Women dazzle China's business circle

Kelly Zong, the daughter of Zong Qinghou, chairman of Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co Ltd and the richest man on the mainland, attends a ceremony with her father in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Provided to China Daily

BEIJING - "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." But this may not be true vice versa, especially when it comes to Kelly Zong.

Wearing a yellow jacket, pink blouse, bluish gray skirt and high heels, Zong was not as eye-catching as other female attendees with their glittering jewels at the China Development Forum 2014 that concluded on Monday.

Some men tried to talk to her, but most of the time they only got a smile or a hasty response.

Zong is president of Zhejiang Province-based Hangzhou Wahaha Group, China's largest beverage company. She is the only daughter of the group's founder and board chairman Zong Qinghou, who was crowned "the richest man" in the Chinese mainland on the Forbes 2013 billionaire list with a net fortune of $11.6 billion.

As heir to the family business, Zong's marital status has aroused interest, especially on the Internet. There have been reports that the 32-year-old businesswoman has never been in a serious relationship as she is cautious admirers are only interested in her wealth.

More importantly attendees wanted to know how she planned on ruling the business empire created by her father.

Although Wahaha has a lion's share of the beverage market in China, sustaining fast growth has not been easy. Forbes said Zong Qinghou's fortune stayed flat on its 2014 billionaire list because of "a lack of attention-grabbing new drinks". His ranking has slipped to fourth.

Dubbed by some Chinese media as "the most diligent princess" for her efforts to expand Wahaha, Zong told the forum, "I don't care what I am called. It is about doing things right."

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