Super rich find creative ways to manage health as well as wealth

By SHI JING (China Daily) Updated: 2014-09-08 07:16

Favorite sports for Chinese wealthy also include golf, riding horses and sailing.[Photo/China Daily]

As the Hurun Report has discovered, more than 80 percent of China's wealthy have a medical checkup annually, and 14 percent of them have one every six months.

One-fourth of the super rich in China get a physical checkup twice a year. About 40 percent of these rich people prefer overseas hospitals or organizations. The average expenditure for such a medical checkup is 1,500 yuan, but the super wealthy are likely to spend 3,500 yuan each time.

Zhang Hongyi, the Shanghai-based chief executive officer of a joint venture between China and Switzerland, has a physical checkup once a year at a cost of 2,000 yuan each. Additionally, he visits his personal doctor at a foreign clinic in Shanghai every three months for health advice.

"For me, health is the most important thing," Zhang said. "I will not be able to fulfill my job without good health. It's worth investing in it."

He spends one hour every morning jogging, and he goes golfing if he has the time.

According to the Hurun Report, golf is one of the favorite sports among individuals with higher net worth. As a result, it is even more expensive now to be admitted into a golf club in Shanghai. The membership fee of the Sheshan International Golf Club in west Shanghai has risen from 2.3 million yuan last year to 2.7 million yuan this year.

Wealthy people also are huge collectors. Artworks, especially ancient Chinese calligraphy and paintings, are gaining popularity.

China's fourth-richest man, Wang Jianlin, who has a personal wealth of at least 90.3 billion yuan and is chairman of the privately-owned property developer Dalian Wanda Group, is very active in the art world. Last year, Wang spent 172 million yuan for a Picasso original at Christie's auction house in New York.

Luxury watches

Watches are still the cup of tea of the Chinese super rich. According to the Hurun Report, Patek Philippe remains the most preferred complex functional watch brand, while Cartier is the most preferred jewelry watch brand.