Campus Network

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Campus Network (校园网)
Type	Social platform and portal website
Founders	Lu Chi, Yue Bin, and Zhang Yang
Initial Ownership	Lu Chi: 55%; Yue Bin: 25%; Zhang Yang: 20% 56
Status	Operating; publicly listed on Nasdaq on January 1, 2005 204
First Appearance	Chapter 56 56

History

Founding and school launch

Lu Chi spent a month developing Campus Network’s code, while members of the Student Aid Foundation created its initial content and sections. Yue Bin handled its business registration and patent matters, establishing the founders’ original equity arrangement. 56

The site was initially designed to digitize ordinary student activities: attending and reviewing lessons, discussing schoolwork, reconnecting with classmates, chatting between classes, and donating unwanted materials through the Student Aid Foundation. 56

After the school raised concerns about sharing teaching resources, the founders agreed to begin with a limited trial inside Yanda Affiliated High School. The school’s local Campus Network officially went online at 6 PM on May 8, 2001. 57

Campus Network’s first headquarters occupied the former computer-club activity rooms in Yanda Affiliated High School’s old office building. Zhuo Yue secured the space through the school, citing student safety and convenience. 56

Early growth

The launch rapidly exceeded the team’s server capacity. Campus Network received 204,200 visits within four hours, causing a system crash; many registrations originated outside the city after alumni outreach, word of mouth, online fan disputes, and recruitment driven by the Yue family’s business network. 58

Within less than two months of its May 8 launch, the platform reached 20 million registered users under its real-name system. 156

Campus Network later expanded through major schools and institutions in Country M and Europe. It became a widely trusted platform among prestigious universities and industry elites, serving nearly 100 million users worldwide during its early international growth. 75

By the end of June during its Nasdaq-planning period, it had surpassed 100 million registered users in Greater China and reached 200 million registered users globally. 173

Services and Platform Design

Service	Function and development
Famous Teachers’ Lecture Hall	Hosted lessons and review materials; some lecture content required student-ID access. 56 58
Academic Life Forum	Provided a space for study-related discussions and academic exchange. 56
Alumni Association	Allowed students and graduates to reconnect through class groups and alumni communities. 56 58
Casual Chatter	Hosted informal discussion, gossip, and school rivalries. Users registered with real names in the backend but could browse and post under nicknames. 57 58
Used-Item Recycling	Collected textbooks and other unwanted materials for donation through the Student Aid Foundation. 56
Video chat	Developed by Lu Chi before a new school term; he continually modified it as both product manager and programmer. 74
Mobile client	Adapted Campus Network’s interface for Eastern Modun handheld computers; the early app remained unstable and could crash. 163 164
Campus Takeout and lifestyle services	Shared accounts with Campus Network and allowed users to order food while using forums and livestream services. 200 201
Sports livestreaming	Collaborated with the NBA to livestream games globally while users chatted and ordered takeout through the platform. 200
Star Collector	NBA-themed social web game in which users planted, harvested, protected, and stole player-based “Star Seeds.” 214 215

Registration and moderation

Campus Network required real-name registration, but allowed users to present nicknames on the frontend so students could discuss sensitive or embarrassing matters more freely. 57

As its user base expanded beyond students to include children and working adults, Lu Chi introduced forum rules intended to discourage malicious manipulation and irresponsible speech. He also proposed separating professional discussions from gossip-oriented content. 59

Organization and Operations

Person or group	Role
Lu Chi	Founder, chief programmer, technical leader, and principal source-code developer; later guided product direction and technical recruitment. 56 75 130
Yue Bin	Founder, legal representative, business organizer, and lead negotiator in major corporate dealings. 56 133 204
Zhang Yang	Founder who promoted expansion, pursued school cooperation, and participated in strategy and negotiations. 56 57 133
Xing Yuan	Head of external relations; coordinated with clubs and outside schools and managed Used-Item Recycling donations alongside Cui Zhenyang. 56
Zhuo Yue	Assisted with external relations, secured the initial headquarters, and later managed major partnership and game-design work. 56 205 214
Matthew Locke	Product director for the Country M division; helped tailor new functions to local cultural and user preferences. 125

Campus Network distributed original shares to founding members, senior managers, and key contributors. Selling restrictions applied, while management rights were temporarily held by Yue Bin, Lu Chi, and Zhang Yang. 130

