I started writing programs when I was in junior form. My elder brother taught me how to write programs.

Why did you major in me chanical engineering?

I was very interested in automation, which belongs to the mechanical engineering field. So I did my degree on it. Though not directly relevant, the discipline contains many elements which help my career at present.

When did you start your own business?

When I was still an undergraduate. With three friends of mine, we registered a company using our savings.

Although I was one of the bosses, I also had to visit companies to promote our new company and services. It is interesting that some of them treated me as a student and taught me many things.

What inspired you to launch www.english4us then?

After building Web sites for some companies, I found there was a market for portals in Hong Kong and I prepared to make one myself.

I chose an e-learning portal for English which I liked very much.

Your Web site has won sever al prizes. What other advan tages does english4us.com have?

People seldom think of build ing an e-learning portal for English because it takes a lot of preparation, and most of all, a good prestigious brand name to gain students' confidence.

I invited Dr Luke Kang- kwong, head of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Hong Kong to endorse my Web site.

I really want to express my gratitude to my respected teacher Dr Luke.

We have developed unique English animation games and systemised diverse grammar exercises for students at different levels, welcomed by both schools and students.

How did you feel when the IT bubble burst and you were no longer a millionaire?

At first I was lost. When the IT industry was blooming, everyone admired us. I was too young and owned too much too soon. If the IT bubble had grown bigger, I would not have learned to do business prudently. Now I feel I am really standing on the ground, instead of floating in air.

Has the shattering of the IT dream changed your Web site's strategy?

Yes, inevitably. We used to be very concerned about our image and hit rate, but now we know we have to develop some pay- services and products to earn real profits to survive.

Therefore, we launched our new product @-Class, which is an e-learning pay-service jointly run with hongkong.com.

What is your goal now and how will you go about it?

I admire Bill Gates and Li Ka- shing, not because of their fortune, but their stamina.

Their careers were not smooth at all.

Therefore, I look for more challenges ahead to train myself to become a really strong person, who is capable of handling hardships.

What is your advice for those who want to try their luck in the IT industry?

You have to be prepared to lose everything. I, as an example, am a person who is not afraid of failure.

I am sure I will learn a lot through experiencing failure, though I may lose everything in the process.

If you cannot do that, do not enter the field. Also, sacrifice is a must. I can assure you that the enjoyment is never too far if your efforts are good.

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