The Chengs’ empire can be traced back to World War II, when their grandfather, Cheng Yu-Tung, started working as an apprentice at a gold shop in Macau called Chow Tai Fook.
In 1943, he married the daughter of the shop’s owner, moving shortly after to Hong Kong to open the store’s first branch. As the Asian financial hub’s affluence accelerated after the war, so did Cheng’s business, which specialized in 24-karat gold jewelry.
The jeweler invested his profits heavily in real estate during the 1970s, starting a company called New World Development. Now publicly listed, it owns department stores, hotels, and infrastructure across mainland China, Hong Kong, and the US.
Cheng died in 2016 at the age of 91, when he was worth about $14.6 billion. His elder son, Henry, took over the jewelry and real estate empire.
With the 77-year-old Henry now signaling that he may be looking for a successor, his two eldest children, Adrian and Sonia, have entered the spotlight.
Each has been running a key pillar of the family’s property business for over a decade, so they’re considered the de facto contenders for their father’s position.
Both oversaw meaningful expansions in their primary fields — hotels for Sonia and commercial real estate for Adrian — and have worked to transform their properties into cultural icons for younger generations.