He is known as China's "top landlord", owning as many as 15,645 properties and an annual rental income of 18 billion.
At the same time, he is also the leader on the list of the world's richest real estate people, ranking among the top three in the world with a wealth of 115 billion, surpassing the well-known Wang Jianlin and Yang Huiyan.
However, this vast wealth was not earned from scratch, but from a bequest from his father-in-law.
He is the helmsman of the Wharf Group - Wu Guangzheng.
Why was Wu Guangzheng able to inherit such a rich inheritance from his father-in-law, and why was he called ##的 "the rich man behind the scenes"?
Wealth born out of marriage
Wu Guangzheng, born in 1946, spent the first five years of his childhood in Shanghai before moving with his family##.
He was born into a wealthy family, and his father was a returnee architect who earned a lot of money.
In his father's expectation, Wu Guangzheng was able to inherit his mantle and continue to shine in the construction industry.
However, contrary to his father's expectations, although Wu Guangzheng was closely connected with real estate all his life, he took the path of real estate investment, not architectural design.
After graduating from high school, Wu Guangzheng followed his father's wishes and enrolled in the Department of Architecture at the University of Cincinnati.
But after in-depth contact, he found that he did not have a strong interest in architecture, but developed a spontaneous curiosity about finance.
So, after graduating from college, he chose to pursue a master's degree at Columbia Business School.
It was during this period of study that he met someone who would have a profound impact on his life.
When Wu Guangzheng was 24 years old, at a dance organized by the school, he met his future wife, Bao Beirong.
Bao Beirong is the daughter of Bao Yugang, the "Chinese World Boat King", and the Bao family is one of the top ten consortia, with a lot of money.
After graduating with a master's degree, Wu joined Chase Bank (the predecessor of JPMorgan Chase), one of the largest financial institutions in the United States today, with a staggering $4 trillion in total assets.
Just as he was steadily developing in such a promising bank, Bao Beirong, who had returned to China, sent him a message that he would have to give up his career in the United States if he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
Faced with the choice between future and love, Wu Guangzheng finally chose the latter, quit his job in the bank, and embarked on a journey back to China.
The Inheritance and Rise of Wharf
After returning to China, Wu Guangzheng was shocked to learn that his girlfriend was actually the daughter of the ship king.
In 1973, he tied the knot with Bao Rongrong, and was subsequently arranged by his father-in-law to work in the group.
Within the group, he knows that he has to stand on his feet, so he is always looking for opportunities to show what he can do.
In the ##商界 of the seventies and eighties of the last century, British-owned companies dominated, among which Jardine Matheson became the leader because of its control of Wharf.
As a ##最大的码头, Wharf's strategic position is self-evident, and there is even a saying that "controlling Wharf is controlling ##航运".
However, in stark contrast to its importance, Wharf has an extremely low valuation in the market, at just HK$13 per share, which undoubtedly hints at its huge potential.
Li Ka-shing and Wu Guangzheng aimed at this treasure at the same time.
Li Ka-shing took the lead in quietly acquiring a stake in Wharf in 1978 through Cheung Kong Asset Group, taking control of 18% of the shares within a few months.
Sensing Li Ka-shing's intentions, Jardine Matheson sought help from HSBC due to a shortage of funds.
HSBC put pressure on Li Ka-shing for the benefit of British businessmen.
Li Ka-shing asked Bao Yugang for help at a critical moment, and Wu Guangzheng urged his father-in-law to help after hearing the news.
Under the persuasion of Wu Guangzheng, Pao Yugang decided to join forces with Li Ka-shing and successfully seized the management of Wharf from British businessmen through a series of stock exchanges.
In order to regain control, the British raised money to fight back.
However, Wu Guangzheng and Pao Yugang did not back down, they raised 2.1 billion yuan in just three days, and occupied half of Wharf's shares in just two hours, winning a big victory.
This battle not only consolidated Bao Yugang's position as the "king of the sea", but also allowed Wu Guangzheng to win the deeper trust of his father-in-law, and was entrusted with the important task of general manager of Wharf.
The birth and inheritance of real estate giants
Three years later, with Bao Yugang's retirement, Wu Guangzheng began to come to the fore and take over the company's affairs.
Under the guidance of his father-in-law, he successfully acquired Wheelock and further expanded the group's footprint.
Before his retirement, Pao Yugang properly distributed the family estate, and Wu Guangzheng and his wife acquired nearly half of the family's property and took over the management of Wharf.
After taking over, Wu Guangzheng vigorously developed the hotel and business business, and built Wharf into a ##的购物天堂.
At only 40 years old, his net worth has soared to 3 billion.
Subsequently, he expanded his business to the mainland, establishing iconic Times Squares in Beijing and Shanghai, where he made huge profits each year from rental income alone.
At the peak of his career, Wu Guangzheng chose to retreat bravely, handing over an industry worth 500 billion yuan to his son Wu Zongquan, and at the same time handing over a high-end clothing company to his daughter Wu Zongen.
Since then, he has retired into the background and become a real "invisible rich".
In 2023, Wu Guangzheng will be among the Hurun Global Richest List with a wealth of 115 billion, ranking among the top three richest people in the world in real estate.
Although he has retired into the background, his legends in the business world and his heroic deeds at the Battle of Wharf are still recognised.
A successful businessman requires both a bright mind and a rare opportunity. Wu Guangzheng is such a model.