Heiress Zong Fuli says money can't buy her love
Tycoon's daughter causes a stir on the internet by telling magazine she can't find a boyfriend
Where have all the real men gone? That lament by the daughter of the mainland's richest man has caused an online frenzy, particularly among single people.
Zong Fuli, 30, the only daughter and heiress of beverage tycoon Zong Qinghou, revealed her anxieties during an interview with the mainland edition of Marie Claire, saying she had never had a boyfriend.
"I feel pessimistic about love. Quite often it is hard for girls like me to find a boyfriend. Everyone knows this," she said, adding that guys were always putting her on a pedestal.
"I have simple requests in love. He could be someone who sends me text messages every day with simple greetings such as asking whether I've eaten yet, or when I am going to bed. Just a little love and caring would be enough for me. But it is very hard to find a man like this, really."
The article says the men are not genuinely interested in Zong, or they want her for her wealth.
The comments set the blogosphere abuzz, with countless people posting on microblogs that they would make a good candidate in Zong's search for Prince Charming.
"Please marry me. Does anybody have her contact info?" said one well-liked post.
"This a great change for poor guys like me; I can afford to send text messages."
Zong's father is the founder and chairman of beverage producer Hangzhou Wahaha Group. He topped Forbes' China Rich List last year with a net worth of nearly US$10 billion.
The heiress went to high school in the United States and did a degree in international business at Pepperdine University in California. She returned to China in 2004 and joined the management staff of her father's company the next year.
Traditionally, sons in China inherit the family business, but some prominent businessmen have decided to leave their wealth to their daughters.
Liu Yonghao, president of the Chengdu based conglomerate New Hope Group, named his daughter as his successor because of his son's youth. And Yang Huiyan, daughter of Country Garden Holdings' co-founder Yeung Kwok Keung, has attended her father's board meetings since the age of 13. She was chosen as successor after her older brother died prematurely.