# About Shen Nan

Canonical: https://zisai.com/en/about/
Language: en-US
Published: 2024-04-14T13:06:25+08:00
Updated: 2026-10-19T12:00:00+08:00

Shen Nan, founder of ZISAI and Director, Vice President and CIO of Chengde Kuangguang Holdings Group. More than three decades in communications, the internet and retail digitalization.


**Technology practitioner · Retail digitalization professional · Founder of ZISAI**

Hello, I am **Shen Nan (沈楠)**.

I am **Director, Vice President and CIO of Kuangguang Holdings Group Co., Ltd.**, with a **master’s degree in informatics from J. F. Oberlin University in Japan**. Over more than thirty years, from a military communications unit to a telecommunications operator and then a retail business, I have worked with networks, software, data and the people who use them.

In 1998, I began building what became **[ZISAI](/en/posts/zisai.com/)**. I still maintain it today, writing about technology, retail, Chengde and small things in everyday life worth keeping.

I enjoy coding and understanding concrete problems. The names of the technologies change, but my approach remains simple: **understand a problem, break it down, and solve it with technology that is as simple and reliable as possible.**

[Digital contact card (Chinese)](/card/) · [Email](mailto:shennan@zisai.com) · [GitHub](https://github.com/Mythflair) · [Short biography](#short-biography) · [Career and records](#career-and-records)

## What I focus on now

- **Retail digitalization and AI:** bringing systems, data and AI into real business, with attention to stability, efficiency, cost and results.
- **Infrastructure and practical technology:** cloud platforms, IoT, data security, disaster recovery and software development, while continuing to write code and maintain systems myself.
- **ZISAI and local internet history:** organizing old addresses, pages and public records so traces of Chengde’s early internet can still be found.
- **Writing and everyday observations:** starting with concrete questions about technology, business and life.

## About ZISAI

Founded in 1998, ZISAI has passed through the eras of portals, forums, chat rooms and blogs, and from desktop and broadband internet to mobile internet and AI.

Today, **zisai.com** is my personal digital space. I write about:

- **Technology:** software, networks, servers, Hugo, Go, AI and practical work.
- **Retail:** digitalization and business observations grounded in specific problems.
- **Chengde:** the Mountain Resort, Rehe, the old city, internet history and local memories.
- **Life:** travel, cars, exercise and questions that arise in ordinary days.
- **The past:** gathering personal and urban memories before they fade.

Not everything worth recording has to be a major event. Much of what makes up a life consists of small things that seemed ordinary at the time.

**Landscapes in words. Time leaves its traces.**

## Technology and life

I still enjoy writing code and exploring new tools. My interests include Go, Python, SQL, Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Hugo, cloud computing, virtualization, network and information security, IoT, data analysis, large language models and AI.

My approach is simple:

> **Use the simplest possible logic to solve complex problems.**

Away from technology, I enjoy walking, driving trips, music, keeping fish, growing orchids and quietly tinkering with my website.

I started ZISAI in 1998. Today, I can still spend hours adjusting a page, an image or a few lines of code. Technologies and tools change. **Curiosity and the habit of keeping a record may well remain.**


I also enjoy travelling. Over the years I have visited Iceland, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, including diving in Sabah, hiking in Reykjavík and running in Sydney. Seeing the landscapes and daily lives of unfamiliar places is another pleasure outside work.

### Marathons and exercise

I have taken part in full and half marathons, including events in Chengde and Beijing.

- **15 October 2016 — Chengde International Marathon:** 42.195 km, net time **4:28:21**, my personal best.
- **29 October 2017 — Shijiazhuang (Zhengding) International Marathon:** 42.195 km, net time **4:52:48**.
- **Other events:** half marathons in Chengde and Beijing; historical results have not yet been located.

[Screenshots of my marathon results (Chinese)](/posts/marathon-records/). The two full-marathon results can be checked on the [China Marathon official website](https://www.runchina.org.cn/).

