Zhong Shanshan, richest man in China, king of the water bottle and "anti-Jack Ma"
Zhong Shanshan, May 6, 2013. AFP - STR
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Zhong Shanshan, who made his fortune in mineral water and Covid-19 testing, is now the richest man in China and even Asia.
At 65, the sixth-place finish on the Hurun list started out as a bricklayer.
It now weighs nearly 71 billion euros and is presented in the Chinese press as the "anti-Jack Ma".
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With our correspondent in Beijing
,
Stéphane Lagarde
A “drop of water” made the fortune of one who was still unknown outside of China before the introduction of its famous brand of spring water on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last September.
Unlike Jack Ma, Zhong Shanshan is a low-key man who shies away from public appearances, and his success owes nothing to digital.
No e-commerce, no high technology, but a product that is most basic and at the same time essential in a country where drinking water is not found at the tap.
The famous Nongfu Spring bottles with red caps, known to all Chinese,
have conquered more than a quarter of the national mineral water market in 25 years
.
For common, "the king of the bottling of
e
" is also a marketing ace who, having concentrated on spring water, did not hesitate to lie by stating that the filtered water was harmful for health.
His competitors sued him a few years ago, which he lost,
reports the Chinese press
.
lone wolf
Another common point: the headquarters of the Nongfu group are also located in Hangzhou, near Shanghai.
And finally, his career: as for the founder of Alibaba, Zhong Shanshan is a
self-made man
who fits perfectly into the framework
of President Xi Jinping's
new “
Chinese dream
”.
He twice tried the university entrance exam, which he failed.
Successively a mason, carpenter, drink seller and even journalist, according to the state media, he has above all a sense of business and the health crisis.
The other pillar of this colossal fortune is a biopharmaceutical group, Yangshengtang Wantai, which entered the juicy market for Covid-19 screening tests last year.
This business acumen does not protect against slippage.
The man is also known to be a "lone wolf" with a strong character, a strong head who will have to stay within the limits set by the Communist Party.
If not like Jack Ma, the last straw could overflow the camel's back.
► To read also: China: the clash between Jack Ma and Xi Jin Ping
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