Introduction: From fetching water at the well to controlling a trillion-dollar empire
In the tumultuous world of blockchain, Binance sails steadily like a great ship, navigating even as storms arise, maintaining its direction. At the helm of this ship stands an indispensable helmsman—He Yi. As one of the co-founders of Binance, He Yi is not only a strategist for Binance but also a calm observer and wise advisor amidst the storm of digital currency.In 1986, in a rural village in Sichuan, China, a little girl named He Yi walked daily to the well to fetch water, with her family relying on a kerosene lamp for light. At that time, she dreamed of leaving the mountain village to live a decent life. Fast forward to 2025, He Yi has become the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Binance, holding about 10% of the shares, with a net worth in the billions. She did not 'parachute' into Binance; instead, with her marketing genius and resilience, she transformed a startup exchange into a crypto giant with over 280 million global users.
In the storm of CZ Zhao Changpeng's imprisonment, He Yi stabilized the situation, with users skyrocketing from 130 million to 280 million. Is she the 'queen of the coin circle'? The queen behind the scenes? Or is she that often underestimated rural girl? In this episode, we unveil He Yi's rise, the storm, and her contributions, witnessing the glamorous transformation from host to crypto queen. Her story, like Binance Coin (BNB), started at $0.5 and has now surpassed $1000—are you ready to be ignited by the spirit of a comeback?
Let's discuss this in this article: This (Legends on the Chain) collection, also called (Each Issue a Blockchain Legend), will require writing hundreds of articles. I will roughly write in this format. If anyone has better suggestions, please leave a comment. I personally have OCD and perfectionism; not being uniform will be uncomfortable. Let's not dawdle; let's get into the main text and feel the legendary life of the sister together!
He Yi's early background: the loneliness and ambition of a rural girl
He Yi, originally named He Ying, was born in 1986 in a poor teacher's family in Sichuan. It was the rural China of the 1980s, characterized by material scarcity. From a young age, He Yi learned to be independent: fetching water, chopping wood, and reading. With few books at home, she would wear out her parents' old books and always ranked first in exams—this early wisdom made her the 'bookworm' of the village. However, loneliness also followed her: with parents busy making a living, she often curled up alone under the kerosene lamp, fantasizing about life in big cities.
'When I was a child, I felt the world was vast but opportunities were scarce,' He Yi later recalled in an interview. 'Books showed me the light outside.' After the college entrance examination, He Yi entered university, majoring in psychology (this part is not found in public information about her, and AI also did not retrieve it. For formatting, let's write it this way; corrections are welcome!). She once wanted to be a psychological counselor but found the industry too niche with meager income. After graduation, she shifted to media, becoming a host on Travel TV from 2008, hosting programs like (Beautiful Destinations) and (Go as Far as You Can). In front of the camera, she had a sweet smile, traveling the world and interviewing different cultures—which transformed her from a rural girl into a 'beautiful host'. However, the superficiality of the media circle left her unsatisfied: 'I want a bigger stage, one where I can change the rules.'
In 2013, with the Bitcoin boom, He Yi was introduced to cryptocurrency through investor Mai Gang. Like many newcomers, she was confused: 'Is this a Ponzi scheme?' But soon, she was captivated by Bitcoin's decentralized potential. In 2014, she joined OKCoin (then China's largest exchange), starting as a market consultant responsible for soft promotion and user growth. There, she met Zhao Changpeng (CZ)—a Canadian Chinese programmer, and they hit it off. He Yi persuaded CZ to join OKCoin as CTO, while she used her hosting experience to bring OKCoin into the public eye. From the countryside to the screen, and then to the forefront of crypto, He Yi's ambition quietly accumulates like BNB. She is not a technical genius but understands human hearts: crypto is not just code; it's a story.
Little Easter egg: He Yi's iconic large mole on her chin was once teased by the media as 'extraordinary appearance'. She said: 'Whether it's a mole or not doesn't matter; what's important is it reminds me to smile at the camera even in adversity.'
Key Event Timeline: From OKCoin to Binance's peak and storm
Data sourced from my manual 'everywhere' collection; if there are inaccuracies, corrections are welcome. Thank you for your support!
Highlight Analysis:
The bet on BNB investment: In 2017, Binance launched BNB, and the price fell below the issue price of $0.15 on the first day. He Yi decisively bought all her remaining 1 million RMB (about 200,000 BNB), a gamble born from her strong belief in Zhao Changpeng (CZ). She once said: 'I help him for free because I believe he will succeed.' Now, BNB has skyrocketed to over $1000, and her holdings are worth tens of billions. This achievement is no luck but a reward for foresight.
Marketing Storm: At the end of 2017, Binance partnered with TRON to launch a 'Christmas marketing campaign', and He Yi creatively introduced Maserati and other luxury car prizes, igniting a trading frenzy, with TRX prices soaring by 1800% in a short period. At the same time, Binance relocated from a modest office in Shanghai to overseas, and she led the global expansion strategy, with user numbers surging from 2 million to 5 million, laying the international foundation for Binance.
