Top 5 Hong Kong billionaires see net worth plunging

Li Ka-shing, senior advisor of conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings

Li Ka-shing, senior advisor of conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings. Photo courtesy of EdTech Stanford University School of Medicine via Wikipedia

Li Ka-shing, 95, is the richest person in Hong Kong with a net worth of $37.3 billion, down 1.8% from last year.

He started plastic company Cheung Kong at age 21 using relatives’ savings and loans and turned it into CK Hutchison Holdigngs, a conglomerate with interest in port services, retail, infrastructure and telecommunications.

He is known as a business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He now ranks 63rd in the Forbes’ global rich list.

Lee Shau Kee, co-founder of property developer Sun Hung Kai

Lee Shau Kee, co-founder of property developer Sun Hung Kai. Photo by Tksteven via Wikipedia

Lee Shau Kee, 96, has a net worth of $27.7 billion, down 6.1% from last year.

He is the co-founder of property developer Sun Hung Kai. He also founded property giant Hender Land Development in 1976, which now makes up the majority of his net worth.

He stepped down as chairman of Henderson Land in 2019 and appointed his two sons as co-chairmen.

Coming from an under-privileged family, he has reportedly donated more than $400 million toward education over the years.

Robin Zeng, chairman of battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology

Robin Zeng, chairman of battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology. Photo by AFP

Robin Zeng, 55, owns $22.9 billion in assets, down 31% from last year.

He is the founder and chairman of Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), one of the world's largest suppliers of batteries for electric vehicles. Among its customers are BMW and Volkswagen.

Zeng holds a Ph.D. from the Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Peter Woo, former chairman of property developer Wheelock & Co.

Peter Woo, former chairman of property developer Wheelock & Co. Photo courtesy of Our Hong Kong Foundation

Peter Woo, 77, is the fourth richest man in Hong Kong with a $15.1 billion net worth, down 4.4% from last year.

He was chairman of property developer Wheelock & Co. before stepping down in 2015. Wheelock controls important telecom, port and retailing assets, including luxury department store chain Lane Crawford.

Woo began his career in 1972 with Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, where he met his future wife Bessie, daughter of the shipping tycoon Y.K. Pao.

Joseph Lau, former chairman of property developer Chinese Estates

Joseph Lau, former chairman of property developer Chinese Estates. Photo by Chinese2011 via Wikipedia

Joseph Lau, 72, has a $13.1 billion net worth, down 1.5% from last year.

He became a majority shareholder of Chinese Estates in 1986 and has since expanded his investment through several acquisitions.

He became a billionaire in 2006. His brother Thomas is also a billionaire.

Lau is an art collector and owns pieces from Warhol, Gauguin and Hockney that are worth at least $1 billion.