Zhang Xin

Zhang Xin
Zhang Xin
Born	1965; Beijing, China
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, businesswoman
Known for	Co-founder and former CEO of SOHO China
Notable work	SOHO China developments, SOHO 3Q shared workspaces

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Zhang Xin, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Zhang Xin (, also referred to as Xin Zhang or Xin "Shynn" Zhang, born in 1965) is a Chinese billionaire entrepreneur who amassed her wealth through the real estate sector. Together with her spouse Pan Shiyi, she co-established and led SOHO China, a prominent developer of office properties in China. On 7 September 2022, Zhang resigned from her CEO position to dedicate herself to artistic pursuits and philanthropic efforts.<ref>She currently serves as the Founder of Closer Media, a film production and financing enterprise based in New York City.<ref>

Originating from humble beginnings in Beijing and Hong Kong, Zhang progressed from factory labor to owning enterprises responsible for numerous real estate developments across Beijing and Shanghai. During the mid-2010s, SOHO China’s business model evolved from property development and sales toward asset acquisition and leasing.<ref> She also took ownership stakes in New York City's Park Avenue Plaza and the General Motors Building,<ref> while launching the SOHO 3Q shared workspace brand in 2015.<ref>

In 2014, Forbes placed Zhang at number 62 on its list of the world’s most influential women,<ref> and she is regularly acknowledged as a top-tier global business leader.<ref> Previously, Zhang and Pan were recognized by Forbes among the "world's most powerful couples."<ref> She commands an audience nearing 10 million followers on Sina Weibo.<ref>

In 2005, Zhang and Pan founded the SOHO China Foundation, which supports educational programs aimed at poverty reduction. The Foundation’s SOHO China Scholarships, initiated in 2014, offer financial assistance to Chinese undergraduates attending prestigious international universities such as Harvard, Yale, and the University of Chicago, benefiting approximately 50 students annually.<ref>

Early life and education

In the 1950s, Zhang Xin’s parents, who were second-generation Burmese Chinese, emigrated from Burma to China where they worked as translators at the Foreign Languages Press. They separated during the period of the Cultural Revolution.

Born in Beijing in 1965, Zhang lived with her mother before relocating to Hong Kong at age 15, where she resided in a modest room. To finance her overseas education, she spent five years employed in garment and electronics factories. By age 19, she had saved enough money for airfare to London and enrolled in an English secretarial school near Oxford. To support herself financially, she worked at a British fish and chip shop owned by a Chinese couple. During this time, she admired Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and engaged with British intellectual discourse.

In 1987, Zhang secured a scholarship to study economics at the University of Sussex, earning her bachelor's degree there. She pursued a master's degree in development economics at Cambridge University, completing it in 1992 with a thesis centered on China's privatization processes. In 2013, Sussex honored her with an honorary doctorate.

Early ventures

Following graduation, Zhang was recruited by Barings PLC (later known as Barings Bank) due to her expertise on Chinese privatization derived from her master’s research. She worked in Hong Kong until 1993 when Barings was acquired by Goldman Sachs, which resulted in her relocation to New York City to assist with listing privatized Chinese factories on stock exchanges. Motivated by China's rapid urban growth, she returned to Beijing where she met Pan Shiyi; they married in 1994. That same year marked their joint initiation of a mixed-use development project called "New Town."

In 1995, Zhang and Pan co-founded Hongshi (which eventually became SOHO China). Over the following decade, they undertook several projects including residential developments on Hainan island's Boao area and established the boutique hotel Commune by the Great Wall near Beijing—highlighting Asian architects whom Zhang personally recruited. Initial conflicts within their business led Zhang to briefly return to England before refocusing on design as their company grew.

Later developments

Within ten years, their enterprise rose to become the foremost property developer in China, earning Zhang the title "the woman who shaped Beijing." By 2008, The Times referred to the duo as "China's most prominent and extravagant property magnates." In 2011, Zhang redirected SOHO China's focus from selling properties to leasing them, securing a $600 million investment in New York City's Park Avenue Plaza. Three years later, SOHO China participated in acquiring a 40% ownership of Manhattan's General Motors Building for approximately $1.4 billion. At that point, SOHO China oversaw 18 projects in Beijing and 11 in Shanghai.

In 2014, Zhang and her husband initiated the $100 million SOHO China Scholarships to assist underprivileged Chinese students attending leading universities worldwide, contributing over $35 million collectively to Yale, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. This program supports about 50 students annually but has been critiqued for its limited emphasis on institutions within China.

SOHO China further embraced leasing with the 2015 introduction of SOHO 3Q, a co-working office space enterprise spanning multiple Chinese cities.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Zhang moved to the United States and stepped down from her role at SOHO China in September 2022.

Recognition

Zhang has gained global recognition as both an architectural benefactor and business leader. In 2002, she was honored with a special award at the 8th la Biennale di Venezia for Commune by the Great Wall, a private architectural complex now functioning as a hotel.

She holds membership in the World Economic Forum and serves on the Harvard Global Advisory Council. Between 2005 and 2010, Zhang was a trustee at the China Institute in America, which presented her with its Blue Cloud Award in 2010. In 2014, Forbes placed her as the 62nd most powerful woman worldwide and consistently lists her among the leading female entrepreneurs globally. Alongside her husband, she has been recognized by Forbes as one of the "world's most influential couples."

Moreover, Zhang is a trustee of both the Museum of Modern Art and the Asia Business Council.

She also appeared briefly as a Chinese investor in the 2010 movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Personal life

Zhang and Pan have two sons and practice the Baháʼí Faith.

External links

"China's Billionaire Builder," Bloomberg Markets Magazine, 11 August 2010
"How Religion Changes a Chinese Billionaire Developer", The Wall Street Journal, 6 March 2011