Chapter 986 Accepting the Invitation
The Committee of 100 was established not long ago, with only a little over four years having passed since its establishment in 1990.
As Dongfang Ze said, the Committee of 100 was initiated by I.M. Pei, Yo-Yo Ma and others. Its main purpose was to unite Chinese elites in the United States to form an influential group, thereby promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in American social life and promoting the development of constructive relations between the United States and Greater China.
Zhang Hao heard about the Committee of 100 two years ago, but at that time he had just arrived in the United States and heard about it at a gathering of international students.
However, Zhang Hao did not pay much attention to this Hundred People's Meeting, because at that time Zhang Hao was just an ordinary international student, and he had never thought that he would achieve what he has today.
Moreover, Zhang Hao had only attended that overseas student gathering once and never went again. The reason was that Zhang Hao didn't like this kind of gathering, including the people at the gathering. Even at the previous gathering, Zhang Hao was dragged to go by others, and the impression Zhang Hao had was really not good.
"You invited me here...?" Zhang Hao vaguely understood the purpose of Dongfang Ze's invitation. Although Zhang Hao, as one of the founders, was not well-known in the United States after Netscape went public, the only people who knew Zhang Hao were people in the industry and some people who were more concerned about the real situation of Netscape.
With the membership and channels of the Club of 100 in the United States, they were naturally aware of Zhang Hao's actual position in Netscape, so it was not difficult to guess that Dongfang Ze sent the invitation to Zhang Hao on behalf of the Club of 100.
"You guessed correctly. On behalf of the Hundred People's Association, I would like to extend a formal invitation to you to join the Hundred People's Association." Dongfang Ze nodded and said to Zhang Hao in a serious tone.
Zhang Hao thought that was indeed the case, but he still asked in confusion: "Mr. Dongfang, I am honored to be invited by your association, but I have two questions."
Dongfang Ze raised his hand and signaled to Zhang Hao, waiting for Zhang Hao to continue speaking.
Zhang Hao said frankly: "First, based on my understanding of your association, all members of your association are Chinese Americans. Although I have obtained a U.S. green card, I have not given up my Chinese nationality, so this is somewhat inconsistent with the group of members your association recruits."
"The question is this..." Dongfang Ze said with a smile, "When the Committee of 100 was first established, it was indeed mainly composed of Chinese Americans, but the core purpose of the Committee of 100 is to unite the Chinese elites in the United States, and there is no restriction on the nationality of the members. So from this point of view, Mr. Zhang, as a Chinese compatriot with great achievements in the United States, is naturally qualified to join the association according to the standards of our association after being recommended by three members."
"Thank you for your explanation." Zhang Hao nodded to show that he understood, and then said, "There is another thing. A few days ago, I resigned from the position of chairman of Netscape, and sold and transferred most of Netscape's shares. So now I no longer have any position in Netscape. At best, I am just an ordinary small shareholder. In this case, will you still invite me to participate?"
"Of course, no problem!" Dongfang Ze said seriously, "We in the association, including me, are aware of your situation, and your success is obvious to all. We are also very clear about the reasons why you resigned as the chairman of Netscape and transferred most of your shares. In our opinion, although you made such a choice, you are still qualified to join our association, and you are still so young. We all agree that you will still have great achievements in the future! Mr. Zhang, are you satisfied with this explanation?"
Hearing this, Zhang Hao couldn't help but laugh.
Dongfang Ze was right. With the success of Netscape, Zhang Hao, as one of was a leader among Chinese Americans in every sense. Although he had left Netscape, he was still one of its shareholders. Zhang Hao was so young. Since he had succeeded at Netscape, he could replicate his previous success in the future. It could be said that his future was limitless.
As an elite group of Chinese Americans, the Committee of 100 would certainly not ignore rising stars like Zhang Hao. From this point of view, it is normal for the Committee of 100 to invite Zhang Hao.
"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Bei originally planned to meet with you in person. You may not know that one of the three people who recommended you to join the club was Mr. Bei. However, he is very busy at work, and he went to Europe temporarily for a project a few days ago. Because you were in California before, and I am one of the leaders of the Los Angeles branch in California, I will be responsible for your admission." Dongfang Ze explained to Zhang Hao frankly, and then asked Zhang Hao whether he accepted the invitation to join the Committee of 100. If Zhang Hao agreed, he could help Zhang Hao go through the membership procedures today.
Zhang Hao hesitated for a moment, then quickly extended his hand, accepted Dongfang Ze's invitation, and agreed to join the Hundred People's Club.
Dongfang Ze was very happy to hear that Zhang Hao agreed to join, because although there are nearly 100 members in the Committee of 100, and they are all elites of Chinese Americans, Zhang Hao is the first young man to achieve such achievements at such an age. Moreover, when Zhang Hao was recommended to join the Committee of 100, there was an internal discussion within the committee, and the core members unanimously agreed that Zhang Hao was not only qualified to join the Committee of 100, but his joining would also allow the Committee of 100 to go a step further to some extent, thereby enhancing the association's influence in the United States, China, and even the world.
