Li Zhaonan: The two brothers have become billionaires, but he works in his hometown and was given 20 billion without taking any cents.

Hong Kong, a land where every inch of land is of high value, has always been home to many wealthy people. The famous ones include the "Four Big Families of Hong Kong" namely Kwok Desheng, Lee Shau Kee, Li Ka-shing and Cheng Yu-tung who made their fortune in real estate.

Generally speaking, when the wealth of the rich reaches a certain scale, their brothers, sons, nephews and even grandsons will enter the family business to help manage the company to consolidate the family empire.

However, Lee Shau-kee, who ranks first on the Hong Kong rich list published by Forbes magazine in 2020, and his younger brother Li Zhaonan do not like the business world and would rather stay in his hometown of Shunde, Foshan and be an ordinary person.

The three brothers Li Zhaolin, Li Zhaoji and Li Zhaonan were born in a relatively wealthy family in Daliang Town, Shunde, Foshan.

Therefore, when they were young, the three brothers all received more or less a certain degree of education. They had read four books and five classics, and they had no worries about food and clothing, so they could live a stable life.

Before the eldest brother Li Zhaolin, his father Li Jiefu had two sons, both of whom died when they were young. However, according to their seniority, the family still called them Li Zhaolin, the third, Li Zhaoji, the fourth, and Li Zhaonan, the fifth.

Therefore, after Lee Shau-kee became a famous rich man in Hong Kong, people called him "fourth uncle" and Li Zhaolin "third uncle".

The Li family owns two stores in Shunde, Tianbaorong Gold Shop and Yongsheng Bank, which focus on gold and foreign exchange business. Brothers Li Zhaolin and Li Zhaoji have been with their father since they were young, watching the stores. How do people run their businesses and learn how to identify gold and silver.

The two of them are also talented and intelligent, and have learned first-hand business skills. Later, when the Japanese invaded China, Li Zhaolin followed his uncle to Zhanjiang to study, while Li Zhaoji continued to manage the store business with his father.

The masters of gold and silverware in gold and silver shops will always steal some materials while working. This is also the case in Li's shop. However, due to the skills of the masters, Li Jiefu But he could only turn a blind eye.

Lee Shau Kee, who was still young, discovered this situation, but felt that in the long run, he could not let it go. After much thought, he felt that it was better to seek help from others than to seek help from others, so he explored the technology of casting gold himself.

At the age of 12, Lee Shau-kee had already mastered the core techniques and related knowledge of gold viewing, gold melting, and gold melting, and his ability to identify gold was also praised.

Later, Lee Shau Kee accidentally figured out a way to make old banknotes new, earning a lot of profits for the store.

When Lee Shau Kee was only a teenager, his father entrusted him with the management of the shop, and he also managed the family business in an orderly manner. However, after Japan's defeat, the currency depreciated rapidly. Even though Lee Shau Kee was very capable, he could not offset the decline in the gold shop's business.

In 1948, Li Jiefu hoped that his son would develop in a larger place and not be limited to the three-acre field at home.

At that time, the eldest brother Li Zhaolin also dropped out of school due to various reasons and returned to Guangzhou to work in the local gold and silver industry. He suffered a lot at first, but with his own hard work and diligence, he gradually rose to the position of manager.

Li Zhaolin and his younger brother Li Zhaoji are the same. Their eyes are not limited to what is in front of them, but to bigger and further places. After hearing their father's ideas, they are already gearing up and eager to try, hoping to go to the prosperous place. Go and show your ambitions.

Li Jiefu then gave Li Zhaolin and Li Shauji 1,000 yuan each to develop in Macau and Hong Kong. The brothers bid farewell to the hometown where they grew up, packed up their bags, and began their journey of hard work.

When Lee Shau Kee first arrived in Hong Kong, he placed orders in several bank shops and engaged in his old business of buying and selling foreign exchange and gold, and made a lot of money. Later, Lee Shau Kee got involved in real estate and established a company. His principle was that everything, no matter how big or small, must be seen in person.

With his far-sighted vision and strong tactics in business wars, Lee Shau-kee built a huge business empire. He then invested in hotel projects in mainland China and carried out diversified development. His industrial fields included gas, funds, etc., in one fell swoop. Jumped into the top ten richest people in Hong Kong.

After years of development, Lee Shau-kee has become a very important figure in Hong Kong. In his later years, he was worth more than 200 billion, and his popularity even surpassed that of the richest man Li Ka-shing.

As early as 1996, Lee Shau Kee's wealth ranked fourth on the global rich list, the highest ranking among Chinese richest people in the global wealth list. No Chinese has been able to break this record.

