Zhang Xin

She built Beijing. Literally.

Meet Zhang Xin. Factory worker turned billionaire real estate mogul.

Co-founder of SOHO China, she transformed the skylines of Beijing and Shanghai, redefining modern Chinese architecture with daring, visionary designs.

But her empire wasn’t built overnight.

Born in Beijing in 1965, Zhang’s journey started in a tiny Hong Kong factory where she worked for five years to save for an education abroad.

At 19, she landed in the UK with a dream and a relentless drive, earning degrees from the University of Sussex and Cambridge.

Wall Street soon called, and she thrived at Goldman Sachs before the pull of China’s economic rise brought her home.

In 1995, alongside her husband Pan Shiyi, Zhang founded SOHO China.

The company didn’t just build office towers.

It revolutionized urban spaces, collaborating with world-class architects like Zaha Hadid and Kengo Kuma.

By 2007, SOHO China made history with a $1.9B IPO, the largest in China’s real estate sector.

Her success wasn’t just about business.

Zhang’s passion for social mobility led her to launch the SOHO China Foundation.

A $100M initiative funding scholarships for Chinese students at Harvard, Yale, and the University of Chicago.

She’s also at the forefront of sustainability, backing Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Coalition and championing green building technology.

Now, she’s on a new mission.

After stepping down as CEO in 2022, Zhang founded Closer Media in New York, shifting her focus to film and storytelling.