Hangzhou, a major tech hub in China, is again home to the holder of the top spot on the list. However, instead of the city’s e-commerce king—Jack Ma, who ranked No. 1 last year—bottled water king Zhong Shanshan takes the crown this year. The chairman and founder of Nongfu Spring tops the list with a $65.9 billion fortune, up from $53.9 billion last year, when he ranked No. 3. Zhong’s net worth has soared since Nongfu Spring’s Hong Kong IPO in September 2020. About a sixth of his estimated wealth comes from vaccine maker Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy, which listed in Shanghai in April 2020.
Zhong, 66, came of age in business after China’s chaotic Cultural Revolution. The elementary school dropout held jobs as a construction worker, newspaper reporter and beverage sales agent before founding his bottled water business in 1996. His 32-year-old son, Shu Zi, who has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California at Irvine, sits on Nongfu Spring’s board of directors.
Water still accounts for more than half of Nongfu Spring’s revenue despite it diversifying into other beverages, including coffee, tea and juices. Nongfu held its own amid the pandemic. Sales rose 31% in the first half of 2021 to 15.2 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) from a year ago. It competes against Wahaha, led by billionaire Zong Qinghou, who ranks No. 65 this year, and Eastroc Beverage, whose chairman Lin Muqin debuts on the list following its May IPO.
Forbes List of Richest People of China
 | #1 | Zhong Shanshan | $65.9 B | 67 |
 | #2 | Zhang Yiming | $59.4 B | 38 |
 | #3 | Robin Zeng | $50.8 B | 53 |
 | #4 | Ma Huateng | $49.1 B | 50 |
 | #5 | Jack Ma | $41.5 B | 57 |
 | #6 | Colin Zheng Huang | $33.1 B | 41 |
 | #7 | He Xiangjian | $32.1 B | 79 |
 | #8 | Wei Jianjun | $31 B | 57 |
 | #9 | William Lei Ding | $30 B | 50 |
 | #10 | Wang Wei | $28.8 B | 51 |
 | #11 | Yang Huiyan | $27.8 B | 40 |
 | #12 | Qin Yinglin | $25.1 B | 56 |
 | #13 | Pang Kang | $23.9 B | 65 |
 | #14 | Wang Chuanfu | $23.5 B | 55 |
 | #15 | Huang Shilin | $22.9 B | 55 |
 | #16 | Sun Piaoyang | $22.7 B | 63 |
 | #17 | Li Shufu | $22.4 B | 58 |
 | #18 | Wang Xing | $21.9 B | 42 |
 | #19 | Li Xiting | $21.4 B | 71 |
| #20 | Luo Liguo | $21.3 B | 65 |
| #21 | Fan Hongwei | $21.1 B | 55 |
 | #22 | Jiang Rensheng | $20.7 B | 68 |
 | #23 | Xu Hang | $19.4 B | 55 |
| #24 | Lu Xiangyang | $18.6 B | 59 |
 | #25 | Wang Wenyin | $18.3 B | 54 |
 | #26 | Lei Jun | $17.9 B | 52 |
 | #27 | Chen Bang | $17.8 B | 56 |
 | #28 | Richard Qiangdong Liu | $17.6 B | 47 |
 | #29 | Zhang Zhidong | $17 B | 50 |