Lee Shau Kee’s brother Li Zhaolin is also a man of great influence. Back then, my younger brother went to Hong Kong alone with a thousand yuan, and he went to Macau alone.

In Macau, he was still engaged in the gold and silver industry, which he was good at. After several years of accumulation, he decided to go to Hong Kong for development.

When Li Zhaolin first arrived in Hong Kong, he did import trade, plastic and rubber products and other businesses, but none of them were ideal. After that, like his younger brother, he devoted himself to real estate and established a real estate company.

At that time, Hong Kong's economy was gradually developing and the demand for housing was increasing day by day. Real estate was a development field with full potential. Li Zhaolin kept his feet on the ground and allowed the company to develop steadily and soon earned the first pot of gold.

In the 1970s, "Siu'an Real Estate Co., Ltd." founded by Li Zhaolin became a listed company. In the 1980s, his company's business expanded to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Foshan and other places.

Although Li Zhaolin is not as wealthy as his younger brother Li Zhaoji, he has hundreds of shops in Hong Kong and collects rent. The annual rent is as high as several hundred million. He is known as the "Shop King". In addition, With the income from the real estate company, he is also one of the richest billionaires in Hong Kong.

Li Zhaolin, who became a rich man, was committed to contributing to the development of his hometown and donated hospitals, teaching buildings, etc. to Shunde. He was a philanthropist who was willing to give.

After going out to work hard, both brothers achieved great success and became famous rich men. In contrast, the life of younger brother Li Zhaonan was completely different.

In the 1940s, when his two brothers, Li Zhaolin and Li Shauji, were away from home, his father also asked Li Zhaonan for his opinion, but he chose to stay in his hometown to help run the family shop, take care of his parents, and Complete your studies.

Li Zhaonan has always had a gentle temperament. He is not as aggressive as his brothers and is not that interested in doing business. He does not like the disputes in the fame and fortune market and only likes a stable life.

When others would ask him why he didn't go out to do business with his two brothers, he would always say: "Who will take care of my parents at home when I leave?" This is indeed the case.

Li Zhaonan, who is taking care of his parents in his hometown, is like a backing for his brothers, allowing them to travel far away with peace of mind.

The burden of business for the two shops in the family fell on Li Zhaonan. His father Li Jiefu also taught Li Zhaonan how to do business, but Li Zhaonan was not interested in business at all, and he was not a business material. He doesn't have the courage to stand alone.

Therefore, when Li Zhaonan works in his family's shop, he is not like a shopkeeper, but more like a clerk who obeys his orders.

Li Jiefu knew that his younger son was not that enterprising, but he also hoped that his son could inherit his business and it would be best if he could carry it forward. Unfortunately, he also knew that Li Zhaonan had no interest in it, so he just let him go.

When the times throw down a lot of sand, no one can resist it. As the civil war intensified and the situation everywhere became turbulent, the gold and silver currency business of Li's shop became increasingly difficult and gradually declined.

Li Jiefu and his wife are also old and unable to turn the tide in troubled times. They can only retreat and close their family shop before the losses are greater.

Li Zhaonan seemed to have "lost his job" all of a sudden, but he didn't have any resentment. After all, he never cared about business matters. In order to make ends meet, he chose to work in a factory and live a nine-to-five life.

From the son of a businessman with no worries about food and clothing to an ordinary wage earner, this gap may make many people feel uncomfortable.

But Li Zhaonan didn't feel that there was any sadness in this. Although the life between the factory and the front line was dull, it was stable. Although the monthly salary could only maintain food and clothing, it was enough. Li Zhaonan had always They are not money lovers.

When he was old enough to start a family, Li Zhaonan married a girl he met in the factory, and the two held a simple banquet.

As for the newlywed's house, Li Zhaonan used his own savings and his parents' funding to buy a small house of 60 square meters.

After getting married, Li Zhaonan and his wife soon gave birth to several children. The couple lived a life of working in a factory and taking care of their children after returning home, just like thousands of ordinary people. Same.

At this time, Lee Shau-kee and Lee Zhao-lin, who were far away in Hong Kong, were flexing their muscles in their business empire.

The two brothers are well-known rich people. Naturally, they will never forget their biological brothers who have a very good relationship. Li Zhaolin and Li Shauji have invited Li Zhaonan to Hong Kong many times to manage the company with them, or move the whole family to Hong Kong. , lived with them in a mansion, but was declined by Li Zhaonan every time.

Li Zhaonan feels that he is very uncomfortable in a fast-paced and bustling city like Hong Kong, and he does not know anything about the business world. For him, there is nothing wrong with staying in his hometown and living a more ordinary life. good.

