. Instead, watch mid-length documentaries — especially those centered on grand history, natural landscapes, and wildlife.
The more you immerse yourself in content like this, the broader and more open your outlook on life becomes — and from that place, you can face almost anything.
8 — Tend to your inner spirit and your Chi field (气场).
The reason some people’s lives keep improving is largely because the people and environment around them are constantly offering positive reinforcement.
As some readers have asked: “Master, what can I actually get from being in the community?”
The answer is simple: continuously high-quality content that teaches you, step by step, how to grow in life, in career, and in wealth. And the kind of encouragement and recognition that’s genuinely hard to find in everyday life.
These are the things that, in the truest sense, help you cross one difficult threshold after another — real, positive energy.
People need good energy to nourish them in order to truly flourish.
Without it, there is only one path: a slow withering away.