They used to be program managers at leading IT companies in Silicon Valley. They led comfortable lives back in the United States, but they gave them up to start from zero in China. Are they really "crazy" as their parents and friends say? Our reporter Shuangfeng takes a closer look.

ECitySky's team poses for a picture at the gate of their office in Tsinghua Science Park in northwestern Beijing. Keen Browne, Phil Harton, Clement Song and Frank Yu, mentioned in the report, are pictured from left to right in the second row. [Photo: Courtesy of ECitySky]

Reporter:
   

"Right now in the United States, there is a sort of mystery about China. Some of the press is negative, but a lot of companies and a lot of people in general are trying to figure out China. What is China about? How does it work? I sort of figure that there is no better way to understand China than to go to China."

Keen Browne, a former technical program manager at Microsoft, decided to build an information technology start-up not only to satisfy his curiosity about China, but also to fulfill a life-long dream.

When Browne was still a college student, he started to talk about starting a company with his classmates and good friends Clement Song and Phil Harton.

After graduation, they all gravitated toward big companies in the IT industry. Song and Browne went to Microsoft and Harton went to Google. Everything was normal until one day in 2006 when the three friends had a lively discussion about their shared dream. Song suggested they start a virtual world platform company in China, where the industry is still undeveloped. But would the Chinese accept the concept of a computer-based simulated environment where they could have a digital persona and interact with others via avatars? And could the three men beat their Chinese competitors who seemed to know more about the virtual world market here?

Harton hesitated before he decided to leave Google, pondering whether he wanted to stop working for one of the leading companies in the American IT industry where he was more or less guaranteed a bright future.

"It wasn't easy for me to make the decision to leave because I hadn't even worked at Google for a year. I was still learning a lot there. I was attached to the U.S. and the people there, so it was pretty hard to leave. But I ended up deciding to leave to pursue my dream."

The trio finally realized their dream by starting ECitySky at Tsinghua Science Park in northwestern Beijing in late 2007. Their company helps people to create digital versions of their homes in which they can interact with their virtual friends. Harton explains,

"We are not actually making a game ourselves. We are creating a tool that will let other people create their own games. The unique thing about what we are making is that you don't have to be a computer scientist and you don't have to be a technical person to create these games."

Although similar companies are focusing on providing platforms for 3-D games, ECitySky stresses the educational aspects of the game is creating. Harton said the trio hopes the virtual worlds they create will be not only a good source of entertainment, but also an effective tool for teachers and students.

"One thing we very much believe in is the use of the game in education. We hope our products will be used not just for entertainment, but also to create games that can actually teach people things that they can benefit from."

When you enter ECitySky's office, you immediately see and feel the company's entrepreneur spirit and energetic atmosphere. Can this group of young guys succeed? Their actions speak louder than words.

Up to now, the three company founders have been quite satisfied with their decision and have great confidence in their team. In their eyes, they are not only investing in a company, but also investing in China.

After living in China for several months, Browne and Harton are amazed by the changes they've witnessed. Everything is new and exciting for them. Browne finds the amount of construction work shocking. He compares Beijing to the states of California and Washington, where he used to work.

"These are fast-paced places because the technology is changing all the time. But Beijing, particularly in this last year, is changing very rapidly -- amazingly fast. You can tell, even as a foreigner, if you come here week to week, there is new building going up and new companies starting. It's fun, and it's a fun time to be in China."

Starting and running a company is never an easy job, especially when you do that in an unfamiliar country with different culture and different management methods. However, Keen, Clement and Phil are all optimistic and believe in their decision. They are realizing their life-long dream bit by bit in China.