Chen Xi, Deputy General Manager of the Industry Research Department at Bosera Fund, discusses how young public fund professionals can practice the spirit of the May Fourth Movement

The spirit of the May Fourth Movement—“Patriotism, Progress, Democracy, Science”—transcends a century of history and remains the spiritual banner and action guide for the youth of the new era.

Against the backdrop of high-quality transformation in the financial industry and the continuous expansion of the derivatives market, generations of financial youth set sail with progress as their sail, responsibility as their rudder, and innovation as their practice, integrating the spirit of the May Fourth Movement into industry development and the tide of the times.

“Using the spirit of science for investment research, approaching the market with a progressive attitude, and demonstrating patriotism through tangible actions, treating clients with a democratic mindset.” Chen Xi, Deputy General Manager of the Industry Research Department at Bosera Fund, deeply resonates with this. As a young public fund professional with seven years of securities investment and research experience, Chen Xi joined Bosera Fund after graduating with a master’s degree from Renmin University of China in 2015. From researcher to deputy general manager of the industry research department and fund manager, he has always embedded the spirit of the May Fourth Movement into every step of his professional growth, using professionalism and responsibility to interpret the original mission of public fund practitioners.

Chen Xi, Deputy General Manager and Fund Manager at Bosera Fund Industry Research Department

Building on professionalism

Discussing the core connotations of the spirit of the May Fourth Movement, Chen Xi said, “Patriotism, Progress, Democracy, Science” are eight characters that naturally and profoundly align with the core traits of the public fund industry. “The public fund industry values professionalism, integrity, and long-term value, and patriotism in finance, excellence in specialization, prioritizing clients, and scientific inquiry are the qualities that public fund practitioners should embody under the guidance of the spirit of the May Fourth Movement,” he explained.

To inherit the spirit of the May Fourth Movement, the most essential qualities for young professionals in the public fund industry are responsibility and pursuit of truth.

An experience on his career path deepened Chen Xi’s understanding of the power of the spirit of the May Fourth Movement and strengthened his resolve to deepen his engagement in the public fund industry. Shortly after joining Bosera Fund, he had dinner with a high school classmate engaged in grassroots fund sales. The classmate spent the whole evening sharing real stories of how funds helped clients pay for their children’s education and increase daily expenses. “At that moment, I suddenly realized that the meaning of my work was no longer a string of numbers on Excel or the fluctuating indices on software, but the well-being and happiness behind each ordinary person,” Chen Xi admitted. The value of public funds is never about serving the elite, but about transforming the wisdom of research teams into helping ordinary workers and retirees grow their accounts. This process of turning “investment research capability” into “public welfare” vividly exemplifies the spirit of the May Fourth Movement—“for the progress of the majority.”

Integrating the spirit of “pursuing truth and progress” into investment research has always been Chen Xi’s guiding principle.

“‘Be a discoverer of investment value,’ this phrase has been engraved in his heart since his first day on the job, serving as the foundation and benchmark for all his work.”

In strategy selection, Chen Xi not only focuses on market potential but also emphasizes whether the industry meets the definition of “progress,” whether it can solve social pain points, and whether it can improve total factor productivity. He also maintains high-frequency research throughout the year, even with strong research platforms, insisting on in-depth visits to factories and fields to find flaws that could overturn existing logic and to obtain authentic firsthand information. In strategy optimization, he adheres to “go with the trend, go against small trends,” aligning with the overall development of society and industrial progress, resisting emotional-driven and blindly following trends, always maintaining independent and cautious judgment.

Using innovation as wings

Currently, the public fund industry is undergoing a paradigm shift from “diligent and intensive” to “wisdom-intensive.” AI technology is reconstructing the underlying logic of investment research, and the blurring and deep integration of industry boundaries are driving the upgrade of investment methodologies.

Facing the challenges brought by industry iteration, Chen Xi actively responds with the spirit of “courage to innovate” from the May Fourth Movement. On one hand, he conducts in-depth research on industry logic and sectors that drive productivity improvements; on the other, he embraces AI technology, using efficient tools to transform investment frameworks and methods.

“Through AI technology, I significantly reduced the time spent on desk work, allowing me to devote more energy to industry comparisons, company comparisons, and global comparisons, which has played an important role in understanding the global AI industry and energy landscape,” he shared.

Using初心 as the rudder

As a financial model soldier under China Merchants Group, Bosera Fund always regards practicing the original intention of “patriotism” as its mission. Through the closed-loop practice of the “Five Articles on Finance,” it channels social capital precisely into high-quality development fields.

Chen Xi explained that Bosera Fund has developed flagship science and technology innovation products represented by “Beidou 7 Stars,” covering broad-based ETFs to niche themes like quantum computing and synthetic biology, guiding hundreds of billions of social funds into national strategic emerging industries; actively participating in the pilot of public REITs, focusing on fields such as new energy, sewage treatment, and green data centers, activating infrastructure stock assets, and guiding funds toward new power systems; at the same time, maintaining the “people-oriented” philosophy in social security and pension investments, effectively safeguarding the public’s retirement wealth.

“As a member of Bosera’s investment research team, I am proud that the company practices the original intention of patriotism and supports the real economy, and I am always driven by this sense of responsibility,” Chen Xi said.

In team collaboration, inheriting the spirit of the May Fourth Movement and achieving a win-win situation for personal growth and team development is a distinctive feature of Bosera’s investment research team. Chen Xi said the company firmly implements the “Five Musts and Five Nots” of Chinese financial culture and actively supports China Merchants Group’s “Third Entrepreneurship.” Under this atmosphere, his team always maintains a sense of responsibility and mission, resonating personal growth with national industrial upgrading. When facing extreme market fluctuations, the team demonstrates shared responsibility, allowing individuals to gain a sense of professional honor through collective resilience. The team also values democratic and inclusive culture, where discussions focus solely on logic and correctness. Additionally, they actively embrace the AI era, enhancing the integration of investment research and resource sharing through technology, making innovation the inexhaustible driving force for team development.

Regarding advice for young professionals in the public fund industry, Chen Xi sighed, “Stay true to the original aspiration and keep the mission firmly in mind.”

He believes that using patriotic feelings to support the real economy, channeling capital into the most urgent and core fields of the country; treating clients with a democratic mindset, remembering the responsibility of “trusteeship,” and deeply understanding the “people-oriented” nature of finance; employing the spirit of science in investment research, leveraging “digital intelligence tools”; and approaching the market with a progressive attitude—progress is not only about increasing knowledge but also about mental resilience, the professional quality to remain rational in market darkness and calm in market frenzy.

Text by Xu Nannan, Edited by Xu Nan