China's richest person is 43-year-old Zhang Yiming, founder of ByteDance. The Hurun Research Institute released its '2026 Hurun China Rich List' on October 27, marking the 28th annual ranking of the country's wealthiest individuals. The valuation date for the assets was September 1 of this year.
Zhang's wealth increased by 200 billion yuan from the previous year to 670 billion yuan ($133 billion), reclaiming the title of China's richest person after two years. This is the first time the wealth of the country's richest individual has surpassed 600 billion yuan. The rise in ByteDance's valuation, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), is cited as a key factor behind this increase.
In second place is Zhong Shanshan, 72, chairman of Nongfu Spring, with a fortune of 410 billion yuan, down 120 billion yuan from last year. The ongoing stagnation in China's domestic market has led to a decline in Nongfu Spring's stock price, as well as that of its subsidiary, Wantai BioPharma.
Third place goes to Zeng Yuqun, 58, chairman of CATL, whose wealth rose by 55 billion yuan to 385 billion yuan.
Fourth is Ma Huateng, 55, chairman of Tencent, whose fortune decreased by 119 billion yuan (26%) to 346 billion yuan. While Tencent's gaming, advertising, and fintech sectors remained stable, the company's valuation on the Hong Kong stock market faced adjustments.
Fifth place is held by He Xiangjian, 84, founder of Midea Group, and his family, with a fortune of 310 billion yuan, an increase of 32 billion yuan. Midea's success in globalizing its appliance business has contributed to its rising valuation.
In sixth place are Chen Jianhua and Fan Hongwei, a couple whose wealth increased by 112 billion yuan to 302 billion yuan. The steady growth of Hengli Group's chemical fiber, refining, and shipbuilding businesses, along with the rising market capitalization of related listed companies, has driven this increase.
Seventh is Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, who is 41 years old and made his debut on the top 100 list this year with a fortune of 280 billion yuan. DeepSeek has made significant waves in the global AI industry with its open-source large language model.
In eighth place is Ding Lei, 55, founder of NetEase, whose wealth decreased by 45 billion yuan to 275 billion yuan. Li Ka-shing, 98, founder of CK Hutchison Holdings, and his son Li Zeju maintained their ninth position with a fortune of 253 billion yuan, an increase of 18 billion yuan. Tenth place is held by Chen Tianzhu, 41, chairman of semiconductor company Cambrian, whose wealth rose by 25 billion yuan to 205 billion yuan.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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