"This is a book about reading, written by someone who has read many books. The author's vision, thoughts, viewpoints, and wisdom are all related to his extensive reading, and all of this, in turn, forms the basis of the perspective and method with which he selects, criticizes, and praises books. Although this book is a summary of one person's reading experience, I believe it will offer guidance and help to many readers. I am happy to recommend this book."
—Mo Yan, Writer, Nobel Laureate in Literature

"Life has goals, progress has methods, and choice is paramount. Should one grope forward alone, or stand on the shoulders of giants? The author of this book hopes to merge these two paths, thereby forging a unique route that combines independent thinking and action with inclusivity and shared wisdom. See how he gained wisdom and courage from life-changing classic readings to draw a cognitive map that lasts a lifetime. It will surely inspire you!"
—Luo Zhenyu, Founder of Dedao App

"The accumulated knowledge created by humanity has long piled up into mountains. Diligence alone is insufficient to read it all, and one can easily get lost. But through careful selecting, connecting underlying logic and constructing a cognitive system, you too can master it. This is a meticulously crafted work, refined through repeated tempering, worth your time to read and contemplate."
—He Gang, Editor-in-Chief of Caijing Magazine, Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Business Review Chinese Edition

★ A cognitive upgrade guide from a billionaire entrepreneur! 15 Book Ranges × 34 Methods for Progress × 88 Core Works. This book helps readers understand which ideas truly define our world, enabling them to comprehend the world and take control of their lives.

★ The author, Dr. Chi Yufeng, started from scratch and founded Perfect World Holdings, whose businesses span over 100 countries and regions worldwide. His journey parallels that of cross-industry entrepreneurs like Elon Musk or Richard Branson. He himself is a living testament to "building a cognitive framework through reading and achieving remarkable success." His book selections and framework are strongly oriented towards practical application and validated by real-world results.

★ This book perfectly addresses two major challenges: "what to read" and "how to use it." Through 81 discussion topics closely linked to reality, it guides readers to actively connect classic ideas with contemporary challenges (e.g., tech ethics, social conflicts, personal choices). Simultaneously, the 34 provided methods for progress translate reading gains into actionable personal capabilities.

★ Life is about continuous progress, and progress means learning to see the world from the shoulders of giants.

This series includes 2 books:
Rebooting the Thinking System 1: A Seven-Step Method for Cognitive Upgrading from a Billionaire Entrepreneur
Rebooting the Thinking System 2: The Core Knowledge Map from a Billionaire Entrepreneur

This book unfolds through a powerful central metaphor: the "Book Range Map" and the "Human Civilization Edifice" model. The author compares humanity's core knowledge system to a grand edifice, with 15 clear Book Ranges (e.g., Philosophy, Psychology, Economics, History, Natural Sciences) serving as the structural steel beams supporting this building. The 88 core works carefully selected along these ranges are the key components constructing its floors and walls.

The book first systematically explains how these 15 ranges interconnect, collectively explaining the historical logic, current contradictions, and future trends of how the world operates. It helps readers understand how knowledge from different disciplines intertwines to shape our social, technological, and cultural realities.

Then, through the 88 core works and 81 contemporary, reality-grounded discussion topics, it guides readers to actively use the newly built knowledge framework for analysis and reflection. For example, how to use economic principles to understand current market fluctuations? How to view international conflicts through a historical lens? This design forces readers into interdisciplinary thinking, integrating classic theory with vivid reality.

Finally, the book provides 34 specific methods for progress—"thinking tools" the author distilled from extensive reading and entrepreneurial practice. They cover how to read efficiently, think dialectically, and transform knowledge into decisions and actions. These tools ensure that after building their cognitive framework, readers can continuously optimize and use it to tackle the vast majority of challenges in their careers and personal growth.

The author outlines the "Book Range Map" and erects the "Human Civilization Edifice," hoping to help readers quickly establish a macro understanding of the entire world. The 15 Book Ranges and 88 works are crucial—they constitute the world's contours, framework, boundaries, and even its logic and causality. It can be said that understanding them is understanding the historical process of the world, enabling one to see clearly all the contradictions, conflicts, and confusions of today's world; understanding them is gaining insight into life, mastering the codes to happiness, success, and wealth.

The 81 topics related to contemporary reality included in the book further encourage readers to think freely across disciplines and achieve mastery through comprehensive understanding. The 34 methods for progress will greatly benefit young readers; using these methods and their variations is sufficient to address the vast majority of challenges in real life.

"There are many books in the world, but not many are worth reading." True reading freedom is not about possessing an infinite number of books, but clearly knowing which ideas truly define your world. This book aims to answer a fundamental question: In an era of information overload, how can we, through reading, not merely accumulate more fragments of knowledge, but become truly wiser and able to apply that wisdom to real life?

Chi Yufeng, PhD
Visiting Professor of Management Practice, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University
Doctor of Business Administration, Singapore Management University
Doctor of Business Administration, University of Minnesota
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Tsinghua University
Founder of Hongen Education, Perfect Pictures, Perfect World Games, Zongheng Chinese Web, All-Knowledge

Established Hongen Education, developing educational software like The Beginning of the World and Worry-Free Everything; recently launched apps such as Hongen Literacy and Hongen Children's English, and the animated series Guardians of the Galaxy. Founded Perfect World Games, with games like Perfect World and Jade Dynasty receiving high acclaim and consistently ranking among China's top game exports. Founded Perfect Pictures, producing award-winning films like The Piano in a Factory and Love is Not Blind. Founded All-Knowledge (originally All-History), an AI knowledge graph platform showcasing comprehensive humanities and social sciences knowledge.

Awarded honors include 2012 Chinese Cultural Industry Person of the Year, 2014 Chinese Internet Person of the Year, 2016 Chinese Economic Person of the Year, and 2019 Internet Economy Person of the Year.