Zong Qinghou, the rags-to-riches founder of one of China’s biggest beverage makers, who was once China’s richest man, died of an illness on Sunday at the age of 79, his company Hangzhou Wahaha Group said in a brief statement.
In China, Zong was known as a legendary businessman who grew his soft drinks empire from a tricycle cart hawking (沿街叫卖) ice pops to school kids into a large company selling everything from milk drinks to bottled water and canned porridge.
Zong was also recognized as a national hero for wrestling the full control of Wahaha, which means “laughing child”, from its French partner Danone more than a decade ago. Victory in that bitter battle boosted Zong’s wealth to $8 billion, making him China’s richest man in 2010 and again in 2012, according to Forbes.
His death was mourned across China. Condolences (吊唁) poured in from remarkable Chinese entrepreneurs including Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. Wahaha employees and residents in the eastern city of Hangzhou laid flowers outside the company.
The beverage giant’s rise came to represent the can-do spirit of China’s first generation of private entrepreneurs, who helped accelerate the country’s explosive economic growth in the years after they capitalized on market reforms in the late 1970s.
Despite his wealth, Zong was known for his simple lifestyle, which set him apart from many of China’s new rich. He was nicknamed “the richest man in cloth shoes” for always sporting plain black shoes.
In an interview with the state-run People’s Daily in 2010, Zong said the title and wealth had brought little change to his life. “Every day, I still smoke two packs of cigarettes that cost 12 yuan (then $1.80) each, have two cups of tea, and eat my three meals at the company canteen,” he said. He was known for starting work around 7 am and not leaving the office until 11 pm, working for more than 12 hours a day long before the tiring “996” work schedule became common.
【小题1】Zong Qinghou was praised as a national hero because of his ______.| A．stimulating China’s economy |
| B．becoming China’s richest man in 2010 |
| C．teaming up with the French partner Danone |
| D．completely dominating Wahaha by beating Danone |
| A．His soft drinks empire was established overnight. |
| B．Embracing the changes in policies benefited him. |
| C．His perseverance played a decisive role in China’s economic growth. |
| D．His family background and people skills contributed to his success. |
| A．he stayed true to himself | B．he brought fame and fortune to people |
| C．he gave in to the temptation of wealth | D．he pioneered the “996” work schedule |
| A．Respectful and optimistic. | B．Influential and enterprising. |
| C．Generous and aggressive. | D．Talented and economical. |
