Zong Qinghou, the Chinese beverage billionaire who took on Danone and won, dies

Zong Qinghou, the rags-to-riches founder of Chinese beverage maker Wahaha and once the richest man in the country, has died.

Zong Qinghou, the rags-to-riches founder of one of China’s biggest beverage makers, has died. The self-made billionaire, who was once China’s richest man, died of an illness on Sunday at the age of 79, his company Hangzhou Wahaha Group said in a brief statement, without providing further details. In China, Zong was known as a legendary businessman who grew his soft drinks empire from a tricycle cart hawking ice pops to school kids into a conglomerate selling everything from milk drinks to bottled water and canned porridge. Zong was also hailed as a national hero for wrestling full control of Wahaha, which means “laughing child,” from its French partner Danone more than a decade ago. Victory in that bitter battle boosted Zong’s wealth to $8 billion, making him China’s richest man in 2010 and again in 2012, according to Forbes. His death was mourned across China. Condolences poured in from prominent Chinese entrepreneurs including Alibaba (BABA) co-founder Jack Ma and Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. Wahaha employees and residents in the eastern city of Hangzhou laid flowers outside the company. Zong is survived by his wife and his daughter, Zong Fuli, who has long been groomed as his successor.