Forbes' Top 1 Rich People in Southeast Asia

These are Hakkas and Chaoshan people (5 Su Xiaoming and 6 Li Chengwei)

Name, net assets (US dollars), nationality and age enterprises

1 Guo Henian (Chinese). 5.3 billion Malaysia 82 Kwok Group

2 ananda 5.1 billion Malaysia 67 Mingxun Communication Company

3 Kwek Leng Beng (Chinese) 4 billion Singapore 64 Hong Leong Group

4 Huang Zhixiang (Chinese) 3.2 billion Singapore 77 Sino Group

5 Su Xuming (Chinese) 3 billion Thailand 6 TCC Group

6 Li Chengwei (Chinese) 2.7 billion Singapore 74 Overseas Chinese Bank Group

7 Lin Wutong (Chinese) 2.6 billion Malaysia 87 genting highlands Casino

8 Guo Lingcan (Chinese) 2.4 billion Malaysia 64 Hong Leong Group

8 Huang Zuyao (Chinese) 2.4 billion Singapore 76 uob Group

1 Huizhong Huang (Chinese) 2.3 billion Indonesian 64 Djarum cigarette group

Generations of Chinese businessmen have become the wealth engine of Southeast Asia.

For hundreds of years, Chinese businessmen seem to be an inexhaustible engine, which plays a key role in the prosperity of Southeast Asia. In the "Forbes Rich List of Southeast Asia" released in September, we saw that nearly 3 of the 4 people on the list were Chinese, accounting for nearly three-quarters of the seats, and nine of the top ten were Chinese.

Among them are Guo Henian, a business magnate who has influenced the economic trend of Southeast Asia, and Thaksin, a political elite who has promoted the harmonious development of Asia. There are Chen Yongzai, an old entrepreneur who has fought in the battlefield for many years, and Lin Ailian, a young and creative junior.

It is extremely difficult for Chinese businessmen to enter the mainstream society in Southeast Asia in the early days, and it is rare for them to survive and enter the international stage for a long time. We have chosen a representative Chinese rich legend in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines to present to readers. We can see that their success is due to their hard work, hard work and accurate grasp of historical opportunities, on the other hand, it is also due to the influence of strict family education and China traditional culture.

With the gradual rise of China's economy, Chinese businessmen in Southeast Asia who are closely related to China and have different languages will also have a bigger stage to perform. They are also a force that inspires mainland enterprises in China to integrate into the global business society more quickly and to a greater extent.

Robert Kuok

Guo Henian

the richest man in Southeast Asia

Age: 82

Enterprise: Chairman of Guo Group

Wealth: US$ 5.3 billion

Chinese background:

Guo Henian's ancestral home is Fuzhou, Fujian, China. Father Guo Qinjian came to Malaysia from scratch in 199. Guo Henian, who grew up in this family atmosphere, inherited the traditional virtues of China people, such as hard work, frugality and simplicity, and filial piety. Guo Henian has repeatedly stressed: "My mother has contributed a lot to my achievements today, and she is also the person who has the greatest influence on my life." Since 199s, Guo Henian has focused its investment on China, its native land, and donated 5 million yuan to the Hope Project. He once said: "My heart is divided into two parts, one is the country where I grew up, and the other is the hometown where my parents grew up."

Legend of wealth creation:

Guo Henian, who started his business at the age of 25 and still "retired", has created a huge business kingdom integrating sugar, hotels, real estate, shipping, insurance and media, spanning the Asia-Pacific region such as Singapore, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Fiji and Australia, and has famous brands such as Shangri-La Hotel and Hong Kong South China Morning Post. He is described as the most widely known Malaysian in the international community. Guo Henian experienced all the changes in business circles in the last century, during which there were both rare opportunities for development and the global Great Depression. In this regard, Guo Henian's view is: "Crisis is opportunity. A businessman must be sensitive and alert to the current situation. "

in the late 194s, it was the recovery period after World War II. Shortly after graduating from Raffles College in Singapore in 1948, Guo Henian founded Likwu Company in Singapore, mainly engaged in ship shipping and general business. Since then, he has formed a lifelong indissoluble bond with the shipping industry.

the 196s was the period of sturm und drang, and Guo Henian carried forward the sugar trade business left over from his father's time and won the reputation of "the sugar king of Asia". He seized the opportunity to establish the first sugar factory in Malaysia, leased a large area of land from the government to grow sugar cane, and quickly established a sales network all over Malaysia, forming an "integrated management" system of "raw materials-processing-sales". In 197, before the world sugar price rose, he bought white sugar and invested in white sugar futures on a large scale in the international market. So far, it has controlled 8% of Malaysia's raw sugar market and occupied 1% of the world sugar market.

the 197s was a period of expanding territory. Since 1971, Guo Henian has officially entered the hotel industry and invested RM 1 million to set up the first Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. Later, he set up bases in capitals or big cities of many countries, extending all the way from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Hongkong and Fiji to the mainland of China. Shangri-La Hotel Group has now become an internationally famous five-star hotel brand.

