Workers check vehicles coming off the line at the Lifan factory in Chongqing. Photo provided to China Daily

Growing up in a poor family in Fuling district in Chongqing municipality, Yin started dabbling in the world of business when he was 12 years old. His then job of selling needles was necessitated more by the desire to improve the life of his mother and to pay for his education. But just when he was ready to enter the university, the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) took place and he was forced to work on a farm for about 20 years.

"I spent most of my youth on a farm, and it seemed to be a big waste of time. Fortunately I did not give up my zeal for learning and utilized every opportunity to further my knowledge," he says.

After donning several hats including that of an English teacher and as an editor for a local publishing house, he decided to test his fortunes in the motorcycle industry. And much like his persona, it was a low-key entry with just nine employees and a 40-square-meter rented workshop.

"Many people told me that I was foolish to start a business when I was 54 years old. Even my family did not understand me then. There was tremendous pressure and I hardly knew anything about the motorcycle business. But in the bottom of my heart, I knew that this was an unprecedented opportunity, and I must seize it. My perseverance paid off and I have been able to successfully transform my life," Yin says.

When he turned 65, Yin was elected vice-chairman of the Chongqing municipality's second committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. It was also the first time that a private entrepreneur was able to hold a deputy minister level title in China.

"This marked another transformation in my life. It made me think and analyze things in a better and more all-rounded perspective, somewhat different from the thinking of a common entrepreneur."