????姚明現年31歲，身高2.29米（7英尺6英寸），在NBA九年的職業生涯，讓他成為中國最著名的運動員。退役后的“小巨人”如何再創輝煌？答案就是：成為一名技術投資者。

????據報道，前休斯頓火箭隊（Houston Rockets）中鋒姚明憑借薪金和代言協議積累的財富超過1.5億美元，已經回到中國的他正開始譜寫自己的第二人生，如今，姚明的身份由球員變成了風險投資家、慈善家、葡萄酒商兼學生。不過與他的運動生涯相比，他的第二人生更具有挑戰性，而回報卻并沒有那么豐厚。

????姚明在多個行業內均有投資，其中包括在巨鯨音樂網（Top100.cn）投資約600萬美元。巨鯨音樂網主要依靠廣告支持，是北京巨鯨音樂網絡技術有限責任公司（Orca Digital）與谷歌（Google）合作推出的數字音樂網站。面向中國消費者的巨鯨音樂網一直飽受盜版在線音樂的困擾。2010年，谷歌出于對中國大陸審查制度的擔憂，將服務器轉移到香港，導致巨鯨音樂網的流量大幅減少。不過，巨鯨音樂CEO陳戈仍表示姚明對網站發揮了重要的作用：去年夏天，姚明參觀了巨鯨音樂網的辦公室，并與管理層交流了公司的策略，甚至主動與公司35名員工一一合影。

????此外，姚明還收購了CBA球隊上海大鯊魚籃球俱樂部（Shanghai Sharks），這里正是姚明成長起來的地方。很顯然，這次投資完全是出于他對老東家的感情：2009年姚明收購上海隊時，俱樂部因為資金短缺一度面臨無法參加新賽季的窘境。據預測，大鯊魚俱樂部每年的運營成本超過310萬美元。《姚明傳》（Operation Yao Ming）的作者布魯克?拉爾默稱：“我想他認為自己有義務挺身而出，拯救這家俱樂部。”拉爾默認為，大鯊魚俱樂部將使姚明重新回歸CBA聯賽，并影響中國籃球的發展之路。他表示：“我認為此舉更大的好處是將NBA標準帶給中國籃球。”

????雖然姚明拒絕對他的技術或體育投資過多評論，不過在接受《財富》雜志（Fortune）采訪時，他卻同意談論姚家族葡萄酒公司（Yao Family Wines）。公司位于美國加州納帕谷，主要從附近葡萄園收購葡萄。酒莊于去年11月成立，出產的首瓶葡萄酒是納帕谷赤霞珠干紅葡萄酒（Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon），每支定價1,775元，約合170美元。目前，姚明正在計劃擴張：公司打算在明年購買屬于自己的土地。該葡萄酒已在中國香港上市，今年秋天將登陸美國市場。姚明是公司大老板，但他并未透露具體投資金額。有專家表示，新開一家酒莊的前期資本投資通常在200-500萬美元左右。

????姚明稱，他之所以與葡萄酒結緣，皆因火箭隊的前隊友迪肯貝?穆托姆博。看到“穆大叔”在吃牛排的時候，輕搖酒杯，聞一聞酒香，這激發了姚明的好奇心，逐漸學到了更多與酒有關的知識。他說：“倒一杯紅酒，坐在家里，聽聽音樂，看看書，這能讓我真正感到舒適和平靜。”在邁向后籃球時代，為龐大的商業帝國忙碌之時，姚明或許會很高興正好有一個投資項目能給他帶來舒適和平靜。

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????What does a 31-year-old, 7-foot 6-inch guy in China do for an encore after a nine-year NBA career that made him his country's most famous athlete? Become a tech investor, of course.

????Yao Ming, the former Houston Rockets center who has reportedly amassed a $150 million-plus fortune in salary and endorsement deals, is reinventing himself in China as a venture capitalist, philanthropist, vintner, and student. But thus far, his second act is proving more challenging -- and far less lucrative -- than his sports career.

????He's pumped his own money into various businesses, including nearly $6 million into Top100.cn, an ad-supported digital-music partnership between Beijing-based Orca Digital and Google (GOOG, Fortune 500). The site for Chinese consumers has struggled to compete with pirated online music services, and in 2010 traffic fell dramatically when Google rerouted China traffic to its Hong Kong site over censorship concerns. Still, Orca CEO Gary Chen says that Yao has been supportive: He stopped by Top100.cn's offices last summer, met with management about the company's strategy, and even offered to take individual photos with its 35 employees.

????He's also purchased the Shanghai Sharks, the Chinese Basketball Association squad where he spent his formative years. The move is clearly a labor of love: When Yao bought the team in 2009, it was in danger of failing to start the new season because it lacked the financial resources; by some estimates, the annual cost of running the Sharks is more than $3.1 million. "I think he felt an obligation in swooping in and trying to save the club," says Brook Larmer, author of the biography Operation Yao Ming. Larmer sees the Sharks as a way for Yao to get back into the CBA and influence the way basketball is developed in China. "I think it's more about bringing NBA standards to Chinese basketball," Larmer says.

????While Yao declined to comment extensively on his tech or sports investments, he did agree to talk with Fortune about Yao Family Wines, a winery in California's Napa Valley that sources grapes from nearby vineyards. The winery was founded in November, and its first bottle was a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon priced at 1,775 yuan, or $170. Yao is already planning an expansion: The company aims to buy its own land in the coming years. The wines are now available in Hong Kong, and they should hit U.S. shelves this fall. Yao is the principal owner, and although he would not disclose how much he has invested, experts say a new winery usually requires $2 million to $5 million in capital upfront.

????Yao says he first learned to appreciate wine from watching ex-teammate Dikembe Mutombo swirl and sniff his wineglass, often during steak dinners, sparking a curiosity in him to learn more. "When you drink a glass of wine, you sit at home, listen to some music, or read a book," he says. "It really makes me feel comfortable and peaceful." With a bustling post-basketball empire, Yao may be happy to have one business in his portfolio that gives him comfort and peace.