## Talks and exchanges

I share experience from telecommunications, infrastructure and enterprise digitalization at retail and internet industry events. Recent talks include:

- **2025:** [Regional Retail Digitalization: IT as a Driver of Innovation and Change](http://www.ccagm.org.cn/association-news/9754.html), at the FMCG digitalization forum of the China Retail Digitalization Annual Conference.
- **2026:** [Digitalization and AI for Businesses in Lower-tier Markets: Choices and Implementation](http://www.ccagm.org.cn/xh-activity/activities-huiyi/10178.html), at the ninth Retail Digitalization Annual Conference and Digital Intelligence Ecosystem Forum.

For exchanges on regional retail digitalization, enterprise AI, infrastructure, data security or local internet history, please [email me](mailto:shennan@zisai.com).

## Short biography

For conferences, events or interviews:

> Shen Nan is Director, Vice President and CIO of Kuangguang Holdings Group Co., Ltd., founder of ZISAI, and a master’s graduate in informatics from J. F. Oberlin University in Japan. He has worked in telecommunications, internet and software technology since the 1990s, entering retail in 2014. His work focuses on enterprise IT, retail digitalization, infrastructure, data security and AI applications. He began ZISAI in 1998 and continues maintaining the site and writing today.

## Career and records

The following sections retain my career history, technology projects, roles, recognition and public references. Project descriptions and personal memories are my own account; linked third-party records allow readers to compare sources.

## From communications to the internet

My work with technology began in the 1990s.

In 1993, I joined a military communications unit, working with radio, single-sideband (SSB) and double-sideband (DSB) communications, computers and data transmission. Before internet access became widespread, connecting people and computers often meant radios, serial ports, modems and point-to-point links.

Around 1995, I began writing point-to-point communications programs in C and exploring BBSs, dial-up networks and early online communities. After 1997, I turned to the web, online information services and early internet applications.

In 1998, I joined a telecommunications operator and started the website that became ZISAI. The internet has been a continuing thread through my work and life ever since.

## ZISAI and Chengde’s early internet

**ZISAI began in 1998 as a very small website.**

As broadband spread, it grew to include a portal, forums, chat rooms, blogs, a flea market, software downloads and audio and video services. For many of Chengde’s early internet users, it became part of a shared memory.

Around 2001, I was developing and maintaining these services with PHP, MySQL, C++, ASP and Pascal. They included the ZISAI forum, online chat rooms and blogs, a flea market, FreeICQ local instant messaging, the MUD *Xia Ke Xing*, and local broadband media services.

In 2002, I developed **Rehe Fengyun (热河风云)**, a multiplayer online game with a local cultural setting.

These projects may look simple today, but they document a local internet’s transition from dial-up to broadband. They were also my first sustained experience of building and operating internet services from end to end.


I am gradually organizing old addresses, pages and third-party records that can still be verified. See [Internet heritage](/en/legacy/), the [former Fantasy Westward Journey community (Chinese)](/mhxy/) and the [former CCTV Chengde Mid-Autumn webcast site (Chinese)](/cctv-mid-autumn/).

## Telecommunications, broadband and data centers

From 1998 to 2014, my work at a telecommunications operator expanded from computers and data communications to broadband networks, business systems, internet data centers (IDC) and internet operations.

I worked on or took responsibility for ADSL business systems, network operations systems, broadband streaming services, data center services and internet content partnerships.

Between roughly 2003 and 2006, I helped introduce and operate local server groups for games including *科洛斯*, *坦克宝贝*, NetEase’s *梦幻西游* and *大话西游*. Several server groups were named **“避暑山庄”**, after Chengde’s Mountain Resort.

As online game account security became a growing concern, I also designed and developed a dynamic-password authentication system to improve account protection.

Around 2009, my work increasingly involved IDC, ICT and internet infrastructure. I helped bring relevant business activities of companies including Tencent, Youku and Alibaba to Chengde. This experience gave me a more systematic understanding of networks, systems, data centers and high-availability architecture.

## From telecommunications to retail digitalization

In 2014, I left the telecommunications operator and joined **Chengde Kuangguang Holdings Group** as Vice President and CIO, later also becoming a Director.

