Entrepreneurship,Female Leadership,Technology
Zhou Chaonan，CKGSB Business Scholar Program (DBA) Alumna, Chairwoman, Range Technology Development Co., Ltd.
Perhaps even Zhou Chaonan herself couldn’t have imagined that at the age of 40 she would be so relentlessly “on the move”.
Since beginning her entrepreneurial journey in Beijing at 40, Zhou Chaonan has marked her life of striving with a new venture every decade. Over the past 20 years, driven by a strong determination and tenacity, she has founded three companies: Tiantong Communications, Runze Technology, and Gonghui Yijia. In 2022, Runze Technology listed on Shenzhen’s ChiNext board, becoming one of the leading big data enterprises.
Yet Zhou, who never seems to pause, finds joy in the struggle. “I’ve always maintained a youthful mindset,” she says. “Though it’s tough, I truly enjoy this process of striving. ” Her story shows how it’s embracing the struggle that brings lasting success.
If not for her far-reaching ambitions, Zhou would never have moved to Beijing at 40 to start her own path. Born in 1960 in Hengyang, Hunan, she grew up in an era when Chairman Mao’s famous saying, “Women hold up half the sky,” resonated throughout China. “My father named me Chao-nan (超男), meaning surpassing men, because he had high expectations for me. ”
True to her name, Zhou embodies the quintessential Hunan spirit of resilience, perseverance, and boldness. Constant travel became a norm for her. “I travel across the country often, sometimes sleeping on the road. My car has practically become my second home,” she says.
This drive shaped her entrepreneurial path. In 2000, seeing the potential of China’s telecom boom, the 40-year-old Zhou founded Tiantong Communications Network Co. Ltd. in Beijing, focusing on integrated urban information pipeline systems. The company proved highly successful, building more than 2,000 kilometers of pipeline networks across twelve regions in China, including Anhui, Shandong, Jiangxi, and Beijing’s Tongzhou district. Its projects eliminated redundant infrastructure that caused waste and congestion, helping operators save more than 200 million yuan.
But Zhou didn’t stop there. With sharp instincts and foresight, she turned to the emerging field at the time: big data. “I could see the potential of this sector, and we knew we had to be pioneers in it”, she recalls.
In 2009, when “big data” was still unfamiliar to most executives, Zhou founded the company Runze Technology Development, making it one of China’s first companies focused on large-scale data center clusters. She also led the creation of Runze International Information Port, a large-scale data center hub in Langfang, Hebei province. After 14 years of growth, it now houses 12 state-of-the-art data centers with 40,000 operational server cabinets.
With her visionary approach, Zhou has led Runze to focus on big data centers, computing infrastructure, and intelligent computing, strategically expanding across key regions like Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, the Greater Bay Area, the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and Gansu—building a seamless nationwide computing network.
Fresh off two major successes, Zhou showed no signs of slowing down. In 2018, she launched her third venture: Gonghui Yijia, a platform serving China’s 30 million truck drivers. “What I wanted to do is democratize access to big data and cutting-edge technology for truck drivers, making their work smarter, safer, and more comfortable,” she explains.
She also developed the Zhihui New Warehouse Purchase Platform, which connects country-level producers directly with urban markets, giving them a platform to showcase their premium local products. The platform helps farmers find buyers, enables small businesses to build stronger brands, and reduces distribution costs by cutting out unnecessary middle layers.
The AI revolution in 2023 brought even greater opportunities. The global breakthrough of ChatGPT—demonstrating AI’s remarkable capabilities in conversation, writing, coding, and knowledge synthesis—marked a pivotal moment in the history of technology.
China’s Digital Strategy and the government’s renewed focus on economic growth created unprecedented opportunities for Runze. Zhou, ever the optimist, saw this as destiny. “We were born at exactly the right time. Now, we must move forward with courage and determination,” she declares. Citing her favorite classical Chinese poem, she adds: “There’s so much urgent work to be done.
Time never stops and the world keeps turning. 10,000 years would be too long. We must seize every moment. ”
Today, Runze has mapped out an ambitious plan for 56 data centers across five key regions in China, housing approximately 290,000 server cabinets— far exceeding the hyperscale industry standard of 10,000 racks.
“What’s next for Digital China will demand even more of us,” Zhou explains. “We are accelerating the development of huge data and computing resource pools to power smart cities and digital government services, driving high-quality growth across the entire digital economy. ”
Each year, Zhou sets a theme for her company’s development. In 2023, it was “health. ” “True growth isn’t about moving faster,” she says. “It’s about building something that’s sustainable and healthy in the long run. ”
Now at 63, Zhou has the energy and curiosity of someone half her age. She constantly stresses how continuous learning and innovation are crucial for staying relevant. “Society is changing at breakneck speed these days. If you stop feeding yourself with new knowledge and energy, you’ll quickly become obsolete”, she reflects. “There’s a famous motto at CKGSB: Return from a hundred battles to study again. This philosophy speaks directly to me. ”
Her decision to join the CKGSB Business Scholar Program (DBA) program was inspired by her son, who enrolled in 2022. Seeing his progress convinced her to follow his path. At 63, she became her 30-something son’s classmate, a choice she recalls as transformational.
“The CKGSB DBA program goes far beyond just answering questions. It completely reshapes how you think”, she explains. “It’s like suddenly being able to view the Earth from the moon. You gain this incredible aerial perspective that lets you step outside any situation and see it with total clarity. That is exactly the kind of strategic thinking every entrepreneur desperately needs. ”
“Society is changing at breakneck speed these days. If you stop feeding yourself with new knowledge and energy, you’ll quickly become obsolete.
Zhou often cites Premier Li Qiang’s description of the “Four Thousands” spirit of Chinese entrepreneurs: “Traveling thousands of mountains and rivers, speaking thousands of words, devising thousands of strategies, and enduring thousands of hardships. ” It’s these words that resonate deeply with Zhou’s own three-decade journey.
If the digital economy has taught her one thing, it’s that individual effort is never enough. “You can’t build a forest with just a tree,” she says. “Chinese companies and entrepreneurs must work together if they want to remain at the cutting edge of global innovation. ”
Reflecting on her transformational experience at CKGSB, she says, “At CKGSB, I discovered the remarkable power of collaboration. There’s a great joy in growing and alongside leaders who share your vision and determination. ”
For Zhou, the journey is far from over—her story continues, one venture, one lesson, and one stride forward at a time.
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