Zhang Xin on Business Philosophy

Zhang Xin — founder profiled in the Chinese Founder Ledger — is documented as follows: left Beijing for Hong Kong at 14, worked in garment and electronics factories to save for overseas study, earned a scholarship-funded education in the UK, worked in finance in Hong Kong and New York, then co-founded SOHO China with husband Pan Shiyi in 1995, building it into a major Beijing office developer before stepping down as CEO in September 2022 and shifting business activities toward the United States via Closer Media and Closer Properties. The profile is grounded in the 2 sources indexed for this founder.

Pan and Zhang converted to the Bahá'í Faith in 2005 and established the Soho China Foundation the same year to support underprivileged families through education initiatives.

From 1995 to 2022, Zhang and her husband Pan Shiyi built SOHO China into a major office developer during China's property boom, before stepping down from the company ahead of the sector's subsequent downturn.