The business environment changed, but the questions were familiar. How could systems become more stable? How could data create practical value? How could online and offline operations connect? How could fragmented systems work together? How should security, performance, cost and business efficiency be balanced?

For more than a decade, my work has centered on enterprise information systems, retail digitalization, infrastructure, data, security and software development. It has included e-commerce, stored-value cards, business intelligence, hyperconverged infrastructure, cloud platforms, IoT, cybersecurity, disaster recovery, the WeChat ecosystem and AI.

## Selected technology projects

| Year | Project | Work and technologies |
|---|---|---|
| 1998– | ZISAI | Portal, forums, chat rooms, blogs and a flea market; now maintained as a personal website. Web, PHP, MySQL, Hugo. |
| 2001 | ADSL service order system | Independently developed a system for receiving and routing broadband service requests. ASP, SQL Server. |
| 2002 | Rehe Fengyun | Developed and operated a local multiplayer game rooted in Chengde’s culture. Pascal, network programming. |
| 2003 | Chengde broadband streaming platform | Video-on-demand and streaming services for broadband users. RealServer, Linux, PHP. |
| 2003–2006 | Local online game server groups | Helped build and operate Chengde server groups for several online games. Linux, IDC, network operations. |
| 2006 | Dynamic-password authentication | Designed authentication mechanisms for online game accounts. C++, security authentication. |
| 2016 | Hyperconverged and hybrid cloud infrastructure | Consolidated servers, compute, storage and virtualization into a group-wide platform. VMware, Docker, Kubernetes. |
| 2016–2021 | Omnichannel electronic stored-value cards | Card management, electronic redemption and transaction security, including dynamic QR-code encryption in Go. |
| 2020 | ESRS health check-in system | Participated in developing a commercial-site health check-in and data management system to support pandemic prevention at stores and other organizations. C++, MySQL. |
| 2023 | Group-wide IoT platform | Connectivity and monitoring for cold chains, energy, environments, equipment and security. Python, MQTT. |
| 2024 | Core data disaster recovery | Cross-system and cross-device backup and recovery for core business data. High availability and disaster recovery architecture. |
| 2025 | Kuangguang digital management platform | An integrated platform for retail operations, data and management; selected as an annual outstanding retail digitalization practice by the China Commerce Association for General Merchandise. Also received the Digital Technology Innovation Award at the 2025 China International Digital Economy Expo. Data platforms, distributed architecture, AI. |
| 2025 | AI staff assessment system | Explored using large language models to assist with assessment data analysis, evaluation writing and feedback. |

## A technology journey spanning more than thirty years

- **1993–1997: Radio and computers.** From SSB and DSB radio to computers and data communications.
- **1998–2001: The internet and the web.** Joined a telecommunications operator, began ZISAI, and worked with Perl, ASP, PHP, MySQL and C++.
- **2002–2008: Broadband, communities and online games.** Developed Rehe Fengyun, built chat rooms, forums and streaming services, and worked on game servers and security authentication.
- **2009–2014: Data centers and telecommunications operations.** Worked on IDC, ICT, data communications, internet business introduction and related operations management.
- **2014–2020: Enterprise systems and cloud architecture.** Built retail e-commerce, card systems, BI, virtualization, hyperconverged infrastructure and enterprise cloud systems.
- **2021–2024: IoT, data and security.** Continued practical work with Go, IoT, enterprise and payment security, WeChat and core data disaster recovery.
- **2025 onward: AI and retail digitalization.** Began applying large language models, data analysis and AI to real business situations.

The names of the technologies keep changing. My curiosity and interest in using them to solve practical problems have stayed with me.

## Education

I studied at **J. F. Oberlin University Graduate School in Japan** and earned a **master’s degree in informatics in 2021**.

Studying abroad let me revisit more than twenty years of practical work through research and academic inquiry. It also strengthened my preference for starting with small, concrete questions that can be observed and tested. That approach shapes how I write on ZISAI today.

