Chinese Tycoons, CEOs & Tuhao

[GeneChing]

And Apple watches for his dog. FTW!

Tuhao goes shopping for jewelry with 8 robotic maids



In case people around him were having any doubts about his incredible wealth, one tuhao went shopping at a Guangzhou mall last week escorted by eight robot servants.
And on the off chance that anyone ever doubted the incredible size of his wallet again, photos were taken for the occasion, showing the guy -- flanked by his squadron of robotic maids -- picking out some jewelry. So that he wouldn't get exhausted, his servants carried his bags, coat, towel and water on trays. Fortunately, the entrance to the mall was not a revolving door.



Naive netizens were shocked by this latest ostentatious display of wealth. Some wondered if Wang Sicong, tuhao supreme, son of China's richest man, could even pull this kind of thing off. Probably not, he's too busy running up tabs at clubs and buying his dog Apple watches.



However, perhaps this wasn't such a costly operation after all. Earlier this month, the Guangzhou robot population suffered a round of mass firings from their jobs as waiters after they were found to be totally incompetent. Maybe these unemployed machines are looking for work where they can get it.



A brave new world.
[Images via Toutiao]

Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Alex Linder in News on Apr 19, 2016 7:40 PM

[GeneChing]

Sorta random but it had a sword in it.

Chinese heiress reveals how she lavishes thousands on the London season in a bid to be accepted by English high society - and impress her billionaire father

Wendy Yu, 25, who was born in Zhejiang province but now lives in London
She has been to finishing school to learn how to be an English Lady
Spent thousands to be presented at prestigious Queen Charlotte's Ball

By LUCY WATERLOW FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:28 EST, 3 May 2016 | UPDATED: 07:24 EST, 4 May 2016

The daughter of a Chinese billionaire says she does not want to be seen as a garish pampered princess so is modelling herself on a refined English Lady.
Wendy Yu, 25, who was born in Zhejiang province but now lives in London, has been to finishing school to learn how to walk, talk and dress like an aristocrat.
After learning all about etiquette at the London Season Academy, she spent thousands to be presented as a debutante at the prestigious Queen Charlotte's Ball last year.


Wendy Yu, 25, is the heiress to her father's fortune. He has become one of China's richest men thanks to his door manufacturer business which he built up from scratch


Wendy attended the London Season Academy, wearing a ball gown designed by Emma Victoria Payne Bridalwear, so she could be presented as a debutante at the prestigious Queen Charlotte's Ball last year at Kensington Palace

The Kensington Palace event is renowned as the pinnacle occasion in the London Season, which is rich in history and was formed over two hundred years ago when the custom of returning to London at the end of the hunting season was celebrated with glittering balls and high society parties.
King George III introduced the Queen Charlotte's Ball in 1780 to celebrate his wife's birthday and debutantes were traditionally presented to the King or Queen until 1958.
Today, with tables starting at £2,500 and run by a partnership of corporate sponsors and companies, attendance is strictly for with deep pockets, with many traditionalists bemoaning the loss of the balls genteel and refined roots.
The young ladies continue to be 'presented' in the traditional way wearing cream silks and lace dresses and bedecked in jewels. But now their place will have been purchased, rather than given as a birth right.


Wendy is pictured at the back on the far left at last year's Queen Charlotte's Ball where a quarter of the debutantes were Chinese


Young ladies continue to be 'presented' in the traditional way wearing cream silks and lace dresses, pictured, but now their place will have been purchased, rather than given as a birth right


German tennis ace Boris Becker's daughter was presented at last year's ball

As a result many, like Wendy, are the daughters of foreign billionaires. A quarter of the girls presented at the last ball were from China's richest families, while German tennis ace Boris Becker's daughter also took part.
London Season organisers Patrica Woodall and Jennie Hallam-Peel say the Chinese love to be part of the events as 'they love going to stately homes and mixing with aristocracy. They are very interested in the royal family, this is something they don't have.'
Wendy also tried to emulate something of the season at her recent birthday party, wearing an Oscar de La Renta dress and hiring a room at The Ritz. She even had a giant white cake to rival the traditional Queen Charlotte Cake cut at the ball.
For Wendy, the UK has been alluring from a young age and she moved here aged 15 to attend a boarding school in Taunton and then went on to study at the London College of Fashion.
She loves the English way of life and was keen to learn about high society as she wants to present herself 'in the right way' to people in her home country - where her family's wealth has made her a celebrity.


