Li Ka-Shing

Li Ka-Shing (1928- ), property developer, merchant, and industrialist. The son of a school teacher, he was born in Chaozho, in Guangdong province, China. He migrated to Hong Kong in 1939, and left school at 14, when his father died. His first non-casual job was as a labourer at a factory making plastic goods. He completed his secondary education by attending evening classes. By the age of 22 he had saved enough money to start his own plastic goods factory, known as Cheung Kong. Li took advantage of popular demand for plastic flowers and then invested successfully in Hong Kong real estate, emerging eventually as the colony's top property developer. In 1979 he became the first Chinese to gain control of one of the large, long-established British trading companies of Hong Kong, Hutchinson Whampoa, and thus ended the overwhelming British domination of big business in the colony. Building on the combined resources of Cheung Kong and Hutchinson Whampoa, Li led the world in investing in the economic reforms in China under Deng Xiaoping, and became the most notable businessman in Hong Kong. He consolidated his position in Hong Kong's business establishment after the reversion of sovereignty to China in 1997.