Zhong Shanshan, richest man in China

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Zhong Shanshan, who made his fortune in mineral water and Covid-19 testing is now the richest man in China and even Asia. At the age of 65, the sixth place winner on the Hurun list started as a bricklayer. It now weighs nearly 71 billion euros and is presented in the Chinese press as the anti-Jack Ma.

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, famous Alibaba boss, 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 the commonalities, the king of bottling is also a marketing ace who, after focusing on spring water, did not hesitate to lie by claiming that filtered water was harmful to health. His competitors sued him a few years ago, which he lost, reports the Chinese press .

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. On two occasions he attempted 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. Otherwise, as with Jack Ma, the last straw could break the camel's back.