With 64 New Additional Billionaires, China’s Richest Now Totals 300

The Hurun Report, a report which follows and enlists China's wealthy, has disclosed that 64 additional billionaires have been added into the list. Despite a topsy turvy economy, with the new additions, China's number of richest now total a whopping 300. Wang Jianlin, a billionaire Chinese real estate developer, is the country's new richest tycoon this year.

Most of the billionaires come from the real estate and IT sectors, according to Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun Report Chairman and Chief Researcher. He noted one in every four billionaires created their wealth from property, bumping manufacturing as the key source of income.

China's current number of billionaires exactly total at 315. This year's feat is the first time that the world's second-largest economy surpassed the 300 mark, according to the Hurun Report's 2013 China Rich List. In 2012, it was 251 and zero a decade ago.

And "if the economy takes off properly again, which by all intents and purposes we're hearing it might do at the end of next year, then I expect you can see these numbers grow even further," Mr Hoogewerf said.

Additionally, according to the report, aside from the 315 billionaires, China boasts of 2.7 million millionaires.

Affirming its claim that China's richest come from the real estate sector, the Hurun Report's 2013 China Rich List said Wang Jianlin, who is currently building Western Europe's tallest residential tower in London, has emerged as the list's wealthiest among all of China's richest this year.

Wang Jianlin at the World Economic Forum in 2009

Owning Dalian Wanda Group Co which operates hotels, cinemas and department stores, 59-year-old Mr Wang has a fortune placed at $US22 billion ($A23.7 billion).

Beverage entrepreneur Zong Qinghou, who ranked in as this year's second richest billionaire in China, has $US18.7 billion.

Mr Wang and 68-year-old Mr Zong was top two and top one, respectively, at last year's Hurun Report.

Completing the top three was Ma Huateng, 42-year-old co-founder of Tencent Holdings, China's largest internet company by revenue. He is also the youngest to make the top 10 list.

See the complete list here - http://www.hurun.net/usen/