Zhang Xin and her husband founded Soho – one of China’s most successful property businesses – a little less than twenty years ago. She has become one of the country’s most prominent self-made billionaires. There are thousands of Chinese entrepreneurs with similar rags to riches tales but what sets Xin apart is the sheer scale of her achievement. Of course Xin’s husband has played a major part in Soho’s success and it is impossible to know how successful either would have been individually (although it would appear to be a fairly safe assumption that they would both have done very well). What is clear is Xin’s passion for the design of buildings, her focus on strategy and the ability to raise capital in developed markets. These have all been major factors in her rise to fame. Xin’s design decisions have been bold – making a major contribution to the vibrancy of Beijing’s central business district. Maybe it is these strengths and her instinct for financial prudence ( Xin still refuses to fly first class) that has taken the business to the level that thousands of her fellow entrepreneurs can only aspire to. What is certain is that Beijing would not look the same without her.