Wang Jianlin

Wang Jianlin (; born 24 October 1954) is a Chinese business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He is the chairman, founder, and majority shareholder of the Dalian Wanda Group, one of China's foremost conglomerate companies, which is also well known for being China's largest real estate development company and the world's largest cinema operator. He previously owned 17% of the Spanish football club Atlético Madrid. In 2016, Wang reached a deal with FIFA to launch the China Cup, in which national football teams compete in Nanning, Guangxi each year.

Wang has been the economic consultant for Yunnan province, as well as a construction consultant of the Guiyang government, and was named "honorable citizen" of Changchun, and "outstanding contributor" to the construction of Dalian.

As of January 2026 Wang is estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of US$4.3 billion, making him one of the richest men in China.

Early life and career

Wang Jianlin was born on 24 October 1954, in Cangxi County, Guangyuan, Sichuan, as the oldest of five sons. His father Wang Yiquan was a peasant who fought for Mao Zedong's People's Liberation Army during the Long March (October 1934–October 1935). His given name at birth was originally 建林 which can be translated as 'forest builder'.

Wang became a soldier at age 15, lying about his age, and made his way up in the army ranks quickly, becoming a commander at age 27. During his time in the army, he served in Chengdu, before being sent to the Shenyang Military Region in 1970. he took over the small property developer Xigang Residential Development. In 1992, as the company went public as one of the first in a pilot program, Previously, Dalian Wanda had taken on billion-dollar hotel development projects in London and New York, as well as property projects in India.

In 2014, he acquired land at 9900 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California, US to build the American headquarters named "One Beverly Hills" of his entertainment company.

In January 2015, it was reported that he was buying a 20 per cent stake in the Spanish football club Atlético Madrid for . He sold his stake to Quantum Pacific Group for an undisclosed fee in 2018.

In 2016, Wang launched a direct competition with Disney by declaring that he wants to make sure Shanghai Disneyland Park doesn't make any money in China by launching over a dozen competing amusement parks. In November 2016 Wang's Dalian Wanda Group announced plans to acquire Dick Clark Productions for about , giving it the broadcasting rights to the Golden Globe Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the New Year countdown celebrations in New York. Wanda already owns Legendary Entertainment, co-producer of films such as Jurassic World and U.S. cinema chain AMC Entertainment Holdings.

The Economist has called Wang "a man of Napoleonic ambition", citing his military background in the PLA, where he rose from border guard to regimental commander. He enforces "iron discipline" in the workplace, where employees are fined when they violate the company's conservative dress code. Despite his age, he has a "trim figure".

Politics and philanthropy At the age of 15, Wang started his 17-year service with the People's Liberation Army, initially as a border guard before rising to become a regimental commander. In 1976, he joined the Chinese Communist Party. He served as deputy to the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

Wang is a delegate to the Chinese National People's Congress. He was twice named CCTV's "Economic Person of the Year".

He is vice chair of the China Charity Confederation; vice chair of the China Folk Chamber of Commerce; vice chair of the China Enterprise Confederation and the China Enterprise Directors Association; vice chair of the China General Chamber of Commerce; vice-chair of the Global Advisory Council of Harvard University.

In 2011, he donated to charitable causes, such as underwriting the restoration of an ancient temple in Nanjing. In 2017 he donated CNY 20 million to help 2017 Sichuan landslide victims, it was speculated that he empathized especially with the region having grown up in Ngawa Prefecture.

However, Wang's personal motto is "stay close to the government and distant from politics." He believes entrepreneurs should be "close" to the government and "clear" from the government as well. "If the government never talk to entrepreneurs, they'll never know what entrepreneurs want to invest, develop or solve."

In 2010, Wang donated a billion yuan (US$156 million) to the city of Nanjing for reconstruction of the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing. This is reported to be the largest single personal donation ever made in China.

Wealth Wang Jianlin has been ranked prominently in worldwide billionaire lists for years.

The previous year, Forbes ranked him the 128th richest person in the world, with . In September 2013, his net worth rose to , according to numbers of the Hurun Report.

In 2015, Bloomberg listed him as the richest person in Asia with . According to Forbes, in 2016 he was the richest person in Asia with . A year later, Forbes ranked him 18th in its 2017 World's Billionaires list, making him the richest man in China with a net worth of . However, on 14 May, Jack Ma overtook Wang Jianlin as the richest man in China, thanks to Ma's Alibaba Group's increases in stock prices.

In 2020, Wang tumbled down the rich list as his real estate empire and movie theatre chains both sharply declined in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forbes ranked him outside the top 10 in its 2020 list of Richest Chinese Billionaires with an estimated net worth of $14 billion.

As of 30 November 2022, Forbes ranked him 39th in China Rich List and 138th its 2022 World's Billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $7.9 billion.

Personal life He is married to Lin Ning , and has a son, Wang Sicong (; born 1988), educated at Winchester College and University College London in the UK.

Wang is a follower of Buddhism, although he considers himself not religious.

In July 2016, Wang released his book, The Wanda Way: The managerial philosophy and values of one of China's largest companies. The book was published globally by LID Publishing. The book includes his renowned 2013 China Central Television Voice interview, his speech and question-and-answer session to the Harvard Business School, and Wang's business philosophy on Wanda's real estate, resort, and movie units.