Huobi Vice President Zhang Jian: The biggest opportunity for blockchain will come after the underlying infrastructure is built and improved

Why is blockchain so popular recently? When will the biggest opportunity for blockchain come? What are the specific application scenarios of blockchain? These are all questions that are bound to arise in the process of understanding blockchain. In the new book "Blockchain: Defining the New Landscape of Future Finance and Economy" to be released soon, Zhang Jian, Vice President of Technology of Huobi.com and Head of Huobi Digital Currency and Blockchain Research Center, answered these questions. It is reported that the book will be officially published in late June and will be available in major bookstores and mainstream e-commerce websites.

Recently, Zhang Jian talked with Babbitt about the writing process of this book and his views on blockchain.

8btc: What was your original intention in writing such a book?

Zhang Jian: In the past two years, blockchain has gone from being unknown to gaining more and more attention, and is even becoming a hot emerging field. In fact, there is a profound internal logic. However, except for a few companies or research institutions that have already invested in it, most people's understanding of blockchain is still at the conceptual stage. They may know some features or technical terms, but they don't really know what it is.

Since last year, I have participated in many blockchain-related forums and events, and have also accepted many interviews. However, I didn’t expect that the more I talked, the harder it seemed to be. First of all, if you want to explain this concept clearly, it is not something that can be done in just one or two sentences. It involves background knowledge from different fields. The greater challenge is that since the audience’s industry background and knowledge structure are different, it is almost an impossible task to make everyone understand what blockchain is and what it can do through oral explanation in a short period of time.

So, I came up with the idea of ​​writing a blockchain book. With this book, I can present all my understanding of blockchain in a systematic and complete way. Let all those who are interested in blockchain, or new things and new opportunities, understand what blockchain is, how it is developing currently, and what kind of future it may have without too much background knowledge. Finally, with the suggestion and encouragement of Huobi co-founder Du Jun, the task of writing this book was officially scheduled.

8btc: What is the highlight of this book?

Zhang Jian: I am an entrepreneur who has persisted since the early days of Bitcoin. Huobi, one of the largest Bitcoin trading platforms in China, has been practicing and exploring blockchain technology, so my understanding of blockchain is deeper than that of other industries. In addition, I have explained blockchain to people from different backgrounds on hundreds of occasions over the years, and I gradually understand the angle and entry point of Xiaobai's understanding of problems. In this process, I refined and upgraded a series of methods and ways to explain virtual technology and logic to Xiaobai, which is very helpful for this book. Therefore, I personally think that the highlights of this book are: easy to understand, comprehensive, systematic, and logical. This book uses plain and easy-to-understand language to tell the profound internal logic and historical necessity of the birth of blockchain, comprehensively and systematically introduces the current development status of blockchain, and makes a logical prediction of the future of blockchain, hoping to help explorers.

8btc: How long did the creation process take? Was it completed by you alone or by collaboration among multiple authors? Are there any details or insights you can share about the creation process?

Zhang Jian: It took about a year from the time I came up with the idea to the time I finished the manuscript. I was the main author, and two other researchers collaborated to complete the book. Because I was very busy with my daily work, it was difficult to spare a large amount of time to write the book in the early stage. As blockchain has attracted more and more attention, it is difficult to find scientific and comprehensive information on the Internet for learning. In addition, the overall structure of the book has become clearer, and my confidence in completing this book has become stronger. Especially after I accepted a large number of interviews and answered many questions about blockchain, I was more eager to present my understanding of blockchain to them, so that more people can have a more comprehensive understanding of blockchain. Therefore, I felt that writing this book was of great significance, and even had a sense of mission.

8btc: Could you please introduce the general structure and content of this book? Or is there any wonderful introduction excerpts for everyone to take a sneak peek?

Zhang Jian: The general structure:
The main body of this book is divided into 5 parts. The first part mainly talks about the historical background and internal logic of the birth of blockchain; the second part mainly answers the question of what blockchain is; the third part mainly talks about the new opportunities brought by blockchain, and the fourth part introduces some specific application scenarios of blockchain. The fifth part focuses on the technical principles of blockchain.

8btc: Since last year, many books on blockchain have been published. Melanie Swan's "Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy" divides blockchain into several dimensions: 1.0 2.0 3.0, which is more philosophical and interesting. The book "Blockchain 2.0" has a different attitude and explains the technical principles and application trends in a popular way. Compared with the existing blockchain books, what kind of people are more suitable for reading this book produced by Huobi?

Zhang Jian: My book is suitable for everyone who is interested in blockchain, and also for people who have a keen sense of smell or curiosity about new things, new technologies, and new market opportunities.

8btc: You mentioned in an interview before that blockchain is still in its infancy. You think the biggest opportunities may not come out in the early stages. So when do you think the biggest opportunities will come out? What has Huobi done so far? Are you ready to welcome the biggest opportunities?

Zhang Jian: The biggest opportunity will come in the future - that is, when the underlying infrastructure of blockchain is gradually improved and the supporting ecological environment gradually matures, it will be the biggest opportunity for blockchain. If I have to estimate a rough time, I think this process will take at least 5 to 10 years. However, if you want to seize the big opportunity, you must prepare in advance.

Huobi has already established a digital currency and blockchain research center, which I am in charge of. Our current work mainly includes two aspects. The first aspect is basic theoretical research and exploration of business models, and the other aspect is the construction of infrastructure. We are more focused on promoting the construction of infrastructure and trying to promote the application and implementation of blockchain in various industries. However, since the maturity of blockchain depends on large-scale collaboration, we have a very open mind and hope that more and more companies will understand the value of blockchain and actively participate in the construction of the blockchain ecosystem.

8btc: What new actions and plans does Huobi have that you can share with everyone recently?

Zhang Jian: In addition to the publication of this book, as mentioned earlier, Huobi is researching and building blockchain infrastructure. We will combine blockchain technology with specific industries and use this to promote the development of blockchain. There will be more specific news in this regard in the future, so please stay tuned.