The 2026 Hurun China Rich List has been released, and it tells a story of dramatic upheaval at the very top of China’s wealth pyramid. For the first time in the list’s history, a Chinese fortune has surpassed the 600 billion yuan mark, driven by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence. The AI boom has minted new billionaires, reshuffled the rankings, and dethroned the long-standing “water king” who had held the top spot for years.
The annual list, compiled by the Hurun Research Institute with a wealth calculation cutoff of September 1, 2026, features 1,529 individuals with personal wealth exceeding 5 billion yuan—a record high, up 6.6% from last year. Their combined wealth reached 32 trillion yuan, a 7% year-on-year increase. But the headline is the top 10, where the old guard is being challenged by a new generation of tech founders.
Here are the ten wealthiest people in China in 2026.
The Top 10 Richest People in China (2026)
| Rank | Name | Net Worth (billion yuan) | Company | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhang Yiming (张一鸣) | 670 | ByteDance | Social Media / AI |
| 2 | Zhong Shanshan (钟睒睒) | 410 | Yangshengtang | Beverages / Healthcare |
| 3 | Robin Zeng (曾毓群) | 385 | CATL | EV Batteries |
| 4 | Pony Ma (马化腾) | 346 | Tencent | Gaming / Internet |
| 5 | He Xiangjian family (何享健家族) | 310 | Midea | Home Appliances |
| 6 | Chen Jianhua & Fan Hongwei (陈建华、范红卫夫妇) | 302 | Hengli | Petrochemicals / Shipbuilding |
| 7 | Liang Wenfeng (梁文锋) | 280 | DeepSeek | AI |
| 8 | William Ding (丁磊) | 275 | NetEase | Gaming |
| 9 | Li Ka-shing & Li Tzar-kuoi (李嘉诚、李泽钜父子) | 253 | CK Hutchison | Diversified |
| 10 | Chen Tianshi (陈天石) | 205 | Cambricon | AI Chips |
Source: Hurun China Rich List 2026, published October 27, 2026.
The AI Tsunami: Zhang Yiming and the New Wealth Engine
Zhang Yiming, the 43-year-old founder of ByteDance, has reclaimed the title of China’s richest person for the second time, and he has done it in spectacular fashion. His wealth surged by 200 billion yuan (up 43%) to 670 billion yuan, shattering the previous record for a Chinese fortune. The driver is not just TikTok or Douyin, but ByteDance’s AI assistant Doubao, which has become the most-used AI product in China. The AI progress has pushed ByteDance’s valuation to new heights, making it the country’s largest unicorn.
Zhang’s rise symbolises a broader shift: AI is the most powerful wealth-creation engine in China today. This is most starkly illustrated by the arrival of Liang Wenfeng, the 41-year-old founder of DeepSeek, who debuts on the list at No. 7 with 280 billion yuan. DeepSeek completed its first external funding round in June 2026, raising over 50 billion yuan at a valuation of approximately 338 billion yuan, instantly making it one of China’s most valuable AI companies.
The AI chip sector has also produced a new top-10 billionaire: Chen Tianshi of Cambricon, whose wealth rose 14% to 205 billion yuan. Demand for AI chips has pushed Cambricon’s market value towards $100 billion, reflecting the immense capital flowing into the hardware that powers the AI revolution.
The Old Guard: Zhong Shanshan’s Decline and the Consumer Squeeze
The clearest sign of the changing of the guard is the fall of Zhong Shanshan, the 72-year-old founder of Nongfu Spring. After five years at the top, he slips to No. 2 with 410 billion yuan, a decline of 120 billion yuan (down 23%). While Nongfu Spring’s bottled water business remains robust, the stock price correction of his vaccine unit, Wantai Biological, dragged down his overall fortune.
Zhong’s slide is part of a wider trend: consumer-sector wealth is under pressure. Pinduoduo’s Colin Huang saw his wealth shrink by 112 billion yuan, dropping him to No. 11—just outside the top 10. Pop Mart’s Wang Ning saw his fortune halve from its Labubu-fuelled peak. The consumer discretionary sector, which boomed during the pandemic-era liquidity glut, is now experiencing a rational correction.
The Rest of the Top 10: Batteries, Gaming, and Old Money
Robin Zeng of CATL holds steady at No. 3 with 385 billion yuan, up 17% as the EV and energy storage markets continue to expand. CATL’s market value has reached 1.7 trillion yuan, and the company now has five billionaires on the Hurun list.
Pony Ma of Tencent drops one place to No. 4 with 346 billion yuan, a 26% decline attributed to a temporary valuation pullback in Hong Kong-listed tech stocks, despite Tencent’s core gaming and fintech businesses remaining solid.
The He Xiangjian family of Midea rises to No. 5 with 310 billion yuan, while the Chen Jianhua & Fan Hongwei couple of Hengli enter the top 10 for the first time at No. 6 with 302 billion yuan. Their fortune grew 59% on the back of a booming shipbuilding order book and a successful backdoor listing.
William Ding of NetEase sits at No. 8 with 275 billion yuan, and the veteran Li Ka-shing and his son Li Tzar-kuoi hold No. 9 with 253 billion yuan.
A Changing of the Guard
The 2026 Hurun list is more than a ranking of fortunes; it is a snapshot of China’s economic transition. The AI and semiconductor sectors are minting new billionaires at an unprecedented pace, while the consumer and real estate sectors that once dominated the top of the list are in retreat. The old “water king” has been dethroned by a social media and AI titan, and a large-language-model pioneer has crashed into the top 10 in his very first year of eligibility.
For the first time, a Chinese fortune has crossed the 600 billion yuan threshold. The question is no longer whether AI will create immense wealth in China—it already has. The question is how quickly the next generation of AI founders will climb the list, and which of the old guard will still be there to meet them.
Do you think Liang Wenfeng of DeepSeek will climb higher in 2027, and can anyone challenge Zhang Yiming’s lead in the AI era?
