Zhong Shanshan, the founder of Nongfu Spring, is the richest person in China we can value from filings in October 2026, at about $50 billion. ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming is likely richer, but ByteDance is private and his stake is not disclosed. Wang Jianlin, who headlined our 2014 version of this article, no longer leads the list.
| Rank | Name | Our estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhong Shanshan | About $50 billion |
| 2 | Zhang Yiming | Likely larger; not point-valued |
| 3 | Ma Huateng | About $40 billion |
| 4 | Wang Jianlin | $14.2 billion (our 2014 figure) |
1. Zhong Shanshan: About $50 billion
Zhong is the founder of Nongfu Spring, the bottled water and beverage company, and also controls Beijing Wantai Biological.
How we valued it: About 84% of Nongfu Spring, held through investment vehicles. At HKD 41.40 a share, the company is worth about $59.3 billion, as of 26 October 2026. This excludes his majority of Beijing Wantai Biological.
2. Zhang Yiming: Not point-valued
Zhang founded ByteDance in 2012 and built the Toutiao news app and the Douyin and TikTok video apps. ByteDance bought Musical.ly for $800 million in 2018.
General Atlantic valued ByteDance at $550 billion in a February 2026 report, up from more than $330 billion in an October 2025 employee buyback.
How we valued it: We use the valuations as context only. His ownership share is not disclosed, so we give no figure.
3. Ma Huateng: About $40 billion
Ma, known as Pony Ma, is the co-founder of Tencent.
How we valued it: 804,859,700 Tencent shares, 8.84% at 31 December 2025, times HKD 386.40, converted at 7.845 Hong Kong dollars to the dollar (26 October 2026).
4. Wang Jianlin: $14.2 billion (2014)
Wang is the founder of Dalian Wanda Group. The group bought AMC Theatres in 2012 for $2.6 billion, and bought a Hollywood film studio in January 2016 for $3.5 billion. We found no current holdings figure for him.
How we valued it: We keep our 2014 figure with its year. The group has changed a great deal since then.
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Who is the richest person in China in 2026?
Zhong Shanshan, at about $50 billion, among those we can value from filings. Zhang Yiming of ByteDance is probably richer but his stake is undisclosed.
Is Wang Jianlin still the richest person in China?
No. That was our 2014 headline. Wang is no longer at the top of our list.
How much is Ma Huateng worth?
About $40 billion, based on a stake of about 8.84% in Tencent.
How is ByteDance valued?
General Atlantic reportedly valued it at $550 billion in February 2026, up from more than $330 billion in an October 2025 buyback.
Why is Zhang Yiming not point-valued?
ByteDance is private and the size of his stake is not public.
How we estimate net worth
Our estimates are based on public reporting, company valuations, and deal and earnings figures all compiled in an internal valuation model. They are approximate, and figures change over time as new information emerges.
For this list we used shareholding disclosures, share prices on 26 October 2026 and private company valuations, and we label every estimate that rests on a reported stake.
Last updated: October 2026.