Wendy is keen to carry on her father's success. 'I have a huge responsibility in terms of family heritage as I am an only child I want to be a good daughter,' she said


The heiress has 62.2k followers on Instagram where she shares glamorous pictures of herself and news on her businesses

At her finishing school she was taught how to walk with poise, how to wear a tiara and how to curtsy.
'I was very lucky my father was already successful. I only want to present myself in the right way,' she said on Channel 4 documentary Britain's Billionaire Immigrants.
'Everybody born in those circumstances could be spoiled and waste their privilege but I am looking to make a more positive social impact and do more meaningful things.'
Wendy works hard to ensure she always gives the image of being an elegant, hardworking heiress.
Her 62.2k followers on Instagram see pictures of her in designer gowns that she had posted only after her personal make up artist has done her make-up.
She lives in a luxury apartment in Knightsbridge where she keeps a 'priceless' collection of designer Barbies.
Her father made his fortune as a door manufacturer after being born into poverty.
Wendy said: 'My father started his company 26 years ago and now we have more than a thousand retailing stores in China and 4,000 employees, we are biggest wooden door manufacturer in Asia.'
Rather than rest on her laurels and spend her father's money, Wendy said she is keen to establish herself as a businesswoman in her own right.
She has founded a firm called Yu Capital and has made major investments, including a stake in a Chinese taxi app similar to Uber.


For her 25th birthday party Wendy hired a room at The Ritz and wore an Oscar De La Renta gown


Wendy lives in London and says she loves the British way of life

She said she feels under pressure to ensure her father's success continues.
'I have a huge responsibility in terms of family heritage as I am an only child I want to be a good daughter,' she said.
But she adds that her drive is also due to a need to impress her parents - even though they give her little encouragement when she succeeds.
'In China the parents have high standards, from a young age we are taught to work hard,' she explains.
'I think there is a difference between English parents and Chinese parents. Though they are proud of you at heart they would never express it. They encourage you to achieve more and do more rather than say "you are great".'
Even after she made a good impression at the Queen Charlotte's Ball - an event which she said 'would be the most significant ceremony of my life apart from my wedding' - she said they weren't overtly proud of her.
Instead she said: ''I think they are proud of their country and what China has achieved today.'

[GeneChing]

Jon M. Chu in Talks to Direct 'Crazy Rich Asians' (Exclusive)
8:19 AM PDT 5/4/2016 by Rebecca Ford and Borys Kit


Jon M Chu
Getty Images

The adaptation of Kevin Kwan's 2013 book centers on a group of Chinese families preparing for a large wedding in Singapore.

Ahead of the release of his latest film Now You See Me 2, Jon M. Chu is in talks to direct Crazy Rich Asians.

Color Force and Ivanhoe Pictures are developing the adaptation of Kevin Kwan's 2013 book, which centers on a group of wealthy Chinese families. When the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings his American-born Chinese girlfriend to Singapore for a wedding, the gossip, backstabbing and scheming reaches a fever pitch among the three super-rich families.

Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson and John Penotti are producing while Kwan will executive produce. Pete Chiarelli (The Proposal) wrote the script.

Color Force nabbed the film rights to Kwan's debut novel in 2013. The project will feature a predominantly Asian and Asian-American cast, and comes at a time when there's been uproar over some recent adaptations that have recast Asian roles with Caucasian actors (such as Scarlett Johansson in The Ghost in the Shell.)

Crazy Rich Asians, a personal, character-driven story about family and culture, is an interesting next step for Chu who has built up a successful career with several big spectacle films, like his latest, the magic-heist sequel Now You See Me 2, which hits theaters June 10.

The helmer, who is Asian-American, has bounced between music-inspired projects and big actions films, previously directing 2015’s Jem and the Holograms, Justin Bieber’s Believe and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Repped by WME and Principato Young, Chu is also attached to direct and produce Paramount's action-adventure project Escape.

That would be really funny if this was re-cast with Scar-Jo and Tilda.

