Li Zhongchu Net Worth

Li Zhongchu has an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Li Zhongchu profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is down from a peak of $3.1 billion.

Li Zhongchu is a Chinese entrepreneur and the founder and chairman of Beijing Shiji Information Technology, a Shenzhen-listed software company best known for systems that hotels use to run their operations. He was born on February 1, 1964, and Forbes describes him as self-made.

He studied at Wuhan University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in space physics. After graduating he took a government job doing information technology repair work, a far cry from the company he would later build.

He quit that job to strike out on his own. In 1998 he started his business out of his apartment, working from his bedroom in the early days. That small start grew into one of China's main suppliers of hotel technology, providing IT support to 6,000 hotels in China.

Li gave up a steady state job to start a technology firm of his own, a risky move at the time. He has led Shiji from the start and remains its chairman.

How Li Zhongchu made his money

Shiji's main focus is hotel information management systems, the software hotels use to handle bookings, check-ins, billing and other daily tasks. It is not a glamorous corner of technology, but nearly every large hotel needs it.

Two crises helped the company grow. During the Y2K computer scare and later the SARS outbreak, Li won contracts with major hotels and other companies that widened his customer base. Those early relationships gave Shiji a foothold that it built on for years.

The company's listing in Shenzhen turned his stake into a large fortune. His story shows how a former government technician turned a home-based software shop into a business serving thousands of hotels across China.

Today hotels across China rely on Shiji's systems every day.

How Forbes has valued Li Zhongchu

Forbes valued Li at $2.5 billion in 2019. His figure rose to $2.7 billion in 2020 and $3.1 billion in 2021, his highest in the period, then eased to $2.9 billion in 2022 and $2.7 billion in 2023.

It fell to $1.6 billion in 2024, then recovered to $1.8 billion in 2025 and $2.6 billion on the 2026 World's Billionaires List. As of October 20, 2026, the Forbes real-time billionaires tracker showed $1.7 billion. His wealth moves with Shiji's share price.