So who are China’s five most admired entrepreneurs?

Many of China’s successful entrepreneurs have become huge celebrities on the mainland attracting an enormous number of fans.

Their appeal is not just down to their charisma, huge personal wealth, or because of the government’s public support for people who set up innovative new businesses during a time of sluggishness in the macro economy.

The success of China’s stylish, confident business leaders also serves as inspiration for the nation’s increasingly aspirational middle classes.

Here we take a look at the top five entrepreneurs who are most admired by the mainland’s general public, according to the sales of books written about them, media coverage and insights from managers of exclusive mainland entrepreneurial clubs and associations.

However, there are also some entrepreneurs that are not so widely known by the general public, even though their businesses are among the top-ranked enterprises domestically or even globally.

These are also company bosses, such as Ren Zhengfei, founder of Huawei, China’s largest telecom equipment maker, who choose to stay out of the public spotlight. Ren seldom agrees to give media interviews.