High-profile commercial property king Pan Shiyi's flamboyant streak belies a more practical bent.
When the Sichuan earthquake struck last year, one might have assumed he would help the reconstruction effort by building new homes. The Soho China chairman instead built washrooms to provide another type of essential comfort for quake victims.
Mr Pan and his wife, Zhang Xin, are rarities in the mainland property market, where most developers keep a low profile to avoid unwanted attention from officialdom. The couple are well known and make regular appearances on television and in newspapers and magazines, where they give their views on everything from property to lifestyle and the arts.
Mr Pan also hosts an online chat room every week on his blog, where the topics are not limited to the property market but include aspects of his daily life.
When the new China Central Television Headquarters hotel complex in Beijing caught fire in early February, he took photos and posted them on his blog.
Mr Pan jokes that the media limelight he and his wife enjoy saves Soho China the high cost of advertising their projects.
But there is a more serious reason they like to see their names in the headlines.