Huiyuan boss chooses entrepreneurship to serve society
Zhu Xinli could have continued leading a very comfortable and easy life if he had not quit his government job 16 years ago.
But the son of a poor farming family from Shandong province decided he wanted more than a guaranteed 'iron rice bowl' for life and needed to prove his ability as an entrepreneur.
Starting with a near-bankrupt canned fruit plant, the 56-year-old has become chairman of the mainland's biggest fruit juice maker, China Huiyuan Juice Group, and is seeking to further expand his national brand to mainland consumers.
The company, which raised HK$2.76 billion in an initial public offering in Hong Kong last February, is benefiting as consumers in the world's most populous nation increasingly switch to fruit juice from carbonated drinks.
Mr Zhu is married with one son and one daughter.
Before setting up your company in 1992, you were a government official. What prompted you to drop the 'iron rice bowl' and become a businessman?