[GeneChing]

Chanel, Champagne, Homicide Charges: Vancouver’s ‘Ultra Rich Asian Girls’ Sees Real Drama On Screen and Off
Jessica Rapp @jrapppp September 1, 2016


Diana and Chelsea in a still from Ultra Rich Asian Girls. (Courtesy Photo)

When Kevin Li first launched his Canadian web series Ultra Rich Asian Girls of Vancouver, the public’s simultaneous disapproval of and fascination with the fuerdai, or Chinese second-generation wealthy, was widespread. Now, Li is working on his fourth season, and already, much has changed. Since Jing Daily last spoke to Li when the first season aired in 2014, one character launched her men’s underwear line. Another had a baby. And one of the characters from Season 1, Florence Zhao, left the show. Her father was charged in 2015 with second-degree murder after allegedly dismembering Florence’s mother’s millionaire cousin in their Vancouver home for money.

But perhaps most notable is the possibility that the show could go mainstream as Li is in talks with an unnamed U.S. company seeking to co-produce the show for the American market. Currently, the show streams online for free on Youtube, Youku, and Tencent channels. While viewership spans foremost Canada and the United States, followed by Taiwan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Australia, Chinese viewership has been on the rise. Li says the show’s Weibo account “goes up by the hundreds everyday,” and meanwhile, Western media has tried to dissect the phenomenon to find out exactly what it really means to be a fuerdai in North America.

“When I released the teaser for it a couple years ago, the local media picked up on it and they thought it was a joke at first,” Li says. “They asked, is this a parody? I was like no, this is for real.” Ultra Rich Asian Girls stars four wealthy Chinese millennials, now Pam, Chelsea, Diana, and Joy, who spend their days shopping at luxury boutiques, getting facials, and drinking Champagne. Like many reality shows, the action cuts to confessionals from each of the characters, most of which are petty jabs and catty remarks.

But outside the show, there has been even bigger drama. After Florence, or “Flo Z” left last year, there were questions about whether she was actually rich. According to media reports, Florence and her family were being financially supported by the murder victim, Gang Yuan, and the lawyer for Yuan’s family accused her of lying about owning his home and his Rolls Royce.


The cast of Ultra Rich Asian Girls of Vancouver. (Courtesy Photo)

Li says his primary goal has always been to avoid depicting a cast of irresponsible fuerdai. His cast members have college degrees, three from the University of British Columbia, one graduating with honors in math, another making progress in fashion marketing. One even has a small business that is steadily gaining Weibo followers thanks to promotion on the show. “These girls are an excellent example of how to be responsible and have money, but you still have to pursue your own dreams and careers,” he says.

Jing Daily caught up with Li once again to find out where the series has headed, whether Florence has any chance of returning to Season 4, and how luxury brands are getting their cut.

What has been the response like for the show since it began?

For the past three months, there has been a lot of worldwide interest from media in the United States, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Al Jazeera, as well as Dateline Australia. It’s really taking on a lot more media attention than I really expected when I first started. People are very, very interested in this particular demographic. Economically, China is doing a lot these days, and people are getting more and more curious.

What have the media been saying about the show?

As for many of the production companies, they’ve been wanting to do something like this, but they don’t know how and they don’t know where to start. They don’t even know where to find the talent. Especially when it comes to the North American production companies, they are predominately Caucasian and very few times have they ever tried to call for something that is more multicultural. In the past year or so, they’ve seen the response the show has generated, that even though the girls are speaking in Mandarin, this is actually worth something, so let’s see what we can do. That’s the general curiosity that I get from the production companies. “

When you originally started this show, were you aiming at one particular audience versus another?

It was mainly for the Chinese audience because number one, if we look at it like a business, a lot of the Hollywood films are actually going to China because people there still consume movies in the traditional sense by going to the theater. What are they talking about now? They are talking about wealth and the money. And what was my favorite show growing up? Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. So it was these different elements that came together that made me decide I wanted a Chinese audience.

In Vancouver, in particular, there has been a lot of backlash regarding wealthy Chinese coming from the mainland and driving up property values. Do you feel that has been affecting how people react to your show?

I remember when the Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie show came out, The Simple Life, people were like, ‘These rich girls are doing all these things and never heard of Walmart. Oh my God, I can’t believe it. Walmart, right?’ But people still watched it. It was hugely popular. Like, no one would look at these two girls and say these two are driving up property prices, you know, around the area.

There’s many factors to Vancouver’s housing prices, and only 3 percent of British Columbia buyers are foreign Chinese. So there are a lot of misconceptions within the local public on how much Chinese wealth is. The biggest problem I see, as a Chinese kid growing up in Vancouver, is that people locally still see Chinese, including myself, as foreign. So when they see a guy like me go out and buy a house, they would assume too that I’m China-Chinese.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

The cast of Ultra Rich Asian Girls of Vancouver. (Courtesy Photo)

What do you hope people get out of the show other than entertainment?

