Feng Gensheng's character does not belong to the category of Zhejiang businessmen. In contrast to the low key and restrained nature of Zhejiang businessmen, he welcomes attention, is boastful and not afraid of getting into trouble on that score. He does not hesitate to do what he believes is the right thing even if it might offend people. He is nicknamed the "bohemian businessman."

He served his apprenticeship for three years as a shop assistant in Hu Qing Yu Tang (a leading Chinese traditional pharmacy). At that time he never dreamed he would one day buy the business out. In July 1972, when the No. 2 Hangzhou Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Works was founded, he became its director. In 1996, his enterprise bought out the insolvent Hu Qing Yu Tang that had been sliding down the trough for a number of years. The acquisition stopped this dip within five months and the following year it reported more than 11 million yuan in profits and taxes, which jumped to 65 million yuan in 2001.

It would be interesting to draw some kind of parallel between him and Hu Xueyan (1823-1885), who founded Hu Qing Yu Tang in 1874, Feng's grandfather was among the first group of workers at Hu's pharmacy. Among other attributes Hu advocated a commandment against cheating as his own motto in running his enterprise. In a matter of several years after Hu founded the pharmacy it had earned a name equal to that of the famous traditional Chinese pharmacy Tong Ren Tang in Beijing. Feng put the critically ill Hu Qing Yu Tang back on its feet and restored it to its former glory. The comparison does not end with this historical origin, for the two men share many common points in business concept and marketing methods.