In the 198s, when the world economy was depressed, there was a phenomenon of "supply exceeding demand" in the shipping industry, and the cargo volume of cargo ships was greatly reduced, which caused Guo Henian to suffer serious losses. However, the decision to invest in China in the late 198s paved the way for another peak of his career. He became a pioneer for Malaysian enterprises to enter the mainland of China, and today he can finally share the most generous rewards. Over the past 15 years, he has invested more than 5 billion US dollars to build the most upscale office buildings in Beijing, such as International Trade Building, Kerry Center and World Trade Center, and built nearly 2 Shangri-La hotels in China.

The 199s were the icing on the cake, and Guo Henian extended its reach to the media and film and television industries. His flagship Kerry Group in Hong Kong acquired the South China Morning Post, an English newspaper in Hong Kong, and then entered Hong Kong TVB, making him an important local media tycoon.

It can be said that Guo Henian's success lies in its ability to capture the hot spots of economic growth in various times. Almost every 1 years, Guo Henian has entered a new field and continuously expanded his business empire. Guo Henian's extraordinary courage, talent, superior judgment and never-ending spirit have made him an outstanding representative of the older generation of entrepreneurs.

Lucio Tan

Chen Yongzai

The richest man in the Philippines

Age: 71 years old

Enterprise: Chairman of United Bank of the Philippines and Philippine Airlines

Wealth: US$ 1.9 billion

Chinese background:

Chen Yongzai was born in Jinjiang, Fujian Province in 1934, and went to the Philippines to make a living with his parents at the age of 3. Although he was born in poverty, he inherited his mother's instruction and loved to study Chinese culture since childhood. Since childhood, he has developed the habit of learning China's poems and classics. He can recite Sun Tzu's The Art of War and The Analects of Confucius, and often use the philosophy in this treasure house to deal with the business problems he faces, laying a solid foundation for him to become a successful Confucian businessman now. At present, China Mainland is the main investment area of Chen Yongzai, which is concentrated in three major industries: real estate, finance and beer. He has devoted countless efforts to overseas Chinese education. In the past five years, he has sponsored more than 2, Filipino Chinese students to come to China for short-term training.

Legend of wealth creation:

Chen Yongzai was ambitious since childhood and determined to start his own business. While working as a handyman in a cigarette factory, he worked part-time to complete his studies in the Department of Chemical Engineering of Manila Far East University. At the age of 2, he tried to set up a starch processing factory. Although this attempt failed, he quickly stood up and borrowed money to start a chemical company, which later became the cornerstone of Chen Yongzai's huge career.

in p>1964, Chen Yongzai established Fuchuan cigarette factory, which was positioned in the medium cigarette market with a wide audience, and boldly introduced the world's most advanced cigarette production line to the Philippines. By the end of 197s, Fuchuan Cigarette Factory had developed into the largest cigarette factory in the Philippines. Since then, Chen Yongzai has turned its attention to industries related to the national economy and people's livelihood. With its extraordinary business sense and generous strategy, it has established its own industrial kingdoms such as tobacco, beer, banking, aviation, real estate, oil refining, tourism and construction, and has more than 1 enterprises and properties in Southeast Asia, Europe, America and China, with total assets of nearly 1 billion US dollars.

Chen Yongzai has foresight, dares to take risks and is good at seizing business opportunities where others are not paying attention. He often said: "victory or defeat is a common occurrence in military strategists." Opportunities and risks coexist, and there are countless business opportunities in the crisis. " In 1987, when Hong Kong returned to the negotiations, the stock market plummeted, and many Hong Kong businessmen either waited and saw or transferred their funds to Europe and America. Coincided with the auction of Yujing Garden land, Chen Yongzai did not hesitate to pay HK$ 5 million for the bid. In 1994, the value of Yujing Garden reached HK$ 1 billion, which impressed business colleagues. After that, he successively invested in hotels, office buildings, shopping malls, senior residences, Kowloon City and other projects in Hong Kong, and the snowball rolled bigger and bigger.

Chen Yongzai has a generous personality and often makes unexpected big decisions. He often said: "I dare to touch the tiger's ass that others dare not touch." If you don't do one thing, you will do it well. " In 1995, Chen Yongzai bought the Philippine state-owned airline, which suffered losses year after year. He said, "Philippine Airlines" represents the Philippines and cannot be destroyed. I want to run "Philippine Airlines" well and win glory for the Philippines. Since then, Chen Yongzai has carried out drastic management reforms, invested US$ 4 billion, upgraded 4 aircraft one after another, and opened up a number of new international routes. Since 2, Philippine Airlines has finally turned losses into profits, which is deeply admired by Filipinos in Chen Yongzai.

