Zhong Shanshan has had quite a year.
Last January he was already a billionaire worth around $ 7 billion. But in 2020, the Chinese businessman’s wealth increased by tens of billions, making him one of the richest people in the world within a few months.
In September, Zhong made headlines that he got richer than Alibaba founder Jack Ma, making him the richest person in China. By the end of December, the 66-year-old had grown another $ 17 billion in net worth, making him the richest person in Asia. Zhong’s net worth peaked at $ 95 billion in early January and is now at $ 84.7 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index. He’s only a few billion behind Warren Buffett.
Zhong is chairman of two companies: bottled water company Nongfu Spring and vaccine maker Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise. In 2020, Zhong took both companies public, adding more than $ 70 billion to its net worth.
Zhong’s wealth surpassed Asia’s former richest man, Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, who heads one of India’s largest conglomerates. Ambani, who is worth $ 74.7 billion, and his family are known for their lavish lifestyles. You live in an incredible $ 1 billion skyscraper home and hang out with the likes of Hillary Clinton and BeyoncĂ©, who appeared at Ambani’s daughter’s wedding in 2018.
Asia’s new richest man, on the other hand, tends to fly under the radar. Zhong is known as the “lone wolf” because he is not involved in politics and, according to Bloomberg, rarely appears in public or speaks to the media. And very little is known about his personal life with no reports of lavish spending habits.
Here’s what we know about the lifestyle of Zhong Shanshan, the mysterious billionaire who is now richer than anyone in Asia.