Hands-on leader

On the table in Zhang Xiangqing's office, there is always a safety helmet. The founder and chairman of Tianjin Rockcheck Steel Group always wears it to inspect every corner of the factory floor.

He does not look like a tycoon who was ranked by the Hurun Report as the 45th richest on the Chinese mainland with a personal wealth of 13 billion yuan in 2007.

Instead, he is more like an engineer or a technical researcher, checking every step of the steelmaking process, according to Chai Shuman, general manager of Rockcheck.

Zhang "plays a more significant role in promoting the company's product innovation (compared to his roles as the chairman)," says Chai.

Zhang might have inherited the practice of keeping his eye on every detail since his childhood.

At the age of 8 he lost his parents in the deadly Tangshan earthquake in 1976. Despite the generosity of others, he still had to try to make a living on his own and without any letup.

Detail-oriented, Zhang is always fond of learning and has become a technical expert in the steelmaking industry although he was forced to drop out of the school at the age of 12.

He subscribes to the China Metallurgical Newspaper, a major trade publication that helps update him on new trends and developments in the industry.

Zhang also keeps studying English and has no difficulties reading English-language steel and industry publications. A hands-on leader, he can be frequently found in the steel production areas practicing the methods he's learned from his reading.

Due to Zhang, Rockcheck has formed a strong team specializing in researching energy conservation technologies in order to boost innovation and production. By the end of 2006, the company invested 519 million yuan in technologies for energy saving and emission control.

For years, Zhang has kept using desalinated water for iron smelting and steel-making. So far, all the water for production comes from collected rainwater.

Furthermore, Rockcheck Steel is also specialized in strengthening recycling solid waste, a practice that has resulted in 90 percent of the waste in the steel production being recycled.

Many steel tycoons are only well known when their names are on the list of the country's richest people, but Zhang is an exception due to his charitable activities.

By the end of last year, Zhang had donated a total of 38.5 million yuan to a wide range of causes including education, sports and environmental protection.

That has made him a well-known philanthropist as well as a famed private entrepreneur.

The reason for his generosity is quite simple: the 40-year Zhang says it's due to his childhood experience.

"I am an orphan. Without the helping hands from the society, I would not have survived and made a living," says Zhang. "All my wealth belongs to society and should be contributed to our country."

(China Daily 08/18/2008 page12)