"I'm not excited at the news. It's not a miracle, but a natural result of our efforts over the past 13 years. It's just a milestone along the way. There is still a long way to go. We have to walk straighter, for many more people are watching us now," Yu says.

The bespectacled and smiling man enjoys encouraging students with Martin L. King's line from his speech "I Have a Dream." He made it a credo for the New Oriental schools.

"We will hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope."

Founded in 1993, New Oriental has grown from a class of only 30 students to China's largest private education service provider with more than three million student enrollments. It has a network of 25 schools and 111 learning centers in 24 cities as well as an on-line network that has attracted 2 million registered users.

Clearly, teaching English can make people rich in China. Like many of his peers, Yu wanted to pursue an American Dream in the late 1980s, but failed repeatedly to obtain a visa. Stymied in his American ambitions, he started to cash in on helping others fulfill their American Dreams. He quit a stable job as an English teacher at Beijing University and started up a business to help students develop their English skills.

Yu's company no longer only teaches English. His business has extended to other foreign language training, preparing students for tests, primary and secondary school education and software as well as on-line education.

"Instilling a certain spirit in students is as important as giving them a skill," Yu says.

Yu is trying to inspire students by inviting high achievers -- including moguls from real estate, the dairy industry or advertising -- to talk about their individual road to success.

"We are committed to training a new generation of business and community leaders, empowering students to achieve their potential, build self-confidence, and develop a global vision encompassing both traditional Chinese values and modern thinking," Yu says.

While he encourages students to try various paths to success, Yu would never call himself successful.

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