From Gifted Student to AI Hero: DeepSeek’s Founder Liang Wenfeng Inspires a Nation. By Coco Feng in Mililing, Guangdong Province Published: 11:00 AM, April 19, 2025**

Not long ago, few people in China had heard of Mililing, a sleepy village nestled in a remote corner of southern Guangdong province. But things changed earlier this year when hundreds of visitors arrived daily to pay homage to Liang Wenfeng, the 40-year-old founder of the artificial intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek, who has emerged as a national hero for giving China a crucial edge in its tech rivalry with the U.S.  

Humble Beginnings in a Remote Village  

Liang Wenfeng’s story is one of perseverance, brilliance, and an unwavering belief in the power of technology. Born into a modest farming family, young Liang displayed an extraordinary aptitude for mathematics and science from an early age. With limited resources, he relied on borrowed books and a secondhand computer to teach himself programming—a skill that would later become the foundation of his AI empire.  

“Even as a child, he was different,” recalls Liang’s former teacher, Chen Meiling. “While other kids played outside, he would spend hours writing algorithms on scraps of paper.”  

The Rise of a Tech Visionary 

After earning a scholarship to Tsinghua University, Liang quickly distinguished himself in AI research. Unlike many of his peers who sought opportunities abroad, he chose to stay in China, driven by a mission to advance the country’s technological independence.  

In 2018, he founded DeepSeek, an AI startup focused on large language models (LLMs) and machine learning. While initially overshadowed by giants like Baidu and Alibaba, DeepSeek’s breakthrough came in 2023 with the release of DeepSeek-R1, an open-source AI model that rivaled OpenAI’s GPT-4 in performance but with significantly lower computational costs.  

A Symbol of China’s AI Ambitions

Liang’s success has turned him into a symbol of China’s self-reliance in tech. At a time when U.S. sanctions have restricted access to advanced semiconductors, DeepSeek’s innovations have proven that Chinese AI can thrive even under constraints.  

“We don’t just follow global trends—we set them,” Liang declared in a recent speech. “AI isn’t just about competition; it’s about shaping the future of humanity.”  

The Pilgrimage to Mililing 

Today, Liang’s hometown has become a pilgrimage site for aspiring technologists, entrepreneurs, and even government officials. Visitors leave notes at his childhood home, now a makeshift museum, hoping to absorb some of his genius.  

Local officials have announced plans to build a tech incubator in Mililing, aiming to nurture the next generation of AI talent. “Liang Wenfeng showed us that greatness can come from anywhere,” says village chief Huang Wei. “We want to make sure his legacy lives on.”  

What’s Next for DeepSeek? 

With DeepSeek now valued at over $20 billion, Liang’s ambitions are far from over. The company is reportedly developing **next-generation AI agents** capable of autonomous scientific research—a potential game-changer in fields like medicine and materials science.  

As China’s AI race with the West intensifies, one thing is certain: Liang Wenfeng’s journey from a remote village to the forefront of global tech is only the beginning.