China's 'tobacco king', Chu Shijian, dies aged 91

Chu Shijian, China's "tobacco king" and the founder of Chu Orange, passed away at the age of 91 on Tuesday, but Chu's perseverance and endurance through difficult times still impressed people the most.

Born in Yuxi, Southwest China's Yunnan province, in 1928, Chu became director of the near-bankrupt Yuxi Tobacco Co at the age of 51. Under his leadership, it became China's largest and most profitable cigarette producer during the 1980s and 1990s, known as the Yunnan Hongta Group.

However, in 1999, Chu was arrested on charges of corruption and sentenced to life imprisonment, which was later commuted to 17 years.