Chinese billionaire who died in 2024 at 79. Born poor, he turned a business making yogurt drinks into a beverage empire called Wahaha. For a time he was China's richest person. His rags-to-riches story embodied the seemingly limitless possibilities of the reform era.
Zong's daughter, thought to have been his only child, inherited his wealth. But a year after his death, three other people claiming to be his children disputed her claim to his assets and sought more than $2bn from his estate. The legal battle, still unresolved as of early 2026, has gripped the country and prompted many Chinese entrepreneurs to seek estate-planning advice.
patent: A method of publicizing inventions so others can copy them.