Olivia Lum

Lin Ailian

Age: 45

Enterprise: President of Singapore Kaifa Group

Wealth: US$ 24 million

Chinese background:

Lin Ailian, born in Malaysia in p>1961, was an orphan of Chinese origin. A kind-hearted Chinese old woman adopted her and cultivated her with love, who loved life and was strong and eager to learn. To this day, Lin Ailian still maintains a simple life, and the biggest expense is to support charities for retired people, children and education. Kaifa Group, which she leads, is also constantly promoting the water resources regeneration projects in resource-based water-deficient cities in China. From the simple desire to let her mother-in-law live in a big house at first to the grand scene of promoting "water resources regeneration" now, the Chinese entrepreneur complex of Qijia Jishi has been best reflected in Lin Ailian.

Legend of wealth creation:

Born in poverty and visionary, she was rated as the richest woman in Southeast Asia by Forbes with a total assets of 24 million US dollars ... This series of keywords made Lin Ailian's story quickly interpreted as an inspirational legend in the global Chinese circle. Reversing adversity, grasping opportunities and assiduous concentration have made her turn for the better again and again in her life.

With the strong demand for water treatment solutions in many parts of the world, Hyflux, a water treatment company built by Lin Ailian, has become one of the largest water treatment companies in Singapore, and has been a hot stock in the stock market since it was listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange in 2. In fact, all the success, in Lin Ailian's view, is completely a "foresight" gamble on the future.

After graduating from the National University of Singapore, Lin Ailian joined a local Dutch pharmaceutical company as a pharmacist, with a generous salary and a foreseeable career future. After working for 3 years, Lin Ailian, who has a keen eye, decided that the wastewater recycling market has a huge development space. He resolutely gave up his stable job with an annual salary of 4, US dollars, sold his house and car, and founded Kaifa Group with 12, US dollars as the main business to provide wastewater purification systems. "I didn't have any business plan at that time, but I know that water is a good business." Perhaps the hard memory of saving rain in childhood strengthened her determination to act.

The company was founded with only three people, while there were 2 companies in this industry in Singapore at that time. In order to break through, Lin Ailian decided to focus on wastewater purification by membrane technology. She personally rode a motorcycle and traveled between Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in the scorching sun, selling her company's filters and water treatment softeners door to door and factory to factory.

In p>1992, Lin Ailian realized that the company needed a broader market for development. With her background as a Chinese and excellent Chinese, she wisely began to enter the mainland market in China. At that time, 1 friends, including my mentor when I was studying in college, voted for her with great confidence, and each of them contributed about S $1, to support her development. But the fact once again proved Lin Ailian's outstanding vision, and the company began to make profits in 1998. In the past eight years, the operating income of group companies has increased at an average rate of 55%. This year, their expected income will quadruple to 18 million US dollars. And the company's stock is also bullish all the way, and the price per share has risen from 19 cents in 21 to 2 dollars recently.

Today, the company's business has expanded to China, Indian, Middle East and Africa, and Kaifa has become the only enterprise in the industry to provide complete applicable water solutions with its unique vision. "It will continue to develop at a rate of 3% in the next five years, and the company's operating income will reach 7 million US dollars in 21." This is Lin Ailian's goal commitment and her dream of focusing on developing the company into a liquid treatment expert and achieving a "water kingdom" not only in Southeast Asia, but also in Asia as a whole.

Thaksin Shinawatra

Thaksin

Thailand's re-elected Prime Minister

Age: 56

Enterprise: founded Sinava Computer Company, which owns the largest telecom enterprise in Thailand

Wealth: US$ 1.3 billion

Chinese background:

Thaksin's Chinese name is Qiu Daxin, and he is the fourth generation of Chinese in Thailand. Great-grandfather migrated from Chaozhou in 198. His mother was a Hakka in Meizhou and came to Thailand as a child. Talking about the reasons for his success, he said: "It depends on the good character of Hakkas in business and makes a fortune by honesty. This is the most precious heritage handed down from the ancestors of Hakka. " He also said that he advocates the loyalty and filial piety of Confucianism, is loyal to the country and the people, and respects his parents and ancestors. As a Chinese, Thaksin attaches great importance to relations with China. In recent years, Thaksin has been committed to promoting regional cooperation and hopes to speed up the negotiation process of ASEAN-China Free Trade Area.

Legend of wealth creation:

Thais like to describe Prime Minister thaksin shinawatra with words such as "gentle", "knowledgeable", "resourceful" and "sociable".

huge personal wealth is a key advantage for Thaksin to build a national political network, so where does his abundant funds come from? When Thaksin first entered politics, many people speculated that he was born into a wealthy family. In fact, he started his business from scratch, and in 1 years, he made a three-step leap from an excellent police officer to a telecom tycoon to a politician who planned things.

Thaksin was born in an ordinary family in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand in 1949. He received a good education since childhood. In 1966, he was admitted to Bangkok Police Academy. Four years later, he graduated first in the school and won a government scholarship.