A 61-year old Businessman who rose from humble beginnings to become the richest Chinese in the world

Wang Jianlin is thought to be the richest Chinese person in the world.

The 61-year-old, who is the chairman of the Dalian Wanda Group, was estimated by the Hurun Research Institute to be worth more than £20billion following the recent flotation of several assets.

The billionaire has previously been ranked by Forbes as the richest man in China and the 29th richest man in the world.

Wang, who was born in October 1954 in Sichuan, south west China, followed in the footsteps of his father by joining the People's Liberation Army aged just 15. After a period working in politics, he turned his hand to business.

In 1988, he founded Wanda Group in Dalian, eastern China, reportedly with just $80,000 (£53,000).

The conglomerate now owns hundreds of shopping malls, five-star hotels, cinemas and karaoke chains around the world.

Through the company, he has bought majority shares in Sunseeker International Ltd - a British yacht company that has previously made boats for James Bond films.

He also made land investments in Vauxhall, south London, where One Nine Elms has now been built.

The total value of these British investments in 2013 were estimated to be $1.6billion (£1.07bn). At the time, the businessman was reported saying 'land prices are much cheaper than in Beijing'.

Outside of the UK, Wang has also bought a large stake in Atlético Madrid as well as US cinema chain AMC. Wang knocked internet mogul Jack Ma from the top spot on China's richest list at the beginning of this year.

Former English teacher Ma shot into the rich list after a record-breaking $25billion initial public offering for his e-commerce Alibaba Group on the New York Stock Exchange.

The 51-year-old is now pushing into financial services, including a consumer money market fund and a private bank.

He also has more than a dozen other investments, from a stake in a soccer team to a film production studio.