What can help a company prosper in increasingly competitive times?

A group of journalists, photographers and online celebrities sought the answer as they toured Far East Holding Group in Yixing county, Wuxi, on June 30.

Visitors view the science and technology museum of intelligent energy at Far East Holding Group in Yixing county, Wuxi, on June 30. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Founded in 1985, Far East Holding Group specializes in smart energy, smart city and internet of things technologies, as well as energy efficiency management and services.

Apart from expanding its business in smart energy, smart city systems and investment, the group keeps improving itself based on learning, both from others and its own experience.

Jiang Xipei, chairman of Far East Holding Group in Yixing county, addresses the group visiting the company on June 30. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Jiang Xipei, the founder of the group, is an example of someone who has learnt from experience. Despite failure in the national college entrance exam, Jiang kept learning after he started his own business after high school in the 1980s. For the past few decades, he has been promoting education and enriching his experience in different universities and programs, such as Tsinghua University’s PBC School of Finance and China New Entrepreneur Development Program which runs in partnership with Stanford University.

Continuous learning is also encouraged at Far East Holding Group. The group founded a company institute called Far East University in 2010, ranking in the top 10 business schools from some 5,600 domestic company universities. The university has established partnerships with more than 10 universities and colleges, and all staff members are required to take part in training and examinations.

"The ability to learn is key to the future development of all, including individuals, companies and countries," said Jiang Xipei.

Owing to improvements through continuous education, the company has developed itself into a competitive business and is listed among China's top 500 companies with current annual revenue reaching 40 billion yuan ($5.85 billion).

A corner of the science and technology museum of intelligent energy at Far East Holding Group in Yixing county, Wuxi [Photo provided to China Daily]