Zhu Min, an entrepreneur from Qingtian county, Zhejiang province [Photo/Zheshang Magazine]

Zhu Min, an entrepreneur from Qingtian county, Zhejiang province, is devoting himself to promoting the education of Chinese language and culture for the younger generations of overseas Chinese after years of life experiences in Spain.

Zhu left his job as a government official in Qingtian and followed the trend of going abroad in 1983 when he was 21 years old. In the next 20 years in Spain, he experienced highs and lows in his business career and after noticing the lack of Chinese education for young people in foreign countries, Zhu decided to set up a college dedicated to increasing the awareness of learning Chinese and Chinese culture.

Zhu believes that with Zhejiang province known for its large international population, the education for offsprings of overseas Zhejiang compatriots is an issue worth attention. Meanwhile, he said developing education is a good direction for Zhejiang to upgrade its industrial structure.

From 2010, Zhu spent nearly three years in visiting over 30 countries and regions, and found that the key problems for Chinese education were the shortage of qualified teachers and the insufficiency of children's study time.

Zhu considered that the internet might be an efficient tool and Hatu Chinese Online College, featuring the "internet plus" mode, was founded in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province in 2012.

Zhu led a professional team to compile textbooks, design multimedia teaching materials, employ teachers and build online platforms. After three years of preparations, Hatu's Chinese education products went online in October 2015, enabling students in foreign countries to learn Chinese whenever and wherever.

"Developing Chinese education internationally is like crossing the river by feeling stones," Zhu explained, but he insisted that there is great space in the industry and behind the business, there are social responsibilities that people should assume.