 | #30 | Liu Hanyuan | $16.2 B | 58 |
 | #31 | Gong Hongjia | $14.8 B | 57 |
| #32 | Pei Zhenhua | $14.7 B | 63 |
 | #33 | Wang Jianlin | $14.6 B | 67 |
 | #34 | Wu Yajun | $14.3 B | 58 |
 | #35 | Zhang Yong & Shu Ping | $14 B | - |
| #36 | Lin Jianhua | $13.67 B | 59 |
 | #37 | Li Zhenguo | $13.4 B | 54 |
| #38 | Qi Shi | $13.3 B | 52 |
 | #39 | Liu Yongxing | $13 B | 73 |
 | #40 | Ma Jianrong | $12.7 B | 58 |
 | #41 | Li Ge | $12.14 B | 55 |
| #42 | Wang Liping | $12.1 B | 55 |
 | #43 | Dang Yanbao | $12 B | 48 |
 | #44 | Hui Ka Yan | $11.87 B | 63 |
 | #45 | Robin Li | $11.84 B | 53 |
 | #46 | Liu Jincheng | $11.5 B | 57 |
| #47 | Cao Renxian | $11.3 B | 53 |
| #48 | Yu Renrong | $11.1 B | 55 |
 | #49 | Zhou Qunfei | $10.7 B | - |
| #50 | Paul Xiaoming Lee | $10.4 B | 64 |
 | #51 | Zhang Tao | $10.3 B | 49 |
 | #52 | Li Ping | $10.2 B | 54 |
 | #53 | Liang Wengen | $9.8 B | 65 |
| #54 | Wang Laisheng | $9.75 B | 57 |
 | #55 | Chen Zhiping | $9.6 B | 46 |
 | #56 | Ding Shizhong | $9.51 B | 51 |
 | #57 | Wang Laichun | $9.43 B | 54 |
| #58 | Ding Shijia | $9.3 B | 58 |
 | #59 | Miao Hangen | $9.2 B | 57 |
 | #60 | Qian Dongqi | $9.17 B | 64 |
 | #61 | Zheng Shuliang | $9.14 B | 76 |
 | #62 | Zhao Yan | $9.13 B | 55 |
| #63 | Deng Weiming | $9.07 B | 53 |
| #64 | Jin Baofang | $8.95 B | 69 |
 | #65 | Zong Qinghou | $8.6 B | 76 |
 | #66 | Yao Liangsong | $8.5 B | 57 |
 | #67 | Jian Jun | $8.46 B | 58 |
 | #68 | Xu Shihui | $8.4 B | 64 |
 | #69 | Liu Yonghao | $8.3 B | 70 |
 | #70 | Cai Kui | $8.2 B | 59 |
 | #71 | Hui Wing Mau | $8.01 B | 71 |
| #72 | Yang Jianliang | $8 B | 52 |
| #73 | Cheng Xue | $7.85 B | 51 |
| #74 | Li Xiaohua | $7.69 B | 60 |
 | #75 | Tse Ping | $7.5 B | 70 |
 | #76 | He Xiaopeng | $7.46 B | 44 |
| #77 | Xu Jinfu | $7.41 B | 58 |
 | #78 | Chu Mang Yee | $7.33 B | 62 |
 | #79 | Jiang Weiping | $7.31 B | 66 |
 | #79 | Lin Bin | $7.31 B | 53 |
 | #81 | Jiang Bin | $7.3 B | 55 |
 | #82 | Gao Jifan | $7.16 B | 57 |
 | #83 | Leng Youbin | $7.1 B | 53 |
 | #84 | Lin Muqin | $7.05 B | 58 |
 | #85 | Huang Yi | $7.04 B | 60 |
 | #86 | Wang Wenjing | $7.01 B | 57 |
 | #87 | Shi Yonghong | $7 B | 53 |
| #88 | Liang Feng | $6.8 B | 53 |
| #89 | Ruan Liping | $6.76 B | 58 |
| #90 | Ruan Xueping | $6.75 B | 50 |
 | #91 | Li Yongxin | $6.62 B | 45 |
 | #92 | Kei Hoi Pang | $6.6 B | 56 |
 | #93 | Li Liangbin | $6.55 B | 54 |
 | #94 | Lai Meisong | $6.54 B | 51 |
 | #95 | Gao Dekang | $6.5 B | 69 |
| #95 | Zuo Hui Family | $6.5 B | - |
 | #97 | You Xiaoping | $6.28 B | 63 |
| #98 | Wang Yanqing | $6.2 B | 55 |
| #99 | Chu Lam Yiu | $5.8 B | 52 |
| #100 | Wang Junshi | $5.74 B |