## Professional and community roles

### Current roles

- Director, Vice President and CIO, Chengde Kuangguang Holdings Group
- Supervisor, Chengde Kuangguang Supermarket Group
- Member, Digital Technology Application Committee of the China Chain Store & Franchise Association
- Member, Digitalization Committee of the China Commerce Association for General Merchandise
- Vice Chair and Executive Chair, Chengde Internet Association
- Chair, Chengde Federation of Internet Industry Trade Unions
- Council Member, Chengde Police Association
- President, Shuangqiao District E-commerce Association, Chengde

### Earlier experience

- Department Section Chief, China Unicom’s Chengde branch
- Secretary of the Communist Youth League Committee, China Unicom’s Chengde branch
- Service in a military communications unit, 1993–1997

## Recognition and industry experience

Recognition over the years has included National Outstanding CIO; the Digital Technology Innovation Award at the China International Digital Economy Expo; communications-industry QC group activity assessor qualification from the China Association of Communications Enterprises; Hebei “Knowledge-based Employee”; the Chengde “Shen Nan Innovation Studio”; and Chengde honors for young skilled professionals, science and technology work, commerce expertise and science communication.

These are part of the record. But I am more inclined to remember the systems built, the code written and the feeling when a problem was finally solved.

## Public references

These links are retained from the Chinese profile. Most sources are in Chinese; project descriptions and recollections remain distinct from third-party records. An event date may differ from a page’s publication date.

- **2013:** Hebei News recorded my participation in community activities as Secretary of the Youth League Committee at China Unicom’s Chengde branch.
- **2016:** Chengde’s commerce bureau listed me in its first pool of commerce development experts, as a senior software engineer and systems architect at Kuangguang. A separate report recorded my participation, as a group representative, in a school donation activity in Huangdi Township, Longhua County, on 21 April.
- **2018:** A Mettler Toledo industry interview discussed centralized IT management, electronic shelf labels, online/offline integration, the Kuangguang Huiyun app and multiple retail formats. Chengde’s cultural heritage bureau also published a report on the city’s first internet annual conference on 8 November 2018, recording a speech by me as general manager of Chengde Kuangguang Information Technology; the actual event year still requires verification.
- **2020:** China’s national and Hebei science and technology associations recorded work on ESRS. I led a technical team of internet association members organizing its development, rather than developing the entire system alone. A report dated 27 February described Win32/Win64 clients, Access/SQLite and MySQL databases, and Go/Python server technology, with more than 500,000 identity check-ins across over ten organizations in Chengde, Beijing and elsewhere. Hebei’s profile also recorded my founding of ZISAI.
- **2023:** The Chengde Federation of Internet Industry Trade Unions was established on 22 December; the linked records cover its establishment and my role as chair. Another report recorded my participation in an arbitration and contract-related exchange at Kuangguang on 8 June.
- **2020–2026:** China Commerce Association for General Merchandise records cover pandemic-era online/offline integration and membership practices in 2020, conference participation in 2024, the 2025 and 2026 talks listed above, and the platform’s selection as an outstanding digitalization practice. The platform also received a Digital Technology Innovation Award in 2025.
- **2026:** A September *Chengde Daily* interview discussed Chengde’s business environment, chain retail, local commerce and services for residents.

