Dialogue with Conflux Founder Long Fan: From Tsinghua Yao Class to Technical Commitment to High-Performance Public Chains

At the Conflux Digital Finance and Ecological Development Conference held in Hong Kong, Professor Long Fan, the founder of Conflux Network, reappeared in the public eye. This alumnus of Tsinghua "Yao Class", MIT PhD, and current professor at the University of Toronto, has almost faded out of the public view in recent years, quietly leading his team to advance Conflux as China's only compliant public chain in technological exploration and global expansion.

In the face of the RWA craze, the surge of Memecoins, and the accelerated development of stablecoins, the pace of the blockchain era is faster than ever. How does Conflux maintain its technological focus amidst this? As the only compliant Chinese public chain, what long-term thinking lies behind Conflux's compliance status?

In this interview, Professor Long Fan shared for the first time his path choices, independent judgments on industry trends, and advice for young developers.

The Original Intention of Entrepreneurship and the Technical Foundation of Conflux

Professor Longfan stated that the identity he hopes everyone remembers the most is that of a computer science researcher. Whether it is as the founder of Conflux, his experience studying at MIT, or teaching at the University of Toronto, all of these are part of that identity or growth experience.

For Conflux, Professor Long Fan believes that it is committed to being a high-performance public chain based in China or Asia, aiming to become an important infrastructure in the Web 3.0 era. This has been the direction that the team established and has consistently adhered to since 2018.

In terms of technology, Conflux's greatest advantage is that its overall technical architecture achieves high-performance TPS without sacrificing decentralization and security. The network can support 3000-6000 TPS, and the confirmation time is also very fast. Since the mainnet went live, it has maintained zero security incidents, demonstrating the stability and credibility of the architecture.

Compliance is not something "earned," but rather a "long-term belief + path selection"

Professor Long Fan pointed out that Conflux has become the only compliant public chain in China due to historical reasons. This was not something that was fought for, but rather a path that most teams proactively abandoned under previous regulatory policies. Many did so for short-term strategic considerations, such as migrating to Singapore. Conflux insists on a compliant development path and has borne very high compliance costs, which requires more restraint in many decision-making processes.

The team has always believed that compliance is achievable and is willing to make efforts for it, even at the expense of some short-term interests. Most members of the core team graduated from Tsinghua University, and there are also researchers who have studied abroad. They are genuinely engaged in a technology-oriented and serious endeavor. They believe they can persist in finding a path for normal development and are willing to try to communicate with regulators and explore feasible solutions.

Regarding the layout of Hong Kong, Professor Longfan believes that Hong Kong can now be understood as a "special zone" for blockchain. Compared to the mainland, the compliance costs in Hong Kong are much lower. Hong Kong is currently in a natural policy dividend period, which is a very important opportunity window.

RWA is evolution, Memecoin is humanity: The survival laws of two extremes in the blockchain world

Professor Long Fan believes that RWA and stablecoins are not bubbles, but rather are the industry constantly seeking new narratives in the process of overcoming regulatory barriers and existing framework limitations to optimize their development path. This is an important step forward for humanity in better utilizing blockchain technology.

Regarding Memecoin, Professor Longfan believes it is an expression of humanity's ancient needs, essentially "gambling in the era of cryptocurrency." It reflects humanity's longing for risk, excitement, and uncertainty.

The Conflux team has always adhered to the technical route of "high-performance public chain in Asia." Professor Long Fan stated that the team will continue to maintain this direction, believing that long-term investment will ultimately yield returns.

For new developers entering the field, Professor Longfan suggests choosing a suitable path based on individual and team circumstances. There are two main styles: one is to excel at seizing short-term opportunities and quickly iterating through trial and error; the other is to choose a direction that can be invested in for the long term and focus on cultivation. Each team ultimately needs to return to its own endowments and rhythm to find the path that suits them best.

The Conflux ecosystem has always had various ways to incentivize developers, with the goal of finding projects willing to establish long-term partnerships. The team tends to support those who are truly willing to implement, invest, and have a clear long-term plan, in order to jointly promote the sustainable development of the ecosystem.