‘Down-to-earth’ Chinese tycoon Ren Zhengfei becomes internet sensation as photo of him queuing for taxi goes viral on social media

A photograph showing the founder of one of China’s biggest technology companies waiting in line for a taxi has been shared thousands of times on the nation’s social media.

Many internet users expressed their approval of the image, which they said showed the down-to-earth nature of tycoon Ren Zhengfei, chief executive of Huawei Technologies, one of the world’s largest suppliers of telecommunications equipment and mobile phones.

Ren, 72, who is well-known for his low-profile nature, hit the headlines and became a internet sensation after the photograph showing him queueing for a taxi outside Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport went viral at the weekend.

Ren can be seen talking on his mobile phone while standing with his luggage in an outdoor waiting area close to yellow taxis.

The photo was uploaded onto the weibo microblogging website by an internet start-up founder Chen Xueping.