Zang Li, CEO of food website fantong.com, chews the cud with METRO reporter Shen Jingting.
METRO: Please describe the popularity of your website, fantong.com.
Zang: It opened on Dec 8, 2003. We have a presence in 28 provinces and have covered more than 300,000 restaurants. In the past six years, 13.6 million people placed orders through fantong and went on to consume 1.2 billion yuan worth of food.
Independent IP visitors clock in at 150,000 to 200,000 per day, and around 12,000 people are believed to find meals through fantong every day.
METRO: "Ocean Flame" is the phrase you use to describe the site's situation. Can you explain it?
Zang: This is the name of a book, written by Wang Shuo. It's a personal favorite and talks about opposing forces. As an entrepreneur, every day when I wake up, half of the things in my mind are positive and the other half are worrying. Half of my mind urges me to get up, while the other half holds me back.
METRO: Which life would you prefer: a high-ranking executive in a State-owned company, or an entrepreneur running his own business?
Zang: The former choice might be easier since you can dodge responsibility and postpone things. As an entrepreneur, you must shoulder all the pressures.
METRO: As CEO of a food website, what's your favorite type of Beijing cuisine?
Zang: Tan family's cuisine is good. There is a soup that looks exactly like water but tastes mellow and delicious. Preparing the soup requires a highly skilled chef. In terms of Beijing snacks, I recommend Baodu, or pork tripe.
METRO: Which cuisine is currently popular with Beijingers?
Zang: I have found that Beijingers' tastes, and hence their favorite cuisines, change about every two years. When we started fantong, Hunan cuisine was popular. One year later, Hangzhou dishes, such as those served at Zhangshengji, took over.
After we ran the website for three or four years, we saw Yunnan and Guizhou cuisine snatch up large chunks of hungry Beijingers. Right now, you can see roasted wing, grilled fish and even baked oysters joining the competition.
METRO: Can you predict the next flavor for Beijing cuisine?
Zang: We don't normally predict the change since Beijing rarely sets the trend. It usually follows it. Popular Chinese flavors often originate from Chengdu and Wuhan. Take Shuizhuyu, or boiled spicy fish, for example. It was first enjoyed in Chengdu and quickly swept across the country.
METRO: You have mentioned you are a bit of a bookworm. Where do you get a chance to pick up a book?
Zang: I like to read in washrooms and I read on airplanes.
METRO: What have you just put down?
Zang: During the Spring Festival, I spent six days reading The Great Qing Empire. After I finished, I realized I had consumed more than 4 million characters, equaling six or seven 500-page books.
METRO: Can you recommend any books?
Zang: I suggest Huofa by Inamori Kazuo for young entrepreneurs. To relate to the idea of better management, I recommend books written by Peter F. Drucker.
METRO: Besides reading, what else do you do when you are free? Do you play golf?
Zang: Rarely. It uses up far too much time and I don't think it is a very enjoyable game. One man's meat is another man's poison. Traveling makes me happy while listening to Peking Opera can sometimes get me upset.
METRO: Do you believe in fengshui?
Zang: Yes. My office building is called Qingyun Mansion. In Chinese, we often say "Zhi Shang Qingyun", or "Soar up into the air". I think the name adds an auspicious omen to our business development.
METRO: What car do you drive?
Zang: I often get frustrated when selecting a car because I am too tall to get into small ones. An SUV doesn't really fit my personality since it is too high-profile. Women entrepreneurs like SUVs because they want their powerful image. A car is only a tool for me.
