reality check before reality tv show: pan says he's no chip off the donald
Maverick Beijing property mogul Pan Shiyi doesn't think he's a bit like Donald Trump, the man who has chosen him to front the Chinese version of the hit business reality television show, The Apprentice.
Even though the Soho China chief executive made his name in property, has a knack for marketing gimmicks and is hardly out of the media eye, Mr Pan says of the New York billionaire: 'His image is very different from mine. On top of that, I hardly know him.'
'I am more like Richard Branson,' he explains.
This may have been an ill-advised comparison, given the fact that the bearded Virgin boss stars in his own (inferior) business reality show in competition with that run by The Donald.
Nevertheless, Mr Pan will sign a two-year contract with Mark Burnett Productions to present the mainland version of The Apprentice, beginning next month.
