Sir Li Ka-shing, GBM, KBE (simplified Chinese: 李嘉诚; traditional Chinese: 李嘉誠), is a wealthy businessman from Hong Kong. He is the richest person of Chinese descent in the world, one of the richest and most influential investors in Asia, and the eleventh richest man in the world according to Forbes with an estimated wealth of $26.5 billion on February 11, 2008.
Li is often referred to as "Superman" in Hong Kong because of his business prowess. His peers in Hong Kong include Lee Shau Kee of the Henderson Land Development, New World Development's Cheng Yu-tung, Kwok family of Sun Hung Kai Properties, and Henry Fok Ying-tung, among others. "From his humble beginnings in China as a teacher’s son, a refugee, and later as a salesman, Li provides a lesson in integrity and adaptability. Through hard work, and a reputation for remaining true to his internal moral compass, he was able to build a business empire.
His two sons Victor Li (李澤鉅) and Richard Li (李澤楷) are also major players in the Hong Kong business scene. Victor Li works directly with his father as managing director and deputy chairman of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited, while Richard Li is the head of PCCW, the largest telecom company in Hong Kong. They are both Canadian citizens.
On May 23, 1996, Victor Li was kidnapped on his way home from work by a notorious Chinese thug named Cheung Tze-keung (張子強), who was nicknamed "Big Spender" because of his flamboyant lifestyle. Li Ka-Shing reportedly paid a ransom of over $100 million to free his son, however, never publicly acknowledged that the kidnapping even took place, although the press published reports of his face-to-face meetings with Cheung Tze-keung. It was never known how the money was given to the criminal. Not happy that his country would look like a dangerous place for wealthy people or businessmen, the President of China, Jiang Zemin, ensured that "Big Spender" would be found and executed. Two years later, Cheung was involved in another high-profile kidnapping of billionaire Walter Kwok. Fleeing to the mainland, Cheung was immediately arrested, accused of other crimes and executed in Guangzhou.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Ka-shing