### Sources and further reading

- [2026 | Chengde Daily interview](https://paper.hehechengde.cn/cdrb/pad/content/202609/17/content_202118.html)
- [2026 | Ninth Retail Digitalization Annual Conference](http://www.ccagm.org.cn/xh-activity/activities-huiyi/10178.html)
- [2025 | Digital Technology Innovation Award](https://www.10100.com/article/148266567)
- [2025 | Outstanding retail digitalization practices](http://www.ccagm.org.cn/bg-yj/9695.html)
- [2025 | FMCG digitalization forum](http://www.ccagm.org.cn/association-news/9754.html)
- [2024 | Retail conference speaker introduction](http://www.ccagm.org.cn/xh-activity/activities-huiyi/9382.html)
- [2024 | Retail digitalization committee membership](https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Z-wSEU3sko0NE8e6SWvujA)
- [2024 | Chengde government chronology: internet industry trade union](https://www.chengde.gov.cn/art/2024/3/29/art_9946_1012253.html)
- [2023 | Chengde Arbitration Commission exchange](https://www.chengde.gov.cn/jrobot/plugin/link/show.do?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmp.weixin.qq.com%2Fs%2FmzRwLHjtTf1PGMI6JibC5g&q=%E6%B2%88%E6%A5%A0&webid=1&id=1_12354_954508)
- [2023 | Baidu Baike: internet industry trade union](https://baike.baidu.com/item/承德市互联网行业工会联合会/63888792)
- [2020 | China Association for Science and Technology: ESRS](https://www.cast.org.cn/xkx/xw/dfkx/hb/art/2020/art_3ffd0b8830784ec5ae66ee13abbe336f.html)
- [2020 | Hebei Association for Science and Technology profile](https://www.hbast.org.cn/detail.thtml?id=18935)
- [2020 | Chengde science and technology association report](https://www.toutiao.com/article/6839221583987343880/?wid=1791694973004)
- [2020 | ESRS development and deployment](https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1659675521441658801&wfr=spider&for=pc)
- [2020 | CIOs and pandemic-era online retail](http://www.ccagm.org.cn/bg-yj/4819.html)
- [2018 | Mettler Toledo industry interview](https://www.sohu.com/a/254477854_100229059)
- [2018 | First Chengde internet annual conference report](https://wwj.chengde.gov.cn/art/2018/11/8/art_962_47370.html)
- [2016 | School donation report](https://www.sohu.com/a/71235941_388393)
- [2016 | Chengde commerce development expert list](https://www.chengde.gov.cn/art/2016/9/1/art_9943_306551.html)
- [2013 | Hebei News: Youth League activities](https://zhuanti.hebnews.cn/2013/2013-05/20/content_3261109.htm)
- [China Marathon: race results](https://www.runchina.org.cn/)
- [Baidu Baike: Shen Nan](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%B2%88%E6%A5%A0/49988317)
- [GitHub: Mythflair](https://github.com/Mythflair)

### Personal experience (Chinese articles)

- [A note from the past: career memories](https://zisai.com/posts/my-career-journey/)
- [Giving young people a chance: a NetEase partnership](https://zisai.com/posts/give_young_people_a_chance/)
- [Huawei training in Hangzhou, 2008](https://zisai.com/posts/recollections-of-hangzhou-training-2008/)
- [Reflections through the years: an IBM meeting in Xiamen](https://zisai.com/posts/reflections-through-the-years/)
- [Thirty years of an engineer’s life](https://zisai.com/posts/the-network-beneath-the-world/)
- [Reflections on the Shiji customer conference](https://zisai.com/posts/shiji-conference-reflections/)

Some pre-2013 recognition and experience survive mainly in paper certificates and historical files, which are still being organized.

## Contact

- **ZISAI:** [zisai.com](https://zisai.com/en/)
- **GitHub:** [Mythflair](https://github.com/Mythflair)
- **Email:** [shennan@zisai.com](mailto:shennan@zisai.com)

If you once visited the original ZISAI, or share an interest in technology, Chengde, internet memories or the small questions of everyday life, you are welcome to get in touch.


*Updated 19 October 2026, aligned with the Chinese profile. Organization names and titles are descriptive translations.*

### Autumn 2026 | A Life Update

This year, I have gradually found a rhythm for writing and sharing. ZISAI is where I keep my everyday notes and reflections; on my WeChat public account, I share a selection of them with a wider audience. Some pieces begin simply as a way to think something through. Reading them again a while later, I can also see how I have changed.

In daily life, I have become more deliberate about making exercise part of my routine. Walking and doing some strength exercises help me set aside time to look after myself outside work. I ran marathons when I was younger; these days, I care more about whether I can sustain these small habits over time.

As my children grow up, I am also coming to understand my role as a father anew. While I still have the ability and resources to help, I want to support them as much as I can, giving them more paths to choose from. Which path they take is ultimately their decision.