Inside the low-key life of Asia's new richest man, who's known as the 'lone wolf' and used to be a journalist

Zhong Shanshan at a Nongfu Spring product launch conference in February 2015 in Baishan, China.Jiang Xin/VCG via Getty Images

• Chinese billionaire Zhong Shanshan is the richest person in Asia, with an estimated $84.7 billion net worth, per Bloomberg's Billionaires Index.
• The 66-year-old billionaire, who chairs both bottled water company Nongfu Spring and vaccine maker Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise, made more than $70 billion in 2020.
• Zhong's lifestyle appears to be much more low-key than that of Asia's previous richest man, Mukesh Ambani, who's known for living in a reported $1 billion home and mingling with Beyoncé and Hillary Clinton.
• Zhong is known as the "Lone Wolf" and rarely makes public appearances or speaks to the media.
• He lives in an apartment in Hangzhou's Xihu district, which borders the city's scenic West Lake.

Zhong Shanshan has had quite a year.

Last January, he was already a billionaire, worth around $7 billion. But in 2020, the Chinese businessman's wealth soared by tens of billions, making him one of the richest people in the world in a matter of months.

In September, Zhong made headlines for becoming richer than Alibaba founder Jack Ma and therefore the wealthiest person in China. By the end of December, the 66-year-old's fortune had swelled by another $17 billion, making him the richest person in all of Asia. Zhong's net worth peaked at $95 billion in early January and now sits at $84.7 billion, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. He trails Warren Buffett by just a few billion.

Zhong is the chairman of two companies: bottled water company Nongfu Spring and vaccine maker Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise. In 2020, Zhong took both companies public and grew his fortune by more than $70 billion.

Zhong's wealth surpassed Asia's previous richest man, Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, who runs one of India's largest conglomerates. Ambani, who's worth $74.7 billion, and his family are known for their lavish lifestyles. They live in an outrageous $1 billion skyscraper home and rub shoulders with the likes of Hillary Clinton and Beyoncé, who performed at Ambani's daughter's wedding in 2018.

Asia's new richest man, on the other hand, tends to fly under the radar. Zhong is known as the "Lone Wolf" because he's not involved in politics and he rarely makes public appearances or speaks to the media, according to Bloomberg. And very little is known about his personal life, with no reports of lavish spending habits.

Here's what we know about the lifestyle of Zhong Shanshan, the mysterious billionaire who's now richer than anyone else in Asia.