Its employee benefits, flexible work environment, internal investment opportunities, and access to Lu Chi’s technical guidance became important retention tools; an attempted effort by Little Roel Smith to poach programmers failed. 130 131

Expansion and Acquisitions

Eastern Modun

Campus Network negotiated to acquire Modun for 230 million M-dollars, ultimately completing the deal despite disputes over valuation, research contracts, and technical personnel. 133 286

Following the acquisition, Modun was renamed Eastern Modun. Its research team was integrated with Campus Network’s technical operations to develop handheld devices, mobile clients, and related lifestyle applications. 163

The first Eastern Modun handheld computer ran an internal operating system written by Lu Chi and included icons for Campus Network, Dating Network, Gourmet Travel Network, and other affiliated services. 163

Game development

Campus Network recruited Gavin Bentley’s game-development team after initially considering an acquisition of Gavin’s company. The team joined Campus Network and was assigned to develop user-loyalty games. 180 181

The game division later produced Star Collector, a social NBA game that exceeded 8.5 million players within twelve hours of launch and was projected to surpass 10 million within its first day. 214

Security and Controversies

Campus Network faced accusations of monopoly behavior, leaking state secrets, and racial discrimination during its international expansion, creating the risk of shutdown and compulsory rectification. 125

In response to discrimination allegations, Campus Network published survey data and testimonial videos concerning barriers faced by Asian and other minority students and workers. The campaign drew international attention and shifted public discussion toward structural discrimination. 127

An apparent security breach occurred shortly after Campus Network moved into its Silicon Valley office. An impostor posing as a Locke Properties repairman restored power to the ninth floor, but the actual R&D headquarters remained on the second floor under Gavin’s company registration. 184

A counter-surveillance search found no listening devices, though investigators warned that sophisticated equipment could remain hidden inside walls or ceilings. The impostor’s Campus Network profile displayed a symbol associated with the Heart Stealers, though his identity was not confirmed. 185

The hacker Xiao Li later warned Lu Chi and Yue Bin that bounties had been posted for Campus Network’s source code and for evidence connected to Lu Chi’s financial activities. 186

Before the IPO, power restrictions near Campus Network’s servers and webpage hijacking by network operators damaged user experience. The Smith family used its telecommunications connections to pressure the relevant departments and operators into reversing course. 392 198

Public Listing

Campus Network separated its finances from affiliated websites, completed preliminary due diligence, and prepared its prospectus with legal, accounting, underwriting, and financial teams before seeking Nasdaq approval. 203

The company officially listed on Nasdaq on January 1, 2005. Yue Bin rang the bell with Lu Chi and Zhang Yang beside him, commemorating their founding of the company as high-school students. 204

The listing created four billionaires among the major shareholders, dozens of multimillionaires among senior staff and early contributors, and nearly a hundred millionaires among key technical personnel. 204

Campus Network closed its first trading day at $66.6 per share. Its price later surpassed $100 after the success of its sports partnerships and global user growth. 204 205

Sports Partnerships and Games

Campus Network partnered with the NBA on online-and-offline fan events, requiring participants to be real-name registered users between fourteen and twenty-two years old. The events drew new users who initially registered for basketball content and remained for the platform’s wider services. 199 200

The NBA collaboration increased game ratings by more than ten percentage points and brought Campus Network tens of millions of registrations over a single summer. Campus Takeout and Campus Travel Network also benefited through their shared-account ecosystem. 201

Star Collector expanded user engagement by encouraging players to recruit friends, protect their stars, and interact with classmates, relatives, and former acquaintances. Players earned Heart Fan Points for every ten game friends they recruited. 215

Relationships

• Student Aid Foundation — Provided the founding working group and managed donations through Used-Item Recycling. 56
• Yanda Affiliated High School — Hosted Campus Network’s first operational test and supplied its original headquarters. 56 57
• Eastern Modun — Acquired handheld-computer company and integrated R&D partner for mobile-client development. 133 163
• NBA — Sports-content partner for livestreams, fan events, and Star Collector. 200 214
• Huaxia Live Network — Recurrent livestreaming partner, including a public finance lecture organized with Stanford University and Eric Assets. 230
• Fruit Phone — Proposed a partnership involving Fruit Phone, Eastern Modun, and Campus Network to combine handheld computing and telephone functions. 164