I am an 'old player' who has been in the crypto world for nearly ten years. Now, I sit in my house in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, with a view of the brightly lit tech park, and the numbers in my account tell me that my net worth has surpassed 30 million RMB. Looking back over the past ten years, from having nothing to today, I have experienced countless heart-pounding surges and sleepless nights of crashes. Today, I want to share my story, not to show off, but to hope that my experiences can inspire those still struggling in the crypto world. It is 2025, and the crypto craze continues, while my story is just beginning a new chapter.
1. The naive entry in 2015: Shenzhen's 'Enlightenment in the Crypto World'
In 2015, I was just an ordinary office worker in Futian District, Shenzhen, 25 years old, just graduated from a second-tier university, working in a small internet company with a monthly salary of 8,000, renting a single room in a urban village. That year, the price of Bitcoin was still hovering around 2,000 RMB, and no one around me was discussing blockchain; the crypto world was still a niche circle. By chance, I came across an article about Bitcoin on Zhihu titled 'The Future Digital Gold', and curiosity drove me to spend 5,000 of my savings to buy 2 BTC on Huobi. At that time, I didn't even know what a cold wallet was; I just bought it and left it there, not taking it seriously at all.
In 2017, the crypto world welcomed its first major bull market. Bitcoin rose from 2,000 to 100,000, and the 2 BTC in my account turned into 200,000! That was the first time I felt the magic of wealth. But I made a rookie mistake – I didn't take profits in time. At the beginning of 2018, the bear market came, Bitcoin fell back to 20,000, and my account shrank to 40,000. At that moment, I realized that the crypto world is not an ATM, but a battlefield that requires real skills.
2. 2019-2020: The DeFi dividend and the first turnaround.
After reflecting on my pain, I began to study seriously. In 2018, I moved to Nanshan District, rented a slightly better apartment close to the tech park, surrounded by entrepreneurs and coders, and the atmosphere of the crypto world was even stronger. I spent a whole year immersed in X (then still Twitter), Reddit, and CoinHub, studying white papers, looking at K-lines, listening to big V analyses, and took an online course on blockchain technology to learn some basics of smart contracts. In 2019, DeFi (decentralized finance) began to emerge, and I dipped my toes in Uniswap and Compound, investing 20,000 in a project called YFI, which was only a few hundred dollars at the time. Unexpectedly, in 2020, the DeFi craze exploded, YFI soared to 40,000, and my 20,000 turned into 2 million!
At that moment, I was so excited that I jumped around my rented room for half an hour. That was my first pot of gold, and it made me fully believe that opportunities in the crypto world truly exist, as long as you can seize the trend. In 2020, I also participated in several IDOs (Initial DEX Offerings), such as Polkadot and Chainlink, earning around 500,000. At that time in Shenzhen, there were many crypto gatherings; I often chatted with friends about projects at a café in Nanshan, discussing Polkadot's cross-chain and Chainlink's oracle, feeling like I stood at the intersection of technology and wealth.
3. 2021-2022: Bull and bear baptism, learning to respect the market.
In 2021, the crypto world welcomed an epic bull market. Bitcoin surged to 400,000 RMB, Ethereum broke through 20,000, and the assets in my account once exceeded 10 million. I bought a small apartment in Nanshan, Shenzhen, paid the down payment, and felt I was just one step away from 'financial freedom'. During that time, I got a bit carried away, feeling like I was the 'chosen one'. I started playing with high leverage, chasing NFTs and some meme coins like Dogecoin and SHIB. As a result, the bear market in 2022 taught me a lesson. LUNA collapsed, FTX crashed, and the whole market was in ruins. A single 100x leveraged operation lost me 3 million, and my account shrank to 6 million.
During that time, I was almost on the verge of collapse. In June 2022, I sat alone on a bench in Shenzhen Bay Park, staring at the sea, doubting whether I was suited for the crypto world. Friends advised me to 'cut losses and exit', but I didn't want to give up. I reorganized my strategy and decided to focus on the fundamentals, steering clear of high-risk operations. I diversified the remaining funds, buying some blue-chip coins like ETH and BNB, and also invested in several early projects, including Layer 2's Arbitrum and Optimism.
4. 2023-2025: The opportunity of AI + blockchain and a net worth of tens of millions.
In 2023, the market began to recover. I noticed a new trend: the combination of AI and blockchain. The popularity of ChatGPT has made the AI track hot, and blockchain, as a carrier of decentralized computing power, has become AI's 'best partner'. I followed some AI + blockchain projects on X, like Fetch.ai and Render Network, studied their white papers, and found that these projects have great potential in distributed computing power and data privacy. I took 1 million and invested in Render Network's RNDR token, which was only 1 dollar at the time. In 2024, RNDR skyrocketed to 15 dollars, and my investment multiplied by 15, directly pushing my net worth past 20 million.
In 2025, the crypto craze continues. Bitcoin has stabilized around 100,000 dollars, and the atmosphere in Shenzhen's crypto world has become even stronger. I often attend blockchain summits held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Futian, communicating with some project parties and investors. Recently, I have also been paying attention to Web3 games and the metaverse track, such as The Sandbox and Decentraland, feeling that there are still many opportunities in these areas.
5. My 'wealth code' and advice for beginners.
Many people ask me: 'A Jie, how did you earn tens of millions?' To be honest, I don't have any mysterious 'wealth code', but I can share some experiences:
Learning is hard currency: The crypto world changes fast; not learning is equivalent to slow suicide. Spend an hour every day reading white papers, browsing updates on Binance, and following the latest news from big V and project parties.
Respect the market: Don't get inflated in a bull market, and don't despair in a bear market. The crypto world is a marathon; living long enough means you can laugh last.
Catch the trend, invest early: DeFi, NFT, AI + blockchain, every bull market has new opportunities. Early projects have high risks but also high returns; the key is to study the fundamentals.
Risk management: Don't go all in, don't chase highs. Keep 30% cash flow; a bear market is a good opportunity to buy low.
Building a circle: The crypto gatherings in Shenzhen helped me meet many reliable friends, and their advice helped me avoid many pitfalls.
6. Why share? Because I want to help more people.
Now, I live the life I want in Shenzhen, but the meaning of wealth is not just numbers; it is about helping more people.
My story is not legendary, but I want to tell you: an ordinary person, as long as they are willing to learn and dare to try, can also find their own opportunities in the crypto world. Whether you are a newbie just entering the market or an experienced player who has been 'cut' a few times, don't give up. The future of the crypto world is still long, and opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared!
The market starts, and profits double! Follow Brother Cheng to ride the trend, and wealth will naturally come.
Keep an eye on: SPK, FIDA
