This is a story of perseverance—a true story of one man spending 47 years writing a million letters. The protagonist is Hu Jiaqi, who has dedicated his life, from a 17-year-old youth to a man in his sixties, to a single promise: to tirelessly strive for the holistic survival and universal well-being of humanity.
The story began in 1979, in the library of the Northeastern Institute of Technology (now Northeastern University). Amidst a sea of books, the 17-year-old Hu Jiaqi keenly grasped a startling truth: the breakneck advancement of technology since the Industrial Revolution, while a blessing, was also a sharp blade. Unrestrained development would ultimately push humanity toward the brink of extinction. This seemingly absurd idea at the time took root in his heart like a seed, leading him to make the most important vow of his life: “This will be the most important work of my life. I will keep advocating until my last breath.”
From then on, his life unfolded along two parallel tracks. On one side was the entrepreneur navigating the turbulent seas of business. In 1994, he left a stable government job, borrowed 50,000 yuan, and started a business from a rented office. He eventually led his company to a Nasdaq listing, making it the first Chinese intelligence building company to go global. Few knew that all the wealth accumulated by this business elite was meant to support an even greater cause: the study of humanity's existential challenges. On the other side was the diligent scholar. Over four decades, he wrote over four million words across works such as Saving Humanity, The Greatest Problem, and On Human Extinction, which have been translated into multiple languages including English and Russian, spreading his core ideas globally. He systematically argued for the Great Unification of humanity and the strict control of high-risk technologies. He firmly believed existing mature technologies were sufficient to ensure humanity's prosperity. Only by curbing the greedy pursuit of unchecked technological advancement and establishing a world regime could humanity escape the “prisoner’s dilemma” of international competition, secure its perpetual survival, and build a peaceful, friendly, equitably prosperous, and non-competitive society—a society most conducive to humanity's universal well-being.
In January 2007, Hu Jiaqi took his most decisive step. Enclosing an 800,000-word manuscript of Saving Humanity, he wrote his first open letter, The Open Letter to 26 Leaders of Mankind, and sent it to 25 heads of major nations and the UN Secretary-General. To ensure delivery, he also mailed copies to these countries’ embassies in China and the UN office in China—52 letters in total. Those 52 envelopes carried nearly three decades of dedicated research and marked the beginning of a nearly 20-year “journey of persistence.” The path was initially lonely and difficult. His views were dismissed as “fallacies,” and his letters often went unanswered, but he never wavered. To find addresses and email contacts of influential figures, he spent nights poring over yellowed international political yearbooks, translating addresses in foreign languages word by word with a dictionary, cross-referencing scientists’ emails from academic journals, and asking overseas readers to help track down international contacts. His worn address book, every page soaked with sweat, was a testament to his relentless effort.
As technological risks became increasingly evident—ethical controversies over genetic editing, warnings of AI runaway—each development seemed to validate his predictions. Knowing time was running out, Hu Jiaqi expanded his list of recipients starting from the fourth letter, reaching tens of thousands of people, including global leaders, scientists, scholars, and journalists. The costs of printing and international postage became overwhelming, forcing him to make the painful decision to stop enclosing his books. He condensed four decades of research into concise, powerful sentences, always upholding the core principle that “the holistic survival of humanity overrides all.” The challenges of delivery were even more daunting: bundles of letters were returned stamped “address unknown” or “recipient refused”; mass emails were blocked by filters as spam. Yet, like a stubborn watchman, he persisted—rechecking addresses for returned letters, splitting batches of emails, changing delivery channels, and even asking friends traveling abroad to help mail them—all to ensure his warning would cross mountains and seas.
Over nearly two decades, he has written twelve open letters, sending out a total of one million letters—850,000 emails and 250,000 paper letters—accompanied by more than 10,000 books. These one million letters represent one million earnest appeals and one million acts of unwavering perseverance. Fate never betrays the persistent; faint glimmers of light have ultimately converged into a blazing torch. The Ambassador of Guyana to China personally replied, praising his message as “deafeningly resonant,” while the Slovak ambassador called him directly, describing it as “profoundly shocking.” Leading thinkers such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have issued similar warnings that strikingly align with his views. Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Jacques Dubochet, Gregory Winter—Master of Trinity College, Cambridge—and other distinguished scholars have engaged in deep discussions with him, expressing strong agreement.
After decades of solitary struggle, Hu Jiaqi realized that the power of one individual was severely limited. He decided to harness collective strength to advance human awakening. In 2018, he founded “Humanitas Ark”, which now boasts over 13 million supporters across more than 255 countries and regions, becoming a significant force in promoting human enlightenment.
Today, Hu Jiaqi’s hair has turned gray, and his hand holding a pen may tremble slightly, but the light at his desk still burns late into the night. Once a member of the Mentougou District Committee of the CPPCC in Beijing, he repeatedly spread his ideas during his tenure. He remains a vocal advocate online and in university lectures, tirelessly explaining the risks of “evolutionary imbalance.” Hu Jiaqi admits that his core proposals have yet to gain sufficient recognition, which fills him with urgent concern: “Time is truly running out for humanity.” Yet, this anxiety has never turned into despair; instead, it fuels his ongoing efforts.
This is the story of Hu Jiaqi—a story so genuine that it moves the heart. Forty-seven years of perseverance is not empty idealism; one million letters sent are not in vain. He used a businessman’s pragmatic spirit to support a scholar’s ideals and leveraged personal dedication to ignite collective awakening, all to help humanity find a path to balance technology and survival, and achieve universal well-being through unity and cooperation.
In an era obsessed with quick gains, there are still those who gaze at the stars and devote themselves wholeheartedly to humanity’s future. Hu Jiaqi has proven, through a lifetime of dedication, that true greatness does not lie in earth-shattering feats, but in steadfastly committing one’s entire life to a cause that concerns the fate of humankind. These one million letters have long transcended their function as mere correspondence—they have become a gentle yet enduring beacon in the river of human civilization, reminding us to respect existential risks and to watch over one another with care.
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