Wang Shi (entrepreneur)

Wang Shi
Born	Template:Birth year and age China
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Known for	Founder and chairman of China Vanke

Wang Shi (, born in 1951) is a prominent Chinese entrepreneur, known as the founder and chairman of China Vanke, which stands as the largest real estate company in China and ranks as the world's foremost residential property developer.

Career

During the 1980s, Wang worked as a liaison officer for Guangdong's Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Committee. He departed from this role in 1983 and moved to Shenzhen. By 1988, he transitioned into the real estate industry by establishing China Vanke. The company became publicly traded on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 1991, marking it as the second enterprise in China to go public.

Currently, Wang holds several leadership positions including Executive Director at the One Foundation and serves as an Independent Director for organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, Sohu.com, Inc., China Resources Land, Modern Media Holding, and Central China Real Estate. In 2011, Fortune Magazine honored him as one of "Fifteen Business Leaders Who've Changed China."

Personal life

Wang initially accumulated his fortune through trading railway goods with Hong Kong.

From 2011 to 2013, he was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, an experience he sought to utilize to internationalize Vanke and foster innovation within the company.

He enforces a merit-based culture at Vanke and does not employ any family members within the organization.

Expeditions

As a passionate mountaineer and explorer, Wang was awarded by China's National Sports Authority in 2001 and appointed vice-chairman of the Chinese Hiking Association in 2002. Between 2002 and 2004, he successfully climbed the highest summits across all seven continents.

In May 2003, at age 53, Wang set a record as the oldest Chinese individual to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He also completed expeditions to both the North and South Poles in 2005. In May 2010, at age 60, he surpassed his previous age record by climbing Everest again alongside Wang Jian.