Zhang Xin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zhang Xin
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Zhang in 2019
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| Born | 24 August 1965 Beijing, China
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| Education | University of Sussex University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Co-Founder, SOHO China Founder, Closer Media |
| Spouse(s) | Pan Shiyi |
| Children | 2 |
Zhang Xin (simplified Chinese: 张欣; traditional Chinese: 張欣; pinyin: Zhāng Xīn) is a very successful Chinese businesswoman. She was born in 1965. She became rich by working in the real estate industry, which means she built and managed buildings.
With her husband, Pan Shiyi, she helped start a big company called SOHO China. This company built many office buildings in China. In September 2022, Zhang Xin decided to step down as the CEO of SOHO China. She wanted to spend more time helping with art and charity work. After that, she started a new company called Closer Media in New York City. This company makes and helps pay for movies.
Zhang Xin grew up in tough conditions in Beijing and Hong Kong. For a while, she even worked in a factory. But she worked hard and eventually owned companies that built many buildings in Beijing and Shanghai. She also bought parts of famous buildings in New York City, like Park Avenue Plaza and the General Motors Building. In 2015, she helped start SOHO 3Q, which offers shared office spaces.
Forbes magazine recognized Zhang Xin as one of the most powerful women in the world in 2014. She is often called one of the top businesswomen globally. She and her husband were also named among the "world's most powerful couples." Zhang Xin is very well-known in China and has many followers online.
In 2005, Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi started the SOHO China Foundation. This charity helps with education to reduce poverty. In 2014, they launched the SOHO China Scholarships. These scholarships help Chinese students go to top universities around the world, like Harvard, Yale, and the University of Chicago.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Moving to China and Hong Kong
Zhang Xin's parents were originally from Burma. In the 1950s, they moved to China and worked as translators. During a time called the Cultural Revolution, her parents separated.
Zhang Xin was born in Beijing in 1965. When she was 15, she moved to Hong Kong with her mother. They lived in a very small room. To save money for her education, she worked for five years in factories that made clothes and electronics.
Studying in the United Kingdom
By the time she was 19, Zhang Xin had saved enough money to travel to London. She studied English at a secretarial school in Oxford. To support herself, she worked in a traditional British fish and chip shop. She looked up to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and was also interested in British thinkers.
In 1987, she received a scholarship to study economics at the University of Sussex. She earned her bachelor's degree there. In 1992, she got her master's degree in development economics from Cambridge University. Her master's paper was about how private businesses were growing in China. In 2013, the University of Sussex gave her an honorary doctorate, which is a special award.
Career Highlights
Starting in Finance
After finishing her studies, Zhang Xin was hired by Barings PLC, a big financial company. They were looking for students who understood how private businesses were developing in China. Zhang Xin's master's paper helped her get the job. She went back to Hong Kong to work.
In 1993, her team at Barings was bought by another company called Goldman Sachs. Zhang Xin then moved to New York City. There, she helped Chinese factories become public companies, meaning their shares could be bought and sold by people.
Building SOHO China
Zhang Xin was very interested in how cities were growing in China. She returned to her hometown, Beijing, where she met Pan Shiyi. They got married in 1994, just four days after meeting! In 1994, they started their first building project together, called "New Town."
In 1995, Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi officially started their company, Hongshi, which later became SOHO China. Over the next ten years, they worked on many building projects across China. One famous project was the Commune by the Great Wall, a special hotel in Beijing designed by different architects. At first, Zhang Xin and her husband had different ideas about how to run the business. Zhang Xin even went back to England for a while. But she decided to return and focus on the design part of their projects as the business grew.
Expanding the Business
Within ten years, SOHO China became the biggest property developer in the country. Zhang Xin became known as "the woman who built Beijing." By 2008, she and her husband were famous business leaders in China.
Around 2011, Zhang Xin started changing SOHO China's business plan. Instead of just building and selling properties, they began buying and leasing out spaces. She also expanded outside of China. In 2014, SOHO China bought a large part of Park Avenue Plaza in New York City. They also helped buy a big share of the General Motors Building in Manhattan. By that time, SOHO China was involved in many building projects in Beijing and Shanghai.
Helping Students with Scholarships
In 2014, Zhang Xin and her husband started a $100 million charity program called the SOHO China Scholarships. This program helps Chinese students who need financial support to attend top universities around the world. They gave large amounts of money to universities like Yale University, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago. These scholarships help about 50 Chinese students study for their bachelor's degrees at these universities.
In February 2015, SOHO China launched SOHO 3Q. This part of the company leases shared office spaces to other businesses in Chinese cities. Zhang Xin moved to the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. She officially left her role at SOHO China in September 2022.
Awards and Recognition
Zhang Xin has received many international awards for her work in architecture and as a businesswoman. In 2002, she won a special prize at the 8th la Biennale di Venezia for the Commune by the Great Wall project.
She is a member of the World Economic Forum in Davos and is on the board of the Harvard Global Advisory Council. From 2005 to 2010, she was a trustee for the China Institute in America. In 2010, the China Institute gave her a Blue Cloud Award. In 2014, Forbes magazine listed her as the 62nd most powerful woman in the world. She is often named one of the top businesswomen globally. Zhang Xin and her husband have also been recognized by Forbes as one of the "world's most powerful couples." She is also a trustee for the Museum of Modern Art and the Asia Business Council.
Zhang Xin had a small role in the 2010 movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, where she played a Chinese investor.
Personal Life
Zhang Xin and her husband, Pan Shiyi, have two sons. They are followers of the Baháʼí Faith.
