Hurun 2026 Rich List: Zhang Yiming regains China’s top spot at RMB 670 billion as DeepSeek founder enters top 10

Hurun Research Institute released the 2026 Hurun Rich List in Shanghai on Oct. 27, putting ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming back at No. 1 in China with a fortune of RMB 670 billion. The 43-year-old became China’s richest person for the second time, adding RMB 200 billion from a year earlier and setting a new record for the country’s top-ranked wealth. Hurun said nearly all of Zhang’s fortune comes from his more than 20% stake in ByteDance, which it valued at roughly RMB 3.3 trillion, citing growth in Douyin, TikTok and the AI assistant Doubao. The ranking also highlighted a broader reshuffle driven by artificial intelligence. DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng, 41, made his debut on the list and entered the top 10 immediately with an estimated RMB 280 billion, ranking seventh. Tencent founder Pony Ma fell to fourth with about RMB 346 billion, dropping out of the top three. Former No. 1 Zhong Shanshan slipped to second after his wealth declined by RMB 120 billion, while CATL chairman Robin Zeng rose to third. Hurun described this year’s list with two words: “reshuffle” and “refresh,” adding that AI was the biggest single engine of wealth creation in this cycle.