On March 22 Wang Jianzhou retired from his work as chairman of China Mobile Communications Corp and the group's listed subsidiaries.

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

The book tells us how to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. Several years ago I recommended the book to my colleagues. I thought then that the mobile market had huge potential and we didn't need to grab subscribers from the existing market - we could get the new subscribers from the new market, such as the rural market.

What is your favorite food?

Freshwater fish. Although many people like sea fish, I always love eating freshwater fish. I was born in the lakeside city of Hangzhou and I enjoyed its fish. The West Lake vinegar fish is delicious.

What was your favorite journey?

My trip to Kenya was interesting. Before I went to Kenya, I heard SafariCom, a local telecom operator, had created a mobile payment service called M-Pesa. It was customized for the rural market. Friends drove me to Kenyan villages. I saw a coffee forest and visited a farmhouse to chat with residents.

In Kenya, wild animals were everywhere, which was very impressive. I bought a wooden antelope as a souvenir in Nairobi.

When you get up every morning, what is the first thing you usually do?

I get up at 6 am every morning, and the first thing I do is to check text messages on my mobile phones.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

I don't know how to describe happiness but I believe the biggest happiness for an architect is to see people living in houses he designed. The biggest happiness for a chef is to see people enjoying dishes he prepared. It is quite easy to make me happy. So long as I see people using cellphones, I will feel happy. This is my greatest pleasure.

What is your greatest fear?

It is quite difficult for a startup to grow big and it takes time. However, it is quite easy for a company to collapse and the process can be fast. A wrong decision made by the management may bog a company down.

What are your favorite numbers?

139 - the first number sequence China Mobile adopted for its mobile phone users.

What is the quality you most admire in a man?

Concentration. Concentrate on one thing, even when eating meals or sleeping, until it is successfully completed.

What is the trait you most treasure in yourself?

Thinking about things from all angles. One should have structured thinking. It is like solving the Rubik Cube - you consider the impact on every side when you make one change.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

When I was young, I thought I did not look mature. Now I am getting old, I wish I could look younger.

Who are your heroes in real life?

When natural disasters occurred, China Mobile's employees repaired the telecom equipment without considering their safety.