A young man in his early twenties founded the most popular Internet company and created a wealth miracle that stunned the whole world in just a year. Zhang Hao's achievements make many successful people who have worked hard in the United States all their lives ashamed. Although Zhang Hao refused the Immigration Bureau's suggestion of naturalization in order to retain his nationality and took the initiative to withdraw from the holding and operation of Netscape, in the eyes of Dongfang Ze and others, this represents Zhang Hao's inner persistence and shining points.
Leaving Netscape does not mean that Zhang Hao will be a flash in the pan. On the contrary, many people are optimistic about Zhang Hao's future. If the Club of 100 cannot recruit such a young man as a member, it will be a huge loss for the Club of 100. This is also the main reason why Mr. Bei, as the founder of the Club of 100, took the initiative to invite Zhang Hao to join the association for the first time in the past two years.
As for Zhang Hao, he was not opposed to the Society of a Hundred People. He had heard of the Society of a Hundred People and had some understanding of it. Moreover, with Dongfang Ze's introduction just now, he further understood the purpose of the Society of a Hundred People from its establishment to the present.
Deep down, he agrees with the purpose of the Committee of 100, and the founders of the Committee of 100, especially Mr. Bei, are the pride of the Chinese people. Zhang Hao is very willing to be a member of the association with Mr. Bei. Moreover, as a Chinese elite group, the Committee of 100 has Chinese elites from all walks of life within the association, which is also very beneficial to Zhang Hao's future development.
The procedures for Zhang Hao to join the club were not complicated, because the people who recommended him to join were Mr. Bei, the founder of the Club of 100, and two other old members. In addition, Dongfang Ze was a core member of the Club of 100 and one of the leaders of the Los Angeles branch, so the preliminary work had already been arranged. As long as Zhang Hao agreed, the Club of 100 could immediately process the procedures for him.
After just over half an hour, Zhang Hao successfully completed the membership procedures and received a manual on the rules and regulations of the Club of 100 and a badge representing the Club of 100.
The badge has the logo of the Club of 100 written in Chinese and English, and somewhere on the badge is Zhang Hao's initials and his membership number.
When the Committee of 100 was established in 1990, there were only about 40 members. Now the number of members has increased a lot, almost doubled. Zhang Hao's membership number is 82, which means that Zhang Hao is currently the 82nd member of the Committee of 100. If nothing unexpected happens, this number will be retained.
In addition to the membership procedures, the Committee of 100 has membership fees. The annual membership fee is US$2,000. This fee is not high, and is mainly needed to maintain the daily activities of the Committee of 100. Moreover, the main members of the Committee of 100 hold part-time positions in the committee. Except for a few staff members at the headquarters and branches, everyone has their own business.
Just like Dongfang Ze, he said earlier that he was a partner in a small law firm in Los Angeles , but in fact his so-called small law firm is quite famous in Los Angeles. Since Los Angeles is a western city with a large number of Chinese, as early as the 19th century, countless Chinese immigrated to the United States, and in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the number of Chinese owners accounts for a large proportion of the entire United States.
Dongfang Ze's law firm is very famous in Los Angeles. In addition to normal business, it often helps local Chinese people deal with Chinese-related business. In addition, Dongfang Ze himself also serves as the legal advisor of the Committee of 100 and helps the association deal with corresponding legal work.
For example, not long ago, Columbia Broadcasting Corporation in the United States smeared and politically attacked Chinese Americans in public, which caused great dissatisfaction among all members of the Committee of 100. For this reason, the Committee of 100 passed a meeting to directly put pressure on Columbia Broadcasting Corporation, and Dongfang Ze, as the legal advisor and the head of the Los Angeles branch, did a lot of work.
Because of the strong protests from the Committee of 100 and the influence of its members in the United States, as well as pressure and warnings from the legal level, the president of CBS finally made a formal apology to Chinese Americans on television, admitted CBS's previous inappropriate remarks, and imposed severe punishment on the person involved.
This incident happened not long ago and caused a huge sensation. At the same time, it made Chinese Americans feel very good about the Committee of 100. In addition, the praise of this incident in China further enhanced the influence of the Committee of 100. The reason why Zhang Hao agreed to let Dongfang Ze join the association so readily was also because of this reason.
After finishing the work, it was almost evening, Zhang Hao stood up and shook hands with Dongfang Ze to say goodbye.
Dongfang Ze asked about Zhang Hao's schedule, and expressed his understanding when he learned that he would return to school the next day. He then gave Zhang Hao the address and contact information of the New York headquarters, and told Zhang Hao that if it was convenient, after Mr. Bei returned from Europe, Mr. Bei hoped that Zhang Hao would go to New York for a meeting. As an elder, Mr. Bei was very much looking forward to their meeting, as Zhang Hao was a young man who had already achieved great success.
