Like mother, like son

Danny Wang grew up in a single-parent family, and as it turns out that parent just happens to be particularly successful.

Zhang Lan, Wang's mother, is the founder of South Beauty, one of the best Sichuan-style chain of restaurants in the country.

Zhang also supported her son's business enterprise by putting up a 300 million yuan ($40 million) for the development of a luxury club in Beijing.

"I am lucky, not just because of the platform my mother provided me to work from, but because of the values and the way of thinking she has impressed upon me," Wang says.

The 27-year-old says he has no interest in either the IT industry or the stock market to accumulate more wealth. "I just want to do something which makes me feel a sense of success."

Tall and stylish, the executive director of the South Beauty Group (SBG) looks like any other young professional. He seems too busy to tidy up his desk, which is covered in business cards and office papers. There's also a lunch box with a single dim sum, a day-old trial sample from his chef, which he has kept for his breakfast.

Wang was sent to study overseas at the age of 15. After graduating from a private high school in Monaco, the teenager went to Paris seeking higher education. He studied design for a year, and shifted his major to hospitality management (HM) afterwards.

All of these decisions were made on his own, without consultation with his mother, as he didn't want her to worry about him.

In 2001, he moved to Canada where he gained an IBA in HM. He never considered living abroad permanently, he says.

"Everyday I longed to go back to China, and wished I could graduate the next day. I had so much potential that was about to erupt."

The Beijinger returned to his hometown three years later. But he was disappointed when he saw the city again.

"Beijing was like a dispirited middle-aged Chinese man. Now, it has grown much younger, but it has lost many cultural characteristics through urban development," he says.

Wang argues that the city's status as an international metropolis doesn't depend on how many highways or modern high-rises it has.

"It has more to do with culture and global-oriented service," he says.

So, the ambitious man made up his mind to open a restaurant in the capital that revolutionized the concept of dining.

"To me, some foreigners think Chinese food is served in a local but backward way. They dine in a Chinese restaurant out of curiosity rather than for the dishes themselves," he says.

"What I want to do is accommodate people in a modern place to enjoy top-grade Chinese cuisine."

Philippe Starck, the contemporary designer, was recruited to work on the restaurant's layout. Named after Wang's mother, Lan Club was opened in 2006,

Targeting high-end consumers, the 7,000-sq-m club can accommodate 1,200 people. So far, Lan has received a dozen heads of state, including the king of Spain, the prime minister of Italy and the president of France.

Wang, however, never asks to have his photo taken with the celebrities when they visit.

"I don't want to become famous relying on them. I would rather do it my own way."

Lan Club is not a place of relaxation for its founder; instead he goes to Gui Jie, a famous dining street in Beijing, to eat with his friends.

Wang says that his intense lifestyle leaves him little time to enjoy his youth. Playing basketball with friends and motorbike riding are two sources of recreation for him.

He moved into his mother's house last year. Despite living under the same roof, they actually don't have much time to see each other.

Recently, he has shifted his focus from Lan Club to SBG, concentrating on developing new managing systems.

The company won the right to provide dining services for 31 Olympic venues during the Beijing Olympic Games. But rather than open more restaurants across the country, Wang says that his final goal is to open a hospital.

"You cannot embrace your fortune after death, no matter how much you have. Shouldering more social responsibilities while your are still alive is very important."

(China Daily 01/30/2008 page20)