Of course, number one is entertainment. And number two, I’ve always had a huge interest in Chinese-Canadian history and Chinese-Canadian culture. And within the show, you’ll see as such in the second episode of Season 1 when the girls go to Victoria’s Chinatown, which is Canada’s oldest Chinatown. They learn about the different Chinese pioneers that were here 140 years ago. So I use the show as a platform to share what I’m passionate about.

Of course, the title is provocative. That’s what it’s meant to do. But when you watch the show, you’ll actually learn these girls are actually very human, just like everyone else. They have their own vulnerabilities, and they have their own insecurities. They are also discovering what it is like growing up and living life in Vancouver. That’s what I hope people will take away from watching the show, beginning to end.

How do you go about planning a season? How much of it is pre-planned?

I would say that it is about 80 percent. The only reason for this is because the show is driven by sponsorships, so we have to be at certain places, like the mall. Do they go to those malls? Of course they go to those malls. But do they jump around and take all those selfies? Maybe not, right? But everything they say comes from their own mouth and their own mind. I came from a documentary and news background; I’ve been doing it for 18 years before doing Ultra Rich Asian Girls, and this is all I know how to do.

How do you go about choosing brands to sponsor you?

They are coming to me. A lot of companies these days see the value in the Chinese economy. So if you have a business here, especially in Vancouver, you are basically looking for that market, those who are spending frivolously, buying up stuff, eating $200 meals—and that’s just on the cheap end—and buying handbags. So if they don’t know how to advertise, they see the show as a way to reach their audience, not just here, but also in Asia as well because of social media.

How do you go about finding the cast for the show?

What’s important for me is that the show on the whole is entertaining, but there is a secondary message to it. The girls I find have to have a good story. They want to start their own business, they have a mind of their own, and they know what they want. It’s not just a girl who happens to be rich and pretty. Of course, that helps. What really tells a story is that they want to do their own business and exploring what that is like. It’s giving a different way for people to see the fuerdai. In the community, the fuerdai has had a really, really bad reputation in the past little while, with all the news reporting about the crashed Lamborghinis, Ferraris, whatever. But, there’s rich kids in Canada, and they’re called the trust fund kids. There’s a lot of trust fund kids who blow their money on cocaine and partying. But, they don’t get such a bad rap. There are also trust fund kids that go on to become lawyers, stockbrokers, and things like that. And this is just another way for people to get an inside look on this particular demographic.”

There have been numerous media reports about Florence leaving the show because her father was accused of murdering her mother’s cousin. What has happened since then? Is she coming back?

Yeah, it was very, very unfortunate. She was of course in Season 1 when that happened. She was very great for the show. She had a lot of charisma, and she had a lot of personality. She was starting her own activewear line and all this stuff. Things like that unfortunately happen, and the case is for the courts. We would love to see her come back, but she has to get this part figured out first before considering everything else. Right now her time is focused with her mom and family.


Florence Zhao (C) takes a selfie in a shot from Season One. (Courtesy Photo)

Did that mean a change in how you vet people for the show? When you found Florence, did you think she was as rich as she said she was?

She actually is rich in a sense, where she has more than most. As far as I understood it, she and her family settled in Canada first before her uncle. So that vetting process is fine. There are a lot of rumors out there accusing her of this and that, that are unfounded. So in terms of people saying “she’s not rich,” those are unfounded rumors.

What was the vetting process like for the four girls you have as your cast now?

Again, the number one most important thing is that these girls have a good story to share. They have to have a great education and are trying to figure out their lives. That’s the fun part—figuring things out. If they knew everything already, it’s not fun anymore, in my entertainment sense. Number two is of course they have to have wealth as it goes along with the name. We look at where they go party, where they like to eat, where they like to travel, what they carry, what their favorite brands are. That’s how we go about it. I mean, do I go look at their bank accounts? That’s not my business—I don’t need to look at that. All of that shows through their everyday life. The details will show how affluent they are, and that’s how we go about it. Do they have more than most? I would have to say they would have to have more than many. That’s what’s important.

Do you ever plan on filming the show in the Chinese mainland?

