Pan Shiyi, described in a recent New York Daily News article as a short-haired Chinese Donald Trump, is, at 41, the chairman of one of the most successful property development companies on the mainland.
He founded SOHO China in 1995 with his wife Zhang Xin, 39, a Wall Street veteran.
Born to a poor family in Gansu province in 1963, Mr Pan studied at the Beijing Petroleum Institute and worked briefly for the Ministry of Petroleum before heading into property development. Rivals have nicknamed him 'Naughty Boy' for painting an apartment complex in bold colours rather than the official grey.
While not the richest property developer in China, he and his wife are highly regarded for their visionary projects. They include the Jianwai SOHO in Beijing, which is being built in a minimalist style using a contemporary blend of concrete, steel, glass and wood.