10 Influential Chinese Entrepreneurs

China has quickly become a global powerhouse in terms of economic output and growth. Formerly a communist economy, the Chinese government has loosened its stance regarding private ownership and the ability to create a private business. As a result, many of the world’s millionaires and billionaires are now found in China, where, unsurprisingly, technology start-ups dominate the entrepreneurial landscape.

Key Takeaways

• The list of top Chinese entrepreneurs is topped by people with technology backgrounds.
• These entrepreneurs created computer companies, e-commerce websites, and even food and drink companies.
• There are many more successful Chinese entrepreneurs in many other industries.

Influential Chinese Entrepreneurs

Many of China’s millionaires and entrepreneurs come from a tech background, which makes sense, given their access to low-cost electronics. However, many influential entrepreneurs on this list made their money in traditional businesses, like energy supply and mining.

Liu Chuanzhi

Net worth: $609 million (as of October 2024)

Liu founded the personal computer (PC) maker Lenovo (LNVGY). Created in 1984 in a garage near the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing as a small computer reseller, Lenovo is one of the world’s leading makers of PCs, including desktops, notebooks, and servers. Lenovo famously acquired IBM’s (IBM) PC business in 2005. In December 2019, the company announced that Liu would retire as the chair of Lenovo Group’s parent company, Legend Holdings.

Liu Qiangdong

Net worth: $8.2 billion (as of October 2024)

China’s version of Amazon (AMZN), JD.com (JD), was founded in 1998 by Liu Qiangdong, also known as Richard Liu. The e-commerce giant garnered nearly $152 billion in net revenues for the fiscal year 2023, an increase of 3.5% from 2022.

On June 18, 2020, JD.com successfully listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with a global offering of 152,912,100 new Class A ordinary shares. These shares are fully fungible with JD.com’s American depositary shares (ADSs) listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, based on the ratio of two ordinary shares per ADS.

Lei Jun

Net worth: $19.7 billion (as of October 2024)

Lei founded Xiaomi, one of the largest mobile phone producers in the world. Created in 2010 to manufacture inexpensive smartphones, it has also branched into app development through its subsidiaries, Kingsoft and Cheetah Mobile. Jun also created internet services provider Xunlei.

Wang Wenyin

Net worth: $12.7 billion (as of October 2024)

Wenyin is the chair of Amer International Group, a company that deals in metals, mining, and industrial products. He has capitalized on China’s increasing demand for raw materials and metals in building its cities and infrastructure. He stepped down from Shenzen Amer, a primary subsidiary, in October 2023.

Zong Qinghou

Net worth: $5.9 billion (as of October 2024)

Zong founded the food and beverage maker Hangzhou Wahaha Group, which started as a small shop in a children’s school in the city of Hangzhou. The company’s core products are bottled water and tea drinks that are exceedingly popular throughout Asia. He passed away in February 2024.

Li Hejun

Net worth: $1.9 billion (as of October 2024)

Li is the chair of renewable energy giant Hanergy Holding Group, which specializes in solar panel technology. Capitalizing on strong government incentives in China to develop and extend alternative energy sources, Hejun made a fortune that put his net worth over $13 billion at one point.

Since his peak, his companies have fallen on some hard times, and his net worth is not what it once was. His company also runs one of the world’s largest hydroelectric power plants.

Wang Jianlin

Net worth: $5 billion (as of October 2024)

Wang Jianlin chairs Dalian Wanda Group, a conglomerate consisting of luxury hotel properties, commercial real estate, and e-commerce ventures. Jianlin was once worth tens of billions due to the incredible property boom that China experienced since 2010. He has since sold most of his portfolio. He also once held a large stake in the European soccer club Atletico Madrid.

Ma Huateng

Net worth: $50.4 billion (as of October 2024)

“Pony Ma” Huateng is the founder of Tencent (TCEHY), China’s largest internet service provider. The company’s most popular social media app, WeChat, has grown to attract over 1.3 billion users. The company also offers online games and free add-on services such as text messaging.

Robin Li

Net worth: $6.6 billion (as of October 2024)

Li is the CEO and chair of Baidu (BIDU), China’s number one search engine, sometimes referred to as China’s Google. Li first worked as a senior computer engineer at American internet startup Infoseek. Li co-founded Baidu in 2000 which has, since its inception, dominated the Chinese search engine market.

Jack Ma

Net Worth: $26.1 billion (as of October 2024)

Ma founded Alibaba Group (BABA). Alibaba was created in 1999 as a Chinese e-commerce site reminiscent of Amazon or eBay. It soon found popularity as a place for Chinese factories to offer their products in bulk worldwide. Alibaba was the biggest IPO of 2014, but Ma stepped down as executive chairman in 2019.

Who Is the Most Famous Entrepreneur in China?

There are many famous Chinese entrepreneurs, but one of the most successful is Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba.

Who Is the Most Influential Figure in Chinese History?

Two of the most well-known Chinese figures globally are Confucius and Sun Tzu. However, there are many influential figures in China’s long history, from emperors to empresses, generals, monks, and more.

Who Is the Powerful Chinese Businessman?

There are many successful business people in China, such as Ren Zhengfei (Huawei), Pony Ma Huateng (Tencent), and Dong Mingzhu (Gree Electric Appliances).

The Bottom Line

China is emerging as an information and technology giant, with many entrepreneurs creating successful businesses that have reached global audiences. These 10 are only the beginning of a long list of people achieving their goals in one of the world’s largest countries.

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