After the elder brothers knew that their younger brother did not like the dispute over fame and wealth, they did not force him. Li Shauji helped his younger brother find a job as a shopping mall worker in Shunde, so that he would not have to do the hard and tiring work in the factory every day.

Li Zhaonan kept such a job until his retirement. Colleagues would sometimes tease Li Zhaonan and say, "Uncle Li, you and my fourth uncle (Lee Shau Kee) have the same names as brothers!" Li Zhaonan would just smile and say nothing every time.

Colleagues don’t know that Li Zhaonan and Li Shauji are really brothers.

Lee Shau Kee has always liked children. His daughter-in-law, Xu Ziqi, gave birth to four children for the Li family in eight years, which made them two "good" children. She also said that there might be a fifth child, which won the favor of his father-in-law Lee Shau Kee. , bought him a mansion and a luxury car, and directly gave him a huge sum of one billion yuan, which can be said to be "heavy rewards, no mercy."

For Li Zhaonan’s children and grandchildren, Li Zhaoji also helped a lot and sponsored them to study abroad.

Despite their vastly different identities, Li Zhaonan has never left his hometown of Shunde. The brothers have their own development, but the relationship between the brothers has always been good, and they will always drink tea in their free time.

After Li Zhaonan and Li Zhaoji saw the newspaper, they didn't feel angry, they just felt a little bit dumbfounded.

Li Zhaonan, who returned to Shunde, still lives in a small house without a mansion, a luxury car, or a nanny. He believes that in his later years, having children and grandchildren, brothers harmonious, and a harmonious family is the best life.

In fact, Li Zhaonan is an unknown "invisible rich man". As early as 1993, Lee Shau Kee funded the establishment of Guangzhou Hengde Trading Development Co., Ltd. in the name of himself and his sister-in-law, and invested in Ping An Insurance.

In other words, Li Zhaonan himself holds 2.72% of Ping An Insurance’s shares, which is approximately 200 million shares.

At the beginning, the insurance industry in the mainland had not yet developed, and the approval procedures for foreign capital to enter the Chinese insurance market were also very complicated.

However, at that time, Lee Shau Kee saw the development potential of the insurance market and had plans to enter the insurance industry, which shows his far-sightedness.

Li Zhaonan acts in a low-key manner. For this company, he just has a name, because to develop the insurance industry in the mainland, it is more convenient for mainlanders to do things. "Hong Kong people need to go through a lot of procedures to invest."

Despite this, due to the rapid development of Ping An Insurance in the past ten years and its market value rising even more after its listing, Li Zhaonan's wealth has grown explosively. At its peak, his net worth was as high as 20 billion. RMB, ranking 34th on the Hurun Rich List, Li Zhaonan is described by the outside world as a "mysterious and low-key rich man".

To this day, Li Zhaonan’s wealth is still considerable.

At that time, Lee Shau Kee invested money to start a company in his younger brother's name. On the one hand, it was to facilitate the procedures, and on the other hand, he was also considering his younger brother's future, so that he would not have to work and live in vain.

If ordinary people suddenly had 20 billion in wealth, they might have squandered it unscrupulously, but Li Zhaonan has not touched this money for more than 20 years and has been living a simple and poor life. .

After retirement, Li Zhaonan’s life is even simpler. In his free time, he plays chess with his friends in the park. At home, he drinks tea and grows flowers. Every morning, he carries a basket to the vegetable market to buy vegetables. Be at ease.

Li Zhaonan has children who have settled in Canada. He brought his parents to Canada. However, the couple did not speak English and felt that living abroad was no different from going to jail. It was very boring, so they returned to their hometown after a while. Life.

Before Li Zhaonan died, he returned all the 20 billion worth of shares given to him by Li Shauji to his brother and did not pass them on to his children. This is also his integrity.

On January 25, 2020, Li Zhaolin also passed away in Hong Kong at the age of 98. For him, who has many children and grandchildren and earned tens of billions of wealth, he did not have many regrets in life.

Lee Shau Kee retreated to the second line, no longer directly in charge of the company, leaving the company to his son to take care of it, and enjoying the happiness of his family.

Every life is different, and everyone has his own ambitions. It is often difficult for us to tell clearly what kind of life is good and what is bad, whether it is plain or prosperous, it can be Spending your life the way you want is extremely wonderful.

Ifeng.com, February 13, 2020, "The funeral of Lee Siu-lin, the 98-year-old brother of Hong Kong's richest man Lee Shau-kee, was low-key and simple. The three heroes of the same family are all billionaires"