When Bill Gates and Warren Buffett visited Beijing in October last year to encourage the mainland's wealthiest citizens to donate their fortunes to charity, Zong Qinghou, chairman of Wahaha Group and one of the richest men in China, was on top of the invitation list.
But the soft-drink tycoon did not accept the invitation, saying he had to attend a business forum in Australia. His absence triggered media speculation that he was reluctant to respond to the American billionaires' call.
'I always support charity causes,' said Zong, ranked by Forbes and the Hurun Rich List as one of the wealthiest men on the mainland with a net worth of US$6 billion to US$12 billion. 'But I do think charity is more about creating wealth for society rather than simply giving money.'
In recent years, a number of the world's super-rich - including Microsoft founder Gates, investor Buffett, mainland recycling king Chen Guangbiao and Hong Kong businessman Yu Panglin - have promised to donate their entire fortunes to charity after their deaths.
'I never thought of an all-out donation,' said the 65-year-old entrepreneur. 'I believe wealth should be in the hands of those who know how to create more wealth.'
And Zong is certainly one of those. Born in Jiangsu province, Zong was the eldest son in a family of five children. He began bringing money home after graduating from secondary school, working on a salt farm and earning only 28 yuan a month. During the following two decades, he took different jobs in factories and remained a common worker and salesperson most of the time.
It was not until Zong was 42 that he set up his first business - a small shop selling ice lollies in a school in Hangzhou in 1987. His first big success came the following year when he launched Wahaha Oral Liquid, a nutritional drink to improve children's appetites, a product that was well received nationwide.