The Capitalist Underworld: Tales of Investment and Intrigue

The latest work by Principal Jiang of Yongzhou is adapted from real-life experience. Through the remarkable life of Jiang Xuebao, also known as Teacher Milan, it tells of his upbringing in an intellectual family and how, as a boy, he was shaped by both The Art of War and wuxia novels, which gave him a distinctive way of thinking. In his teens, he happened upon a stock-market whiz who introduced him to the field, planting the seeds of finance.

He studied engineering at the South China University of Technology but was obsessed with economics. After graduating, he joined a securities firm and experienced firsthand the great bull market of 2007 and the financial crisis of 2008. In the extreme market conditions, he developed the beginnings of his “limit-up strategy.” He quit his job to start a business, founding the IBC jewelry brand and learning about cash flow and brand value through running a physical business.

As his relationship with Tang Yiyi deepened, he found the courage to pursue a girl who loved martial arts. They met on campus, fell in love, married, had children, and started a business together. She gave me a complete life.

After every fall, I still choose to believe in logic and kindness. In the end, investing means investing in your understanding of the world and your sense of responsibility toward the people you love.

During the two bull-market recoveries of 2009 and 2015, Xue Bao used a dual perspective of “business and capital” to make precise investments and earn his first fortune. Before he turned twenty, he decided to use “Milan” as his pen name and “Principal Jiang of Yongzhou” as his online name, and began his career as an analyst.

The protagonist, Xue Bao, progresses from pursuing the sharp “technique” of the limit-up strategy, to mastering the systematic “method” of an investment framework, and finally grasping the harmony of the “Way,” the laws of the market and the philosophy of life.

This story portrays three turbulent decades in the development of China's capital markets, blending business rivalries, human nature, family, wuxia, and philosophical reflection as it explores the true meaning of wealth, success, and the value of life.