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

Recently, 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 Tsinghua "Yao Class" alumnus, MIT PhD, and current professor at the University of Toronto, has largely faded from public view over the past few years, focusing on advancing Conflux as China’s only compliant public chain through technical exploration and global expansion.

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

In this interview, Professor Long Fan systematically 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 technological foundation of Conflux

"I am a researcher in computer science. You can think of it as what people commonly refer to as a 'scientist', which might be the simplest identity that encompasses everything I do. Whether it's being the founder of Conflux or having studied at MIT before, and now teaching at the University of Toronto, it's actually all part of this identity, or rather, the experience of the growth of this identity."

Professor Long Fan stated that Conflux has always been committed to being a high-performance public blockchain based in China or Asia, aspiring to become an important infrastructure in the Web 3.0 era. This has been the direction set by the team since 2018 and has been adhered to ever since.

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. All of this is achieved without sacrificing the number of nodes or compromising security.

Compliance is not something that is "strived for", but rather a combination of "long-term belief + path selection".

Professor Long Fan believes that Conflux has become the only compliant public chain in China due to historical reasons. This is not something that was fought for, but rather a result of a previous wave of regulation and policy, where most teams actively gave up this path. Many did so out of short-term strategic considerations, such as the high communication costs with regulators when trying to maintain compliance in China, leading them to choose to migrate to Singapore.

"We have always believed that in the long run, this matter has great value. At the same time, our thoughts are quite natural. Most members of our core team graduated from Tsinghua University, and there are also some researchers who studied abroad. We are all engaged in a very technology-oriented and serious endeavor. We wonder, why must we go into exile overseas? It is possible to persist in finding a path for normal development."

Professor Long Fan stated that Hong Kong can now be understood as a "special zone" for blockchain. When China faces a new phenomenon that presents both opportunities and significant risks, it often chooses to first establish a special zone for pilot projects. Blockchain is a typical example of this, and Hong Kong happens to fulfill this role.

RWA is evolution, Memecoin is humanity: the survival laws of the blockchain world.

Professor Long Fan has his own unique insights on the recent hot topics of RWA and Memecoins.

He believes that RWA is not a bubble, and stablecoins are not a bubble either. They essentially represent the entire industry continuously seeking new narratives to optimize its development path while breaking through regulatory barriers and existing framework limitations. This matter itself is meaningful and represents an important step forward for humanity in better leveraging blockchain technology.

As for Memecoin, Professor Long Fan believes it is an expression of an ancient human need. "Humans inherently have a primitive desire to 'take a gamble,' and Memecoin is essentially a manifestation of this need, a form of 'gambling in the crypto era.'"

Suggestions for Developers

For new developers looking to enter the Web 3.0 space, Professor Longfan suggests that they choose the appropriate direction based on their own circumstances.

"In the current blockchain industry in China, there are mainly two styles of operation. The first style is adept at seizing short-term opportunities, with rapid iteration and quick trial and error. If you are part of a team that has strong execution and a good sense of rhythm, and are willing to actively chase trends and hotspots, then I think you can try more application-layer directions. The other approach is to choose a direction that can be invested in for the long term, whether it is infrastructure, a certain type of niche application, or addressing technology gaps at the Infra level. As long as you confirm that there is a real, unmet demand in that direction, you can choose to focus and cultivate it."

Professor Long Fan emphasized that Conflux is more inclined to support teams that are truly willing to land, invest, and have clear long-term plans. They hope to establish solid cooperation with such teams to jointly promote the common growth of the ecosystem.