Z Club in Shanghai

“有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎”

Oct 28, 2023

What pleasure it is to have friends visit from afar!

It was my very first work trip and I was filled with excitement and a little trepidation. After all, it was my first time back in China in 7 years, and I was not sure the adventures that would await me.

However, when I saw this beautiful hotel, I just knew that the trip would be better than anything I could imagine.

First of all, I got to give a shout out to Coco who helped me to book this place a stone’s throw away from hers and Shinya’s house. Because of her care and hospitality throughout the stay, I honestly felt that I was on a holiday.

And actually, what was I doing in Shanghai? Meeting the Z Club members in person whom I have only spoken to over text and video call thus far, of course!

On day 1, I met with Qitang SUN (Z Club alumni). He is currently working at Hillhouse Capital.

I also met with Caixuan LAI (current batch but graduating this year)…

Sean MAI and Sara XIE (both in the current batches).

We shared about our lives, concerns, hopes and dreams. It was amazing how we could get along even though I probably only exchanged a few text messages with some of them before. Yet, when we met, it was as though we were long lost friends reuniting once again.

The Chinese, Singaporeans and Malaysians (Caixuan is Malaysian) face very similar struggles. Everyone is concerned about the tough job market, everyone faces similar pressures in school and internships, but everyone still carries hope that there is a place for them in this vast industry of finance.

This is what the Z Club is for. Through our network and activities, we hope that our members have an edge to find their true passion and place in the world. We are glad that we have some stories of success and we work hard to help as many members as we can.

Day 2, we arrive at Shanghai Jiaotong University for our Youth Investment Forum!

We have a whole other article on what went down that afternoon, which I shall save for another day. However, it suffices to say that it was a wonderful few hours meeting past, present and new batches of the Z Club. We even had some members of the public that joined us.

Most of all, we had the privilege of like-minded investors who found it worthwhile to spend their Saturday afternoon sharing their experiences, insights and wisdoms with the students:

Shuai FAN and team from Brookstone Capital
Min ZHOU from Everest Growth Capital
Ray XU and team from Aeon Management

The Z Club can continue to impact the next generation because of partners like yourselves who believe and support our mission - thank you!

Of course, the day could not end without amazing food at this restaurant called 阳光, followed by a lovely stroll down The Bund. It was then that I found out that one of our scholars, Ying WANG, had not owned a pair of spectacles for more than one year already but she had myopia… how had she been studying?

I shared this burden with Shinya, and he said the next day, we MUST make it a priority to buy her a pair.

And that’s what we did! That’s her in the beige jacket looking all cool in her new spectacles!

On day 3, it was free and easy and we were glad to walk around the city, looking at the sights and interesting shops. Once again, all thanks to Coco for willingly being the tour guide!