In our article titled “Wu Yajun 101: Who is the Famous Billionaire Businesswoman?” on Zatrun.com, we will cover everything you need to know in detail about Wu Yajun, the renowned billionaire businesswoman that our readers are curious about.
Who is Wu Yajun?
Wu was born in 1964 in Chongqing to an ordinary family. She graduated from the Navigation Engineering Department of Northwestern Polytechnical University in 1984. Wu Yajun, a Chinese billionaire businesswoman, was once the world’s richest self-made woman. She is also the co-founder, chairperson, and former CEO of Longfor Properties. Coming from humble origins, Wu Yajun worked as a journalist and editor in the 1990s before entering the real estate industry.
She later invested in technology companies such as Uber and Evernote. As of April 2021, Wu’s estimated net worth is $18.3 billion. Wu Yajun lost her title as the richest woman in China to Yang Huiyan after divorcing her former husband Cai Kui in 2012. Following the divorce, her stake in Longfor fell to 45%, with Cai Kui holding a 30% stake. Wu has one child.
Career Life:
Between 1984 and 1988, Wu worked at Qianwei Meter Factory. From 1988 to 1993, she worked as a journalist and editor at China Shirong News Agency. At that time, the newspaper was controlled by the Chongqing Municipal Construction Bureau, which played an important role in helping Wu Yajun build her government and business network, allowing her to create opportunities to start her career in the real estate sector. In 1995, Wu and her ex-husband, businessman Cai Kui, founded Chongqing Zhongjianke Real Estate Company with a starting capital of 10 million yuan.
The company was later renamed Longfor Properties. The company rapidly grew and covered major cities such as Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Changzhou, and Dalian, starting from her home in Chongqing. In 2007, Wu became a member of Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business graduates. Longfor Properties went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2009, with notable investors such as the Singapore government, Ping An Insurance, and Temasek Holdings. Wu is the chairman and former CEO of Longfor Properties.
Wealth:
Wu Yajun’s fortune is managed by a company called Wu Capital, which was established in 2013. Since its founding, Wu Capital has invested in technology companies such as Uber and Evernote. According to the Hurun Report China Rich List 2013, Wu is the third richest woman in China and the 22nd richest person overall. In 2012, she was China’s richest woman and the fifth richest person, but lost that position to Yang Huiyan due to her divorce from Cai Kui.
As of March 2013, she had a net worth of $4.4 billion, making her the world’s 299th richest person on Forbes’ list of the World’s Billionaires, and she ranks among the top 50 on Forbes’ Powerful Women list. Wu Yajun is a member of the National People’s Congress. In 2014, Forbes listed her as the world’s 41st most powerful woman. Barron’s reported in March 2019 that after a seven-year hiatus, Wu is once again the world’s richest self-made woman.
