The Billionaire Foreigners Who Made Their Fortunes In China

Complete excerpt from Business Insider

The number of wealthy people in China is growing rapidly; the country is now home to 960,000 peoplewith more than $1.5 million, and 60,000 with more than $15.5 million.

But it's not only Chinese natives who are getting in on the action. Tons of foreigners have also come to China to make their fortunes, and many have succeeded.

The two richest non-mainlanders in China are Taiwanese magnates who run massive food and drink conglomerates, according to a recent survey from HuRun Report.

Of the 50 wealthiest, nearby Taiwan and Hong Kong are best-represented, with 33 coming from Taiwan and five from Hong Kong.

Four Americans also made the list: ARC Investment Partners' Adam Roseman; Qiming Venture Partners' Gary Rieschel; John Thornton, a former president at Goldman Sachs; and Yue Sai Kan of YUE SAI Cosmetics, HuRun said.

And there are 11 billionaires on the list:

Wei Ying Chiao

• Nationality: Taiwan
• Net worth: $6.2 billion
• Wei's company, Ting Hsin International Group, is one of China's largest food and beverage companies, and the country's biggest instant noodle maker.
• Wei also has a number of major real estate investments, including a stake in Taipei 101, one of the world's tallest buildings.

Tsai Eng Meng

• Nationality: Taiwan
  
• Net worth: $5.9 billion
  
• Tsai owns Want Want Holdings, the largest maker of rice cakes and flavored drinks in Taiwan.
  
• The company has around 100 plants in mainland China and employs 60,000 people

Dr. David Chu

• Nationality: Hong Kong
  
• Net worth: $4 billion
  
• Dr. Chu is the founder of the Mission Hills Group,
  which owns the massive Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen and Dongguan.
  
• With 12 courses, the complex is the largest golf facility in the world.

Robert Wang Heng

• Nationality: Taiwan
  
• Net worth: $3.9 billion
  
• Wang is the chairman and CEO of the Golden Eagle International Group,
  a major department store chain and real estate investment company in China.
• He currently splits his time between China and Beverly Hills.

Lin Wenjing

• Nationality: Indonesia
  
• Net worth: $3 billion
  
• Lin, 82, is the president of Rongqiao Real Estate Group, which he founded in 1989.
  
• The company also owns hotel properties.

Elijah Widjaja

• Nationality: Indonesia
  
• Net worth: $2. billion
  
• Widjaja is the chairman and CEO of the Bund Center,
  a massive Shanghai skyscraper that houses offices and a Westin hotel.
  
• He's part of Indonesia's Widjaja family,
  which operates various companies across Indonesia, Hong Kong and China.

Vincent Lo

• Nationality: Hong Kong
  
• Net worth: $1.9 billion
  
• Lo is the chairman of Hong Kong-based Shui On Group,
  a building-materials and construction firm.
  
• His father, a Hong Kong property tycoon,
  helped him start his first business after Lo graduated
  from the University of New South Wales in Australia.

Tsai Yung Lung

• Nationality: Taiwan
  
• Net worth: $1.6 billion
  
• Tsai's company, Gem-Year, makes fasteners and is one of the few
  Taiwan-controlled companies to be listed on the Chinese market, according to Forbes.

Li Sze Lim

Nationality: Hong Kong

Net worth: $1.5 billion

Li is the founder and chairman of R&F Properties, a real estate company that has developed over 70 properties across China

Liu Ming Chung

Nationality: Brazil

Net worth: $1.5 billion

Liu was born in Taiwan and currently lives in Hong Kong; he also earned a degree in dental surgery from a Brazilian university, according to Forbes.

He went on to build Nine Dragons, a major paper manufacturing company in China.

Dr. Winston Wang Wen Yang

Nationality: Taiwan

Net worth: $1 billion

Wong is the president and CEO of Grace Semiconductor, 

a $1.63 billion electronics company based in Shanghai.

He spent a year teaching at the business school at the University of California at Berkeley.