Not long ago, few people in China had heard of Milier, a sleeping village nestled in a remote corner of the province of southern Guangdong. But things have changed earlier this year when hundreds of visitors arrived every day to pay tribute to Liang Wenfeng, the 40 -year -old Artificial Intelligence (AI) Deepseek start-upWho has become a hero for having given his country an advantage in his technological rivalry with the United States.
The villagers, many sharing the surname Liang, installed stands near his childhood house to sell memories and drinks, including zhuangyuan Sugar cane jui – A tribute to the old title given to the best scorers of the imperial examination. Like Liang, many former researchers had spent humble beginnings to reach glory and fortune thanks to excellent intellectual excellence.
Since Deepseek has shocked Silicon Valley and Wall Street with its powerful reasoning model in January, Liang has become one of the most influential figures in China, similar to nuclear scientists and rockets from the 1950s and 1960s, which helped advance the strategic advantages of the nation. Globally, Liang is considered a formidable technological entrepreneur, with the potential to overshadow American leaders as The founder of Openai Sam Altman And reshape the American-Chinese rivalry.
“China cannot always be a follower,” said Liang in an interview with Chinese Media Outfr 36kr in 2024.
A seller told a journalist that Liang Village returned to the village During the new lunar year at the end of January, accompanied by armed police officers, stressing its critical importance for the country.
A Miling Village stand selling the Zhuangyuan sugar cane juice. Photo: Coco Feng
When Liang was born from a primary school teacher in 1985, China had not yet emerged from the shadow of a planned economy. He had a gross domestic product (GDP) per inhabitant of US $ 300, limited financial services and no stock market. Milk remains a traditional rural community where everyone seems to know each other.
