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Chinese-style modernization pioneers | Starting from free workspaces to winning first place multiple times, what makes this software company different?

Since graduating from university in 1997, Hu Junqing has never stopped pursuing his dreams. Starting from four free workstations at the Technology Beijing Incubation Base in Huangpu District, Shanghai, he and his team have worked diligently to develop Shanghai Yingfang Software Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yingfang Software”) into a foundational software enterprise with three research and development centers and revenue exceeding 230 million yuan over the course of thirteen years. Today, it has also become the first publicly listed company in China’s data replication industry.

Hu Junqing is the Chairman and CEO of Yingfang Software. Currently, the company has independently developed four major product lines: backup, disaster recovery, big data, and cloud data management, with nearly 30 products serving clients across various industries, including over 90% coverage in the securities sector. In the first half of 2024, Yingfang Software ranked first among Chinese professional disaster recovery software vendors in the IDC global vendor rankings for the Chinese data replication and protection software market for the ninth consecutive time.

Years of software development work have given Hu Junqing a deep emotional connection to code and enhanced his understanding of creation: only what one writes oneself is real. He understands that the long-term development of a company, the iterative innovation of a product, and the achievements of a generation rely on autonomy and focus, as well as inheritance and innovation. Therefore, he has deeply integrated these principles into the development journey of Yingfang Software.

How to maintain the vigorous vitality of software products? The nature of foundational software is complex, and creating standardized products is a significant challenge for enterprises. Hu Junqing has focused on establishing standardized software delivery, dedicating himself to improving various standardized functions of software products.

Yingfang Software’s product journey began in 2011 with the disaster recovery high availability product i2Availability, and has since expanded to cover four major product lines: disaster recovery, backup, big data, and cloud data management. The company’s commitment to independent research and development has allowed it to maintain complete control over the lifecycle of each product line, enabling flexible and dynamic adjustments to product functionalities, as well as the extension and development of new product features. Additionally, through unified data management platforms, disaster recovery management platforms, and file sharing management platforms, the company provides intelligent management, making it easier for users to operate and maintain, ensuring that data is secure and business operations are uninterrupted with just one product from Yingfang Software.

The high-tech industry is evolving rapidly, and Hu Junqing has consistently adhered to innovation. He believes that the key to maintaining the vitality of software products lies in user-centered design. Specifically, Yingfang Software produces standardized software products delivered on CDs, with the first interaction interface being the operating system or database. Theoretically, the number of operating systems and database types a product can support determines how many users it can accommodate. However, in reality, customer scenarios are far more complex than testing environments, and their needs vary significantly, making it uncertain whether customers can use the product smoothly and immediately in specific scenarios. Therefore, software development cannot be done in isolation. Hu Junqing encourages research and technical personnel to engage with users directly, to understand their real needs and seek sources of innovation. As a result, Yingfang Software has garnered many loyal customers, growing together in the wave of digitalization and achieving mutual success.

Under Hu Junqing’s leadership, Yingfang Software insists on being user-centric, committed to independent research and development, and choosing the difficult yet correct path. Starting from four free workstations at the Technology Beijing Incubation Base, after twelve years of effort, this company, established in 2011 and registered on Beijing East Road in Huangpu District, has developed into a foundational software enterprise with three research and development centers, revenue exceeding 230 million yuan, and nearly 600 employees. It has become the first domestic publicly listed company in the data replication and disaster recovery industry, as well as the first company listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board in Huangpu District.

“Flowing data generates greater wealth.” The development of a company is not achieved overnight; it requires choices and refinement throughout a long growth process. Should Yingfang Software pursue an open-source route? This was a choice Hu Junqing faced.

Today, open-source software is prevalent and advanced. For instance, products built on open-source foundations can be quickly produced, but when deep-seated issues arise and extreme performance is required, it is often challenging to resolve them. Years of software development work have given Hu Junqing a rich emotional connection to code and deepened his understanding of creation: only what one writes oneself is real. Therefore, he chose not to take Yingfang Software down the open-source path, insisting on independent research and development, which he believes is a difficult yet correct decision.

In the foundational software field, industry developments have proven Hu Junqing’s judgment. Many foreign open-source software or communities cannot continue to grant licenses to certain countries and groups in the context of international conflicts. Additionally, open-source software carries commercial risks, requiring core teams to expend significant effort on community maintenance, while also facing long-term challenges regarding software differentiation and stability.

At the same time, Hu Junqing believes that flowing data generates greater wealth and that movement creates more value. Whether it is data security, business continuity, data distribution and collection, data management sharing and exchange, or various big data industry applications, all rely on data replication and the excavation and presentation of data value. For example, in the financial sector, real-time replication and verification of financial big data can prevent cross-regional fraud; low-latency forwarding and replication of stock market data allow investors to access stock prices more quickly; in healthcare, real-time synchronization and interconnectivity of medical insurance data at national, provincial, and municipal levels can enhance residents’ medical experience. All of these are closely related to residents’ daily lives.

Data replication is akin to transportation in the digital economy system, facilitating the flow and use of data across various industries and scenarios. Therefore, Hu Junqing has positioned data replication as the primary focus of Yingfang Software, striving to align the company’s mission with national information development and committed to the long-term development of digital transformation and data security for financial and government enterprise clients.

Currently, Yingfang Software has independently developed four major product lines: backup, disaster recovery, big data, and cloud data management, with nearly 30 products serving clients across various industries, including over 90% coverage in the securities sector. Meanwhile, the company is actively expanding into international markets. On June 28, 2024, Yingfang Software’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong officially opened, establishing a foothold for entering overseas markets.

For Hu Junqing, the new journey has only just begun.

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Farewell to “Songjiang North”: The End of a Century-Old Station and the Era of Slow Trains It Took With It On December 10th, the Songjiang North Railway Station officially ceased operations, marking the closure of a century-old transportation hub in Shanghai’s Songjiang District. This event not only signals the end of a historical railway station but also the demise of an era when trains ran slowly and offered a glimpse into a different pace of life. Built in 1909, Songjiang North Station had witnessed the evolution of transportation and urban development, serving as a vital stop along the railway connecting Shanghai with the southern regions of China. The station had long been associated with slower, more leisurely train journeys, providing an escape from the rush of modern life. Passengers once boarded trains that snaked their way through picturesque rural landscapes, experiencing the charm of a more relaxed travel pace. Over the years, as high-speed trains took over and the demand for faster, more efficient transportation grew, the station’s role diminished, eventually leading to its closure. The closing of Songjiang North Station represents more than just a physical change in the railway network; it is a symbolic farewell to an era when train travel was a slower, more deliberate experience. While new high-speed lines and modern stations promise efficiency and convenience, they also signal the end of a time when trains offered an intimate connection to the places they passed through, and the journey itself was as important as the destination. As we bid farewell to Songjiang North, we also say goodbye to the slower, gentler rhythms of the past—an era that, although slipping away, will be fondly remembered by those who once traveled through its gates.

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