China's Former Richest Person Zong Qinghou Dies At 79

Zong Qinghou was the founder of the Wahaha conglomerate, which specialises in bottled water, soft drinks, tea, and other products.

Zong Qinghou, a Chinese business magnate whose leading beverage firm once made him the richest person in the country, died on Sunday, his company said. He was 79.

Zong was the founder of the Wahaha conglomerate, which specialises in bottled water, soft drinks, tea, and other products.

He died Sunday morning after "treatment for an illness proved ineffective", the company said in an obituary on its Weibo social media account.