Childhood: Rice, Salted Vegetables, and Books

I was born in the Year of the Monkey. Unlike the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, who sprang from a stone egg, I was born in a small mud house in a quiet village in southern China. The village was surrounded by small mountains and rivers, and all villagers were farmers—including my parents. They worked in the fields, growing rice and vegetables. I was the second child in the family. Just like my sister, I attended the local village school. Our teachers traveled from other towns or villages and stayed at the school during the week, returning home on weekends. They, too, were farmers, but they taught us how to read and write. I was the top student in my class. The village school only had four grades. After finishing the fourth grade, I continued my education in a nearby town. At the age of ten, my friends and I would walk to school every Sunday afternoon and return home on Friday. We stayed in the school dormitory during the week, but no food was provided. Each of us carried a bag of rice and a can of salted vegetables—sometimes a little meat. The principal’s wife cooked the rice for us, and sometimes we shared our food with one another. The dormitory was simple, with only two rooms—one for boys and one for girls. The school provided only a bed frame, so we had to bring our own bedding, mosquito nets, and pillows. We also carried a small wooden box, which held everything we needed—clothes, a toothbrush, books, and food. I was no longer the top student in my class, but I discovered something new: I learned to play ping-pong. It was the time of China’s economic reform and opening-up policy. My parents left the village and moved to the city for work, while I stayed behind with my grandparents. With money coming from my parents, I became the richest kid in the village.

Summer was the happiest time for me. With cows grazing in the valley, all we had to do was keep an eye on them. I spent most of my time in the river, catching fish and swimming under the sun. Middle school felt much like elementary school—similar school life, but more new friends and different teachers. I stated learning English, but I struggled a lot learning how to pronunce the word "trousers".

I was the only one in my village who made it to high school that year. I had one mission: to spend three years preparing for the GaoKao, the University Entrance Exam. The competition was real. After my GaoKao, I took a job at a local factory while waiting for the results. Then, on the day the scores were released, a friend called me with the news while I was making souvenir products. I had made it. I could go to college—a good one.

Shanghai: College, Gap Year

The distance between my county and Shanghai is more than 1,000 kilometers. It took a train more than 16 hours. I was both exhausted and excited. When the train arrived at Shanghai South Railway Station, a voice echoed over the speakers: "Welcome to Shanghai." I looked around, searching for the Oriental Pearl Tower and Jinmao Tower, but I couldn’t see them. At my university dormitory, I shared a room with three new friends—two from Shanghai and one from Shanxi. They were cool and confident. It was time to explore. Time flew by, the excitement faded, replaced by uncertainty. I had no idea what to do after graduation. My roommate often talked about studying abroad. "That must be very expensive," I said. "Not if you go to Germany," he replied. "Education is free there." Wait… free? That night, I called my father. "Dad, I want to go to Germany." "Germany? How much money do you need?" he asked. I did a quick calculation. "Not more than 150,000 chinese yuan." "OK," he said. I took a gap year to prepare for Germany. Taking a gap year wasn’t easy. I could no longer stay in my dormitory, so I had to rent an apartment—an overwhelming expense for a student with no income. I putted a map of Germany on the wall, reminding me of my goal. To support myself, I had to find a job, but it was in Shenzhen. I traveled south and started working there. I worked during the day and studied at night and on weekends.

Journey to the West: Germany, Switzerland, and USA

I did my Master's in Germany. Meanwhile, I was working part-time at a software company and the university. I did my thesis on developing new reinforcement learning algorithms for robot control. After graduation, I moved to Switzerland to pursue my PhD. Most of my colleagues were top students from ETH. They have very sharp skills and mind, like the Swiss knives. I learned a lot from them. I did my PhD on learning robot control based optimal control and machine learning. "The work of Yunlong is stellar", said by Prof. Marco Hutter, ETH Zurich. Allow me to quote Marco's comment about my thesis here to summarize my PhD work. After my PhD, I moved to the USA to work as Research Scientist on developing new algorithms for general-purpose robot control.

They say, "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." I tried so many times, yet I failed so many times. I kept trying and learning. I am grateful for all the people who have helped me along the way. Education was my key to the world. It opened many doors for me. I also understand how hard it is to get a good eduction and how difficult it is to maintain continuous learning. I hope I could help more people.

Journey still continues...