The land lady

Onboard a flight in1994, Zhang Jun happened to sit next to a senior manager of Shenzhen Blue Sky Fund Management Co.

Zhang was enjoying the chat she was having with her travel-mate, but she never expected that this pleasant conversation would lead to her taking control of a 30-million-yuan fund.

"It's amazing that the manager made the decision so quickly, based on such an incidental encounter," Zhang recalls. "She believed that I was the very person to run the real estate business, although I had no experience in managing any property projects."

Zhang believes her frankness and business ambition helped her win the manager's favor.

"I am a transparent person, both to my friends and business partners," she says.

Before joining the real estate sector, Zhang Jun worked as a reporter for a Shandong newspaper and a clothing retailer at the Beijing Xidan Shopping Mall.

The 30-million-yuan fund was later used to finance a villa project in the eastern suburbs of Beijing.

"In 1994, when the real estate sector was still in its fledging stage, most people in Beijing didn't really know about villas, so we started from scratch, seeking inspiration from travels abroad and talking to foreign architects," Zhang recalls.

The project, named Feng Lu Huang Yuan, covers an area of 680 mu about 280 mu, or 208 villa units, of which have been completed. The third phase will be completed in May, when 50 additional villas will be put up for sale.

Once the villa project proved successful, Zhang went on to expand her business to include textiles and agriculture. However, she still focuses most of her time and energy on real estate.

The 30-million-yuan investment fund provided Zhang with a springboard, and today, she manages a 100-million-yuan business.

The 40-year-old businesswoman attributes her success to her persistent and earnest approach.

"I haven't gone to sleep earlier than 2 am for the past four years," she says.

As the general manager of Wulong Real Estate Co, she remains personally involved in each step of the villa project.

When it was time to buy cables, for example, Zhang spent an entire week at the Shenyang Cables Manufacturing Co learning about the cables and speaking with the employees.

"By talking with the staff, I will know more about the quality of the product and the prestige of the manufacturer," Zhang says.

While her business booms, Zhang doesn't want her family life to fall by the wayside. She has been struggling to find a balance between work and family, which seems to be the eternal struggle of businesspeople and especially of successful businesswomen.

Saturday is her most relaxing time, because she always spends the day with her 11-year-old son.

"No matter how important the business is, I will leave the whole day for my son," she says with a smile. "And I have never had to resort to hiring a babysitter since my son was born. I took care of my baby all by myself."

However, achieving such a balance isn't easy. Over the past 10 years, Zhang has only had three or four chances to stroll through gardens with her husband and son. And each time, she has to leave early because of business.

"It is a pity that my husband can't understand me sometimes, even though I have done a lot for him," she says.

Zhang met her husband as a student when he was an economist at Renmin University.

Today, he helps run the business, but Zhang says: "He is more successful as a scholar."

However, Zhang says she would give up everything if her husband's business ran into trouble.

"Our relationship can hardly be described as pure love or friendship," she says. "It's a kind of damon and pythias."

(China Daily 03/05/2007 page4)