The 2026 National College Entrance Examination has concluded. For those who have experienced it, it was a journey towards their dreams; for those planning to take the Gaokao in the future, it’s the beginning of a new chapter. Every year, the Gaokao essays record the thoughts of today’s youth; and this year, SHENGWO people, also with “dreams” as their theme, look back on their journey, writing a story of pursuing dreams from gazing at the stars to keeping feet on the ground.

Words are the vehicle for expressing thoughts and feelings, and also a window into the changes in social life.

If you ask me which word has changed the most in my understanding during my growth, I would choose two words—dreams.

When I was little, I felt that dreams were distant and beautiful.

My dream was to become a teacher, standing on the podium educating students; my dream was to become a hero in a TV drama, upholding justice and roaming the world. Back then, I always thought that dreams were something that would naturally come true when I grew up. It was as if, as long as the time came and I grew up, my dreams would be realized.

Later, as I grew older, I began to understand life and realize that dreams weren’t as simple as I had imagined.

After graduation, I worked in the manufacturing industry. From a frontline employee to a salesperson, and then to starting my own business, each step gave me a new understanding of dreams.

Especially after founding SHENGWO MACHINERY in 2021, I discovered that dreams aren’t slogans hanging on the wall, nor are they inspirational mottos; they are the realities we face every day.

In the early days of my business, the company was small, with few orders and a small team. To save costs, we searched far and wide for suitable factory space; to win clients, I constantly visited them and followed up on projects; to develop overseas markets, I often stayed up late replying to emails from international clients.

At that time, my dream was no longer about poetry and distant places, but about keeping the company alive.

It was about ensuring the team had work, that clients were willing to place orders with us, and that we could pay salaries on time every month.

Entrepreneurship taught me that dreams are never easily obtained, but rather gradually approached through countless acts of perseverance.

Over the years, as our company has grown, our products have been exported to Germany, the UK, the US, Spain, Australia, India, and many other countries, earning increasing recognition and trust from our customers.

But what has truly touched me most is not the increase in company size or customer numbers, but the complete transformation of my understanding of dreams.

I used to think that a dream was about becoming a certain kind of person.

Later, I discovered that a dream is more about consistently doing something right and valuable.

Many people believe that the dream of entrepreneurship is to make money.

But over the years, I’ve increasingly come to agree with a quote from Lim Sang-ok, the protagonist in the TV series “The Merchant”:

“Doing business isn’t about making money, it’s about winning people’s hearts.”

Customers place orders with us time and again not because of our eloquent words, but because we deliver on our promises; our team is willing to grow with the company not because of a slogan, but because of the trust we’ve built.

Gradually, I’ve begun to understand that the essence of a dream is actually a responsibility.

Being responsible to customers, to employees, to the product, and to ourselves.

A dream is no longer just one person’s dream, but a dream of many.

It’s hidden in every diligent worker in the workshop; in the engineers’ meticulous revisions of blueprints; in the sales staff’s late-night replies to customer emails; in the quality control personnel’s rigorous control over every dimension and every process.

It is these seemingly ordinary efforts that support our dreams, step by step, forward.

Today, when I talk about dreams again, I no longer think about how glorious the future will be, but how to do every task in front of me well.

Because I know: Dreams are not fantasies while gazing at the stars, but the perseverance of keeping our feet on the ground;

Dreams are not exciting words, but the accumulation of countless ordinary days;

Dreams are not the destination, but the reason that keeps us moving forward.

From salesperson to entrepreneur, from serving local clients to serving global clients, what has changed is not only my identity and career, but also my understanding of dreams.

As a child, I thought dreams were stars hanging in the sky.

Only after growing up did I realize that dreams are actually on the path beneath our feet.

It’s not about reaching a certain destination, but about becoming more determined in the process of continuous pursuit, and making those around us better because of our existence.

Perhaps this is the most beautiful meaning of dreams.

It’s not about making us become someone else, but about becoming a better version of ourselves on the journey of pursuing our dreams.