How a Rural Genius Built China's First Word Processor and Battled Microsoft

1. All breakthroughs are the sum of lonely days and nights

In the spring of 1988, a 24‑year‑old Qiu Bojun was in room 501 of the Caiwuwei Hotel in Shenzhen, staring at a screen and typing nonstop. For the next year and a half he worked alone, surviving on instant noodles, even moving his computer into a hospital ward after three bouts of liver disease to keep coding. After more than 400 days and 122,000 lines of code, WPS 1.0 was released, marking the first Chinese‑language word‑processing software in China.

At that time, China was 43 years past the invention of the first computer and 28 years past the first personal computer. Qiu, only 25, could not match the expertise of domestic or foreign experts, yet he delivered a revolutionary product.

WPS quickly became Kingsoft’s flagship product for six years, dominating the market and becoming synonymous with computer training across the country.

2. Proof of strength: the works

Born in 1964 in the remote Xishan Village of Xinchang County, Zhejiang, Qiu was the eldest of many siblings, helping with farm work while his parents encouraged his education. He showed extraordinary talent early on: memorizing the 99 multiplication table at age three, achieving a 5‑dan amateur rank in Go at five, and winning three consecutive math competitions.

He topped the county’s college entrance exam and entered the National University of Defense Technology in Changsha, majoring in mathematical information systems.

In his junior year, he built a library borrowing system on a Honeywell‑DPS6 minicomputer with dozens of terminals, completing the project alone in two to three months—a remarkable feat in the 1980s when computers were limited to government, military, and large institutions.

After graduation, he was assigned to a state‑owned instrument factory in Hebei, a coveted “iron rice bowl” job that provided housing and household registration.

In 1986, he traveled to Shenzhen, leaving his secure job and household registration behind to pursue his passion. While in Shenzhen, he solved a printer driver incompatibility problem for an old classmate by writing a 50,000‑line assembly driver named the Xishan Printing System in just nine days.

His ability to write code rather than rely on existing software impressed his peers. He later joined Four‑Tong (四通) Company, which bought his driver for 500 CNY per copy, selling over 600 copies and earning more than 300,000 CNY.

Four‑Tong, a dominant office‑equipment manufacturer, did not give him a development role; instead, he was assigned to market management in Shenzhen, leaving him frustrated.

Hong Kong Kingsoft’s president, Zhang Xuanlong, recognized his talent and invited him to focus on software development, leading to the creation of WPS.

3. From fame to Microsoft’s siege: responsibility and resilience

In 1994, while Microsoft entered China and targeted WPS, it first tried to acquire Kingsoft, then offered Qiu a 700,000 CNY annual salary, and later attempted to poach Lei Jun, promising format compatibility with Office.

Microsoft’s pressure forced Kingsoft to make WPS compatible with Word, but the market shifted to Office, causing WPS sales to plummet.

Qiu and Lei Jun responded by developing “Pangu,” a new office suite, but it sold poorly amid rampant piracy, leading to severe financial losses.

After a period of despair, Qiu received encouragement from friends to continue fighting Microsoft. He sold his villa, gathered a team of ten, and spent four years developing WPS 97, which achieved near‑parity with Office.

WPS 97’s success revived Kingsoft, and Qiu promoted the product nationwide, appearing on television and at university lectures.

Microsoft later launched a price war, cutting Office prices by half. To survive, Kingsoft rewrote WPS from scratch, creating WPS 2005 with 99.99% compatibility with Office, despite lacking Microsoft’s source code.

Qiu’s philosophy was that China should not rely entirely on foreign software; he believed that if all Chinese computers used Office and a conflict halted it, the nation would be crippled.

4. A warrior turned legend

Beyond office software, Qiu loved games and ancient culture. He wrote a complete game, “China Civil Aviation,” in assembly in one week, and was an avid player of Kingsoft’s online games.

He often appeared in Kingsoft’s game promotions, dressed in traditional costume, and even acted as a “Sword Saint” in the drama “Sword Hero of the Hidden Mountain.”

He retired after a ceremonial “Legend of the Lord” event, becoming a lay disciple of the Wudang Sanfeng sect and occasionally performing sword techniques on stage.

Even after retirement, he remains a revered figure; at Kingsoft’s 30‑year anniversary, founders Qiu, Lei Jun, and Zhang embraced and wept.

5. Closing thoughts

As Stefan Zweig noted in “The Starry Night of Humanity,” Qiu Bojun stands as one of the brightest stars in Chinese software history, embodying the era’s devotion to heroes and technology.

Author: Lao Jiu