A Village Transformed by Fame
The sudden influx of visitors has brought unexpected prosperity to Mililing. Villagers—many sharing the Liang surname—have set up stalls near Liang’s childhood home, selling souvenirs and drinks. Among the most popular offerings is *zhuangyuan* sugarcane juice, a nod to the imperial-era title bestowed upon the nation’s top scholars. The symbolism is deliberate: like those ancient scholars who rose from obscurity through intellect and perseverance, Liang Wenfeng has become a modern-day exemplar of success against the odds.
The AI Visionary Challenging Silicon Valley
Liang’s ascent to prominence accelerated in January when DeepSeek stunned the tech world with its advanced reasoning model, drawing comparisons to industry giants like OpenAI. Overnight, Liang became one of China’s most influential figures, evoking memories of the nation’s mid-20th-century scientific pioneers—the physicists and engineers who propelled China’s nuclear and space programs.
Globally, Liang is now seen as a formidable rival to U.S. tech leaders, with the potential to shift the balance in the AI arms race. “China can’t always be a follower,” he declared in a 2024 interview with Chinese media outlet 36Kr. His words resonate with a growing sentiment in China: the belief that homegrown innovation can—and must—compete on the world stage.
A Symbol of National Pride
Liang’s importance to China’s technological ambitions was underscored during this year’s Lunar New Year, when he returned to Mililing under the protection of armed police—a rare honor reflecting his stature. His journey mirrors China’s own transformation: born in 1985 to a primary school teacher in a country still emerging from the planned economy era, Liang grew up in a nation with a per capita GDP of just $300, no stock market, and limited financial infrastructure.
Yet today, Mililing, though still a tightly knit rural community, stands as a testament to how far both the village and the country have come. Liang Wenfeng’s story is more than just one of individual success—it’s a narrative of China’s technological ambition, its determination to lead, and the quiet places that sometimes produce the loudest revolutions.
Markets reeled, U.S. tech dominance came under fire, and Liang Wenfeng’s name surged to global prominence.
His once-obscure AI startup, DeepSeek, launched a generative AI platform in January that matched the capabilities of OpenAI’s ChatGPT—while using only a fraction of the advanced Nvidia chips typically required. The fallout was swift: Nvidia lost $600 billion in market value, marking the largest single-company drop in U.S. stock market history.
DeepSeek’s breakthrough sent ripples through the tech world, boosting the value of Chinese and Hong Kong tech stocks by billions. By February, DeepSeek had become the top free app on Apple’s U.S. App Store, surpassing ChatGPT. Liang—who grew up in a small village in Guangdong and studied computer science at Zhejiang University—was soon among a select group of tech leaders invited to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“We’re not looking to make a quick profit,” said Liang, now 40, in a media interview. “We want to lead on technology and drive the entire ecosystem forward.”
As the world watches DeepSeek’s next moves, one thing is clear: the story of Liang Wenfeng and his once-forgotten hometown is only just beginning.