Alumnus, Class of 2013, Culture and Creative Studies
MBA, University of Florida
Currently General Manager/Supervisor of Three Enterprises
When his improved new product finally passed testing at Guangxi Zhongxingshun New Material Technology, Fan Wei sent a message to his design institute partner. His mind flashed back to a hot 2016 afternoon in a Nanning rented room. He was staring at an infrastructure map with his co-founder, squeezing a water bottle, but finding no market entry. Now, this 2013 BNBU Culture and Creative Studies alumnus has led three building materials firms through industry ups and downs, carving his own path between “following the trend” and “breaking against it.”
Where It Began: A "Go with the Flow" Decision by a Bottle of Water
A recent photo of Fan Wei
After BNBU, Fan Wei earned an MBA at the University of Florida and then worked at a cultural and creative company in Shanghai. A gathering of classmates in Shanghai in 2016 turned out to be a turning point in his life. An old friend noted “Guangxi's infrastructure level lags behind the eastern region, but the government's plans include many rural road and water conservancy projects. We can serve society by supplying high quality building materials to the government.”
“We knew nothing about building materials, so we took a train to Nanning with an open mind,” Fan Wei says. They skipped hotels and rented an 800 RMB room near construction sites. Days were spent scouring markets and observing construction needs. Nights were spent organizing notes at a folding table. With limited capital, they registered Guangxi Youlian Geosynthetic Materials. Their first year, offering “30% better tear resistance and 5% lower price,” they won three rural road projects near Nanning. “When we got paid, we celebrated with snail noodles and a bottle of water in that rental room. I kept that bottle a long time. It reminds me that entrepreneurship isn't about blindly chasing trends. It's about finding the small opportunity you can hold onto within the big wave.”
Tough Times: Innovating Against the Tide Inside the Factory
Fan Wei in a meeting
After 2020, the building materials industry faced a harsh winter. Housing cooled, infrastructure starts plunged, and price wars raged. Fan Wei's company was hit too. In late 2021, a construction site they had worked with for two years suddenly announced a “project pause,” leaving unpaid bills weighing on him. “Every morning, I woke up thinking about the salaries and rent to pay. Once, watching workers sort old equipment, I felt guilty as hell. If the company failed, what would happen to these people who had worked for me for years?”
But Fan Wei didn't retreat. He moved his office to a small room next to the workshop. “Back at BNBU, teachers said 'opportunities hide inside difficulties.' So, I thought, since traditional products aren't selling, let's try something different." He and his team tested formulas daily in the lab. He also contacted design institute engineers. They doubted a private firm could innovate. So, Fan Wei visited them five times with samples, each time bringing thick reports packed with test data and project cases.
Fan Wei teamed up with a university materials professor. For three months, he ran between lab and workshop daily. Once, to test corrosion resistance, he watched samples soak in chemical solution for 48 hours, napping on the lab table when exhausted. “One early morning, the professor called to say the sample passed. I ran to the workshop. Watching the first roll come off the machine, I nearly cried. That's when I learned that entrepreneurial persistence isn't about toughing it out, but leading the team to find a solution.” The new product quickly found use in related projects. “It's like BNBU group projects. You can't wait for the teacher when stuck. You research and find your own way. Entrepreneurship is the same. Innovating in a downturn is like building your own lifeboat.”
Production equipment at Guangxi Youlian
Reflections: How Student Capabilities Shape an Entrepreneur
Looking back, Fan Wei says, “BNBU didn't teach me how to make money, but gave me lifelong self-drive." At school, he once spent two weeks on an English paper, revising over a dozen times. That ability to self-learn and solve problems became his core entrepreneurial weapon. “New to building materials, I buried myself in industry manuals and learned from vendors, just like I used to ask teachers after class at BNBU.” He even took industry training to master hydraulic construction standards. Night after night, he reviewed the materials. Three months later, he was the company's “expert on hydraulic engineering standards.”
Once, when the company ran into cash flow difficulties, he negotiated with banks for loans, discussed payment extensions with suppliers, and reassured employees all at the same time. During that period, he slept only four hours a night but never thought of giving up. “It was like that basketball game back at BNBU. When we were behind, we couldn't just accept defeat. We had to figure out how to adjust our tactics. Entrepreneurship is the same. When you run into trouble, you don't run. You think about how to turn the game around.”
The production workshop of Guangxi Youlian
Advice for Students: Startup Success Comes from Being Ready
To BNBU students thinking of starting up, Fan Wei advises: don't quit your job just yet. “Work in a related field for a few years, learn the market, and build resources. It's like mastering basic courses before group projects.” “Also, don't let your major box you in.” He laughs, noting he studied culture and creativity but succeeded in building materials. “I applied 'user thinking' from arts to industrial products, focusing on builders' real pain points. That became my edge.”
He also advises students to handle pressure well. “It's like chasing a good GPA at BNBU. Don't lose heart if you don't score high at first. Adjust and keep trying. You'll get there.” Going forward, he aims to grow deeper in Southwest China's building materials market. “Just like BNBU's 'whole person development,' I want my company to advance in both scale and innovation.”
(Written by Yu Zheng, Class of 2024, Master of Communication Studies, BNBU.)
Guangxi Youlian Geosynthetic Materials Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Founded in 2016, it is a leading Guangxi based producer and R&D specialist in geosynthetic materials that located in Nanning's Guangxi ASEAN Economic and Technological Development Zone.
The company features advanced production lines for six-meter non-woven geotextiles, thermal composite films, and geogrids, plus full testing equipment. ISO9001 certified, it follows the principles of “innovation, enterprise, and ethical management.” Its products serve infrastructure projects like highways, tunnels, bridges, dams, as well as environmental projects such as oil tanks, wastewater ponds, and landfills.
Centered in Guangxi, the company serves Guangdong, Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan and other southern regions, while expanding nationwide. It has filled a local production gap in Guangxi and is dedicated to offering advanced, green, high-quality products, aiming to be a trusted and hassle free geosynthetic materials manufacturer.
Industry: Geosynthetic Materials
Location: Nanning, Guangxi Province, China
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