The following is an account from Zhuo Guang, current CEO of Greenfield:
Early User Aggregation
Greenfield doesn’t really have a conventional founder. Initially, it was a utopia, a grassroots organization.
In 1998, a girl registered a domain name, through which outdoor enthusiasts arranged meetups, activities, hikes, and more. In 1999, she left Beijing, and another group took over, applied for a new domain, and changed it to lvye.org. By then, Greenfield already had considerable influence and recognition, commanding strong appeal among university outdoor clubs and growing significantly within the youth community—everyone was a volunteer, everyone offered suggestions.
As the forum grew, democracy became unsustainable. A few individuals decided to form a company to run it, but at the time, everyone was doing it out of interest and had other full-time jobs. In 2006, Changgong and another person quit their jobs to focus on this project and began commercial operations.
(iHeima also interviewed Changgong, Vice President of Greenfield and one of its founders, who witnessed Greenfield’s growth from the start. He said that before forming the company, he hadn’t figured out what Greenfield’s commercial model should be. At the time, the team wanted to turn Greenfield into a communication platform for outdoor enthusiasts, and since it was during the internet bubble period, they rapidly expanded the user base and energized the community by organizing activities through the platform.)
In addition to organizing activities through community operations, Greenfield underwent several major initiatives during its development, boosting its reputation and attracting a large number of loyal users:
1. In 2007, the Greenfield Rescue Team was established. It was the first to arrive at the Wenchuan earthquake disaster zone and was interviewed by China Central Television, playing a highly effective role, which significantly raised Greenfield’s profile.
2. In 2008, Greenfield partnered with AIG to launch outdoor insurance, a pioneering move. Previously, travel insurance did not cover altitudes above 3,500 meters—there was no such product. AIG saw long-term potential in the business and was willing to offer the coverage, while Greenfield was keen to establish the standard. Thus, “Greenfield Freewalker” was created, gaining user approval, and even today platforms like Qyer and Mafengwo still sell “Greenfield Freewalker.”
3. During this period, Greenfield conducted numerous trials, including leading trips, selling ski resort and scenic spot tickets, organizing PR exhibitions, etc. These efforts gradually increased Greenfield’s influence in the outdoor sector and built competitive barriers that others found hard to overcome.
Establishing the Business Model: “Outdoor Activities Taobao”
I joined Greenfield in July 2012. Prior to that, I was just a user. I graduated from university in 2002 and worked in telecommunications, but quit after a year and a half to join a startup. In 2008, due to the company’s split and IPO, I led a team to start my own venture, creating the “Six Feet” app—an application for recording travel routes and photos.
After a year and a half, the initial funding was running low, so we began writing a business plan and seeking investment. Around the same time, Greenfield was also looking for funding. I met with Changgong, and although he was skilled in business operations, Greenfield’s team was unstable, with frequent changes in technical partners and constant product iterations. Greenfield needed someone with some technical know-how to help avoid past mistakes. We clicked instantly—I led my team to join Greenfield and became its CEO.
Previously, Greenfield’s profits came from insurance and website banner ads. The Greenfield forum used a plugin-based model where users could directly sign up for activities and make payments, and we were not involved in the transactions. Now, Greenfield operates independently as a transaction platform akin to the early days of Taobao, enabling users to complete the entire process—from transaction and payment, to reviews, guarantees, settlements, travel, and sharing. The profit model is simple: anyone can post free activities, similar to Taobao’s direct traffic ads, but if you want your listing to rank higher or feature larger images, you need to pay a promotion fee. It’s an auction system—the highest bidder ranks higher. I believe this model was inevitable for three reasons:
First, the outdoor travel market is a niche within the broader tourism industry. In 2020, China’s tourism market was worth 10 trillion yuan. Assuming outdoor currently accounts for 2% of the market, I believe that by 2020, this proportion will rise to 5%–10%. The market is growing, and our share is growing too. Moreover, our niche segment is expanding faster than the traditional tourism market.
Second, the team leader model in the outdoor community closely resembles the business landscape in China around 2004–2005 when small merchants were everywhere. Greenfield has already paved the way. Over the years, Greenfield has gathered over 4,000 team leaders, but lacked an information-based platform.
Third, this is driven by market demand. Initially, outdoor activities were close to a pure AA (pay-your-share) model, quite idealistic. Later, team leaders could no longer sustain themselves through passion alone and began professionalizing. Once professionalized, they needed to make a living. They started paying us, hoping their activities would get more exposure. We initially resisted, but as more people were willing to pay, we began sharing the benefits of this commercialization, and the model gradually took shape.
(Note from iHeima: Changgong mentioned in the interview that the relationship between Greenfield and team leaders is similar to that between Taobao and shop owners. Greenfield provides training and credit evaluations for team leaders. Collaboration is not mandatory—team leaders take responsibility for their services, users rate them, influencing their credibility, and Greenfield recommends team leaders with higher ratings to ensure safer trips for users.)
During the auction process, we announce the available auction slots on the website one month in advance and categorize the content to avoid price and product homogenization. Bidding is conducted via forum posts, QQ groups, and WeChat groups. We assign staff to oversee the process and tally the bids. Successful bids are valid for one month, and auctions are held monthly. The auction system will gradually be improved to allow direct bidding on the website.
Actually, the Taobao analogy isn’t entirely accurate. We now define Greenfield as a platform for outdoor activities, serving small and medium-sized outdoor enthusiasts. We hope they can survive, earn, and thrive in the industry through this platform. Currently, Greenfield’s activity revenue is increasing year by year, insurance revenue remains stable, while ad revenue is declining annually.
After securing funding from Toread, we will primarily invest in enhancing information-based products, improving the quality of outdoor products, and strengthening product operations. In the future, we will also collaborate with distributors to offer mid-to-high-end personalized services and earn commissions, ultimately creating differentiated competition.