Lenovo

Lenovo began its journey in Beijing on November 1, 1984, originally named Legend. Founded by a team of eleven engineers from the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led by Liu Chuanzhi, the company started with a modest 200,000 yuan. Their initial attempts to import televisions and market a digital watch failed, but they found their footing testing computer quality and developing a circuit board that allowed IBM-compatible PCs to process Chinese characters.

Liu Chuanzhi sought to expand, obtaining government permission to form a Hong Kong subsidiary. This move, supported by his father and co-founder Danny Lui, was crucial for capital and establishing the groundwork for future manufacturing in China. By 1990, Legend began producing and marketing computers under its own brand. An early breakthrough was the KT8920 mainframe computer, and by 1996, Legend had become the market leader in China, launching its own line of laptops.

The company’s big moment came in 1998 with the release of the Tianxi computer, co-branded with China Telecom. Designed for ease of use, it featured a button for instant internet access and sold over a million units in 2000 alone. This success solidified Legend's position as a dominant force in the Chinese PC market, setting the stage for its eventual rebranding to Lenovo and global expansion.