I would love to do that because I think China has a lot to offer. There’s a lot of fear and loathing outside of China, especially about China wealth and the “big Communist regime” that might be taking over North America and everything else. You’re from the United States and you’re living in China, and I think it’s very different from what people assume that to be. I would love to take the show to China to show a different perspective.

This interview was edited and condensed.

Has anyone here watched this show?

[GeneChing]

The son of a Chinese billionaire bought his dog eight iPhone 7s
By James Griffiths, CNN
Updated 3:58 AM ET, Tue September 20, 2016


Coco the Alaskan malamute poses with her iPhone 7 handsets.

Story highlights
Wang Sicong is the son of Wang Jianlin, one of China's richest men
The younger Wang is notorious for his ostentatious displays of wealth
Hong Kong (CNN)Apple fans lined up across China last week to get their hands on the latest iPhone, while others tried to smuggle handsets in from Hong Kong.
But one iPhone user didn't have to worry: Coco the Alaskan malamute.
Coco's owner Wang Sicong, son of Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin (estimated worth $30 billion), bought her eight iPhone 7 handsets on the day of their release, according to photos posted on the dog's verified Weibo social media account -- China's equivalent of Twitter.


Coco poses with her black and rose gold iPhone 7 handsets.

"I don't understand all the show-off posts on (social media)," read the post alongside the photos.
"What's the point? Don't make me do it?"
In China, an iPhone 6 costs 6,988 yuan ($1,047), while the larger iPhone 7 Plus goes for 7,988 yuan ($1,197).


Wang Sicong has been nicknamed "the nation's husband" online.

This isn't the first time Wang has doted on Coco in this fashion.
In 2015, he attracted widespread outrage in China after posting photos of the dog wearing two Apple Watches with luxury bands worth upwards of $37,000.
He's part of China's fu'erdai or second-generation rich -- the sons and daughters of tycoons that are best known for flaunting their decadent lifestyles.
Nicknamed "the nation's husband" for his status as China's most eligible bachelor, Wang has come under fire from state media for his outrageous displays of wealth.


Wang previously bought Coco Apple Watches and bands worth $37,000.

Last year, the official Xinhua news agency published a blistering commentary about Wang accusing him of having "stained the purity of the Chinese (people)" and warning others not to copy the "arrogant and coarse celebrity."
That came after Wang created a furore by saying the only characteristic he looked for in potential girlfriends was the size of their breasts, causing Xinhua to accuse him of having "Berlusconi-style arrogance."
Criticism over "buxomgate" got so strong that Wang's father appeared on state television to address the controversy, blaming his son's behavior on "Western schooling."
CNN's Serenitie Wang in Beijing contributed to this report

Buxomgate...oh man. It's rough being king, or in this case, spoiled prince.

[wolfen]

Interesting News Items.
From the first post: Modigliani's “Nu Couché” is a wonderful work. Maybe it will be safer in HK and hopefully put on public viewing sometime.
......

"That came after Wang created a furore by saying the only characteristic he looked for in potential girlfriends was the size of their breasts"

This doesn't seem be exactly what he said.

Other news items report:

Wang Sicong, had sparked a scandal by telling reporters at a Valentine’s Day charity event in Beijing that what he looked for in potential dates was a “big rack.”

Chinese tycoon Wang Jianlin blames Western education for his son's controversial remark that potential girlfriends needed to be "buxom".

No any word "only" in the other reports - not the same meaning.
A lot of other guys would say the same thing and have the same requirement and no one would accuse them being anything other than guys.
"cherchez la bosom",

I actually couldn't find out exactly what he said or the original text it was but the "rack" quote sounds has the most verisimilitude.

He was just too candid with State Media in the public eye. which is not much different than gaffing in the Western PC media Not good if he wants a political career.

Anyway, as the most eligible bachelor, he now is probably getting lot of propositions from Hunan and Henan.
It pays to advertise.
--------------------------------

But now the iPhones. the only thing I can think that the dog might use them for is as chew toys. The ones from the dollar store would probably taste better.
..
But this is not really crazy or pointless. He is just asserting his place in the social order. This is an example of Thornstein Veblens' Conspicuous Consumption Theory. You have something extremely valuable like the White House Lawn and then you don't use it for grazing sheep or cattle. This asserts your power and status over the community .
(In this case over America lol ).
..
Now think of all the poor homeless people that could have used those 37,000 dollar Apple watches to better their lives.
Funny thing is that no one with a cell phone these days seems to have a watch.