"The encouraging and humorous teachers here give me the courage to pursue my studies," writes New Oriental student Chen Zhiming on the school website.

Yu encourages teachers not to repeat themselves. "If a man you are chatting with over dinner is telling you the same stuff he told you five years ago, then I don't think much of his life."

Soft-spoken Yu does not like to repeat himself. A tractor driver in his home village, Yu told himself he did not want to drive a tractor all his life.

This frail-looking man has had to wrestle with hardship during his life.

Childhood poverty, two failures in university entrance exams, a year of sick leave while at university, repeated refusals of his overseas study visas, and later he was almost killed when his path crossed that of some dangerous thieves.

"These ordeals make me treasure every minute of life and be ready to help others," he says.

Confucius, Chinese philosopher and education founder, is one of the thinkers Yu appreciates, along with Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Nietzsche and Schopenhauer.

"Confucius had so much social responsibility that sometimes it weighed on him," Yu says.

"I don't have much social responsibility, of course," Yu says, "I started private education to make a living. But as the company grows, responsibility accrues. For me, social responsibility means serving the students with all your heart."

Yu admits frankly that his high-speed career has meant heavy pressure and sleep deprivation for years.

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