Q: What are your main business ideas?

A: I'd say they can be summed up in three words: culture, professionalism and scarcity. Earning money is definitely a goal of our operation, but it's not the main one. I made the company slogan "Let's do more for our community" the day I started at Zhongkun. What I'm most proud of is not the ability to make profits, but the influence our projects have on local people: Their lives change for the better and the economy grows healthier.

What's your favorite holiday destination?

Pu'er city, in southwestern Yunnan province.

What foreign cuisine do you like the most?

Japanese food

What special features do you value most in a woman?

Softness and tenderness

Who is your favorite Chinese poet?

Qu Yuan, author of Songs of Chu, who lived in the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

Who is your favorite foreign writer?

George Eliot

What are you currently reading or writing?

I'm writing my new collection of poetry entitled The Green Tara.

What is your definition of happiness?

Being able to feel and act free according to my will.

What quality do you value the most in friends?

Simplicity in relationships.

What are the greatest achievements you have made so far in your life?

I succeeded in protecting Hongcun, an ancient village in Anhui province, and got it listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; I've been on the tops of seven peaks and at the two poles; I donated 900 million yuan ($141.6 million) to my alma mater Peking University.

What is your greatest regret?

I should have done more in all the things I'm up to.

What personal characteristic are you most proud of?

My self-confidence.

Do you think you have any weak points?

It was to be that I can't bear any degree of insults.

What image do you think you have presented to the world as a Chinese businessman?

I'm strong in body and mind and I'm courteous and am a gentleman of scholarly bearing.

(China Daily 07/12/2012 page16)