Duan Yongping

Duan Yongping
Born	1961 Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, electrical engineer
Known for	Founder and former Chairman of BBK Electronics Group; director of Subor Electronics Industry Corporation

Duan Yongping (; born 1961) is a billionaire entrepreneur and electrical engineer of Chinese-American descent. He served as the director of Subor Electronics Industry Corporation and is the founder and former Chairman of BBK Electronics Group. In 2018, Duan's wealth was estimated to be approximately $1.5 billion.

Early life and education

Duan was born in 1961 in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. He pursued wireless electronics engineering at Zhejiang University. Following his graduation, he worked as an instructor at the adult education center of the Beijing Radio Tube Factory (currently known as BOE Technology). Subsequently, he obtained a degree in econometrics from Renmin University and completed an EMBA program at CEIBS.

Subor period

In 1989, Duan took on the role of director at Nihwa Electronics Factory located in Zhongshan, which operated under Yihua Group. Beginning with a workforce of only 20 employees and significant financial liabilities, he successfully developed the company into a major manufacturer of "learning computers" marketed under the Subor (Xiao Ba Wang, ) brand. Between 1994 and 1995, Subor achieved notable profitability exceeding 200 million RMB through the production of famiclones and gaming consoles.

Establishment of BBK

Duan departed from Subor on 28 August 1995 to launch BBK Electronics Industrial Group based in Dongguan, initially concentrating on DVD player manufacturing. Over time, BBK expanded its portfolio to become a leading name in smartphones, telephony, and audio equipment.

Between 2002 and 2004, Duan was NetEase's second-largest individual shareholder, owning more than 10% at his investment's peak.

Personal life and philanthropy

In 2006, Duan collaborated with William Ding Lei to contribute US$40 million to Zhejiang University, constituting one of the most substantial recent donations to higher education institutions in mainland China.

The following year, Duan secured a charity lunch with Warren Buffett by bidding US$620,100, with all proceeds benefiting the Glide Foundation. His achievements in stock investment combined with his philanthropic efforts have earned him the moniker "Chinese Buffett."

He established the Enlight Foundation in 2004, which is overseen by his wife Xin Liu, who also co-founded the Xinhe Foundation in China.