CZ's imprisonment crisis: In 2023, Binance faced a $4.3 billion fine, and CZ pleaded guilty and was imprisoned for four months starting in April 2024. He Yi cleverly avoided personal legal accountability (although involved in company evasion strategies), stabilizing the situation with excellent crisis management, driving the user growth to 200 million. In 2025, she publicly responded to the listing controversy: 'We are fully committed to protecting BNB users, but compliance work does consume a lot of effort.
2025 Vision: In April, at the Hong Kong Web3 Festival, He Yi shared insights: 'AI reduces the burden of labor, and blockchain reshapes production relationships.' At this time, Binance's user base had exceeded 280 million, and she boldly set a grand goal of 1 billion users, repeatedly emphasizing DYOR (Do Your Own Research), demonstrating deep care and long-term planning for the community.
These milestones are not coincidences but iterations of He Yi's marketing philosophy of 'understanding human hearts'—from IEO to DeFi, she always grasps the opportunities.
(The story of the sister's recent cultivation is also great! I personally have a more Buddhist mindset and like 'Tao' culture!)
Controversy Analysis:
The thorns and misunderstandings under the queen's halo; He Yi's comeback is too dazzling, and controversies follow like a shadow:
The 'gossip trap' of personal privacy: The media often entangles her relationship with CZ (the two have three children), and Bloomberg even compares them to FTX's SBF and Caroline. He Yi responded: 'Private life and professional independence; don't overlook my achievements.' But this made her a 'shadow queen', and her influence is underestimated.
The 'behind-the-scenes facilitator' of the regulatory storm: In 2023, Binance faced a $4.3 billion fine, with documents showing He Yi involved in evading the U.S. user ban (illegal trading channels). Former executives pointed out that she 'ignored the rules, like CZ'. He Yi defended: 'We are a startup team, not legal experts, most of us do not understand English.' In 2025, she admitted, 'It's hard for a big ship to turn around; the organization is rigid,' but opposed the unproven accusations.
The 'double-edged sword' of listing & marketing: In February 2025, He Yi responded to community criticism: 'Listing is poor, and there is no wealth effect; it's an industry issue. We strongly discuss airdrops to care for BNB, but the product gaps are obvious.' Early 'girlfriend coin' doubts (favoring VC projects), she battled online: 'The crypto circle is a free market; VC unlocking is the norm.' In October 2025 (this black swan event), during a period of high volatility, tokens like USDe were unpegged, and she promised to compensate users for their losses.
My personal opinion: He Yi is the 'female version of CZ' in the coin circle—resilience is off the charts, but she is often labeled as 'dependent'. Regarding the regulatory issues, do you think she is a victim or a facilitator? If it were you facing a $4.3 billion fine, how would you stabilize the morale? Comment section battle: Is He Yi's marketing genius or a source of controversy? In 2025, she seems more like a strategist: 'Good projects shine on their own; time will prove it.' (Secretly sending eight characters I particularly like 'Peach and plum do not speak, yet a path is naturally formed', this phrase is also for the Binance platform; good products do not need to promote themselves!!!)
Contributions and Inspiration:
Binance, the perpetual motion machine of female crypto empowerment; He Yi's contributions go beyond Binance, igniting the 'women + marketing' revolution:
Technical Contribution: Leading Binance Labs, investing in hundreds of projects, promoting IEO and Launchpool. By 2025, Binance had 280 million users, and BNB's market value exceeded 90 billion, leading the integration of AI and blockchain (such as transparent incentive mechanisms).
Cultural Contribution: From 'queen of the coin circle' to a pioneer of women's rights, Binance provides maternity leave promotion support. Her blog emphasizes: 'Web3 is not just about making money; it is about rebuilding trust.' Her D&D-style narrative (like building worlds in games) moves crypto from geek culture to the masses.
Economic Contribution: In October 2025, Binance's daily trading exceeded 100 billion, and He Yi's net worth reached tens of billions. But she is low-key: 'My hobby is Binance.' From a rural girl to a billionaire, she proves: opportunities are equal, and women can also lead.
Future Inspiration: He Yi teaches us that a comeback is not a gift, but resilience and storytelling. In 2025, with stricter regulations and AI influx, she reminds us: DYOR, focus on value. In Binance's next era of 1 billion users, will you use her marketing philosophy to reap benefits or build an ecosystem? Think about it, from drawing water at the well to controlling an empire—are you brave enough to try to be the next 'queen of the coin circle'?
He Yi forged the legend of the queen of Binance with rural resilience and media brilliance. Is she the behind-the-scenes facilitator? The controversial queen? Or the girl who always smiles in the storm? Regardless, her comeback tells us: in the crypto world, opportunities are always left for those with stories. Leave a comment predicting whether BNB can break $2000 by the end of 2025!
If you think the author's writing is decent, please remember my name 'Foggy Visitor, hahaha' (I want to ensure the accuracy of the information and collect it, so I used AI tools, and some text was also polished using AI, but I guarantee that 80% of the content is all from my hard work, even when I was burning out from it!)