The duality of the cryptocurrency world: the fallen 'Principal' and the righteous 'Tianqing'
In Binance Square, 'Principal 1518' is a symbol rather than a person. Behind this code name lies a common harvesting tactic in the cryptocurrency world.
At both ends of the cryptocurrency spectrum stand two types of people: one type is the failures who are not even bad enough, and the other type is the practical individuals who rise from failure and begin to uphold the rules.
'Principal 1518': An awkward character who fails to imitate a tiger and instead resembles a dog
Unlike those big players who can call the wind and summon the rain, 'Principal 1518' is more like a poor imitator. In his livestream, there are hardly any regular viewers, and the sparse comments reflect the awkwardness of his one-sided conversation. The paid community he established is deserted, and the so-called 'core strategy' is ignored.
On a technical level, his "following orders" can be considered a contrary indicator. Repeated misjudgments of market direction and poor stop-loss settings have caused significant losses to the few followers who followed him, and over time, "buying against the principal" has become a joke within a small circle. His problem is not only moral but also a complete lack of ability—having neither real talent to attract others nor enough means to exploit them, stuck in a pitiful middle ground.
What truly humiliated him was a despicable act of plagiarism. To create a false impression of prosperity in his own community, he stole screenshots of earnings from the "Tianqing" community's fans and packaged them as his own "achievements." This act was exposed on the spot by "Tianqing" and its community members.
"Tianqing"'s response was direct and righteous, publicly denouncing this act as "despicable" and reminding everyone in the industry to protect their labor achievements and resist deception. Faced with conclusive evidence and justified criticism, the reaction of "Principal 1518" was not one of shame and apology, but rather a frantic threat to report to the police on the grounds of "infringement of reputation rights," performing a ridiculous act of thief shouting 'stop thief,' and becoming a complete laughingstock.
"Tianqing" in the mud, with solid footprints.
In contrast to the illusory "principal," the story of "Tianqing" is filled with real dust and sweat. His starting point was a "screw" on the factory assembly line, and a waiter hustling in KTVs. Born in XXX, he dropped out of middle school and traveled around relying on physical labor, with the only thought being to "escape from the bottom tier."
His starting point in the cryptocurrency world was the 200,000 yuan hard-earned savings accumulated over ten years of working, along with several Ethereum mining machines that served as heaters in winter and stoves in summer. Reality soon dealt him a heavy blow: a small exchange ran away with his funds, leaving him with zero balance and a collapsed user system. He once sat on the sofa for two hours at midnight, completely devoid of confidence. However, it was this painful lesson that led him to grasp the simplest truth: one must stand in a safe place.
He resolutely left those "today's meal satisfied, tomorrow's bowl uncertain" wild platforms and chose the stable and compliant "Binance" exchange. There were no shortcuts; he and two equally poor brothers shared a 900 yuan monthly rental house, starting from scratch with an old notebook from their student days, serving one user at a time and building one community at a time. They believe: "As long as you can drive away those restless people, what remains in the end will be those of us who are willing to work hard."
Harvesting and creating, the eternal opposition in the cryptocurrency world.
"Principal 1518" and "Tianqing" represent two entirely opposing forces in the cryptocurrency world:
"Principals" produce "illusions": they output short-term trading signals and the desire for explosive gains, with their business model built on exploiting information asymmetry and human greed. They are the harvesters of traffic, with wealth coming from the erosion and extraction of followers' principal.
"Tianqing" creates "value": they provide a safe trading environment, rational investment companionship, and long-term sustainable services. They are the builders of the ecosystem, with wealth coming from solving the real pain points of users and growing together with the industry.
In five years, "Tianqing" has grown from having nothing to becoming a key node in Binance, achieving an annual income of one million and changing the fate of himself and his team. He does not flaunt wealth with luxury cars, only wishing for a worry-free life for his family. Meanwhile, the code names of the "principals" may still flicker across various platforms, attracting the next batch of followers eager for quick riches.
Time will prove everything.
The clamor of the cryptocurrency world has never ceased, with code names and masks emerging endlessly. But time will eventually wash away all the superficiality. Those meticulously designed scams and rhetoric will reveal their true nature in repeated collapses; while those who steadfastly uphold their principles in despair and create value within a safe margin will become clearer like rocks as the tide recedes.
In this world, the choice to follow a perfect code name or to believe in a flawed but steadily growing story determines whether you will become a harvested flow or part of a value network.
