Li Ka-shing is a Hong Kong business magnate nicknamed “Superman” for his deal-making acumen, who rose from a wartime refugee childhood to become Hong Kong’s richest person, with a 2026 fortune estimated between US$42 and US$47 billion. The founder of the Cheung Kong empire and longtime chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings, he retired in 2018 after nearly seven decades in business — yet in October 2026 he was back in the headlines, trending #1 on Google Trends in the US as his group’s oil interests made a multibillion-dollar move. (SCMP; Wikipedia)
Quick facts
| Full name | Sir Ka-shing Li (李嘉誠) |
| Born | 29 July 1928, Chaozhou, Guangdong, China |
| Nationality | Hong Kong Chinese |
| Known as | “Superman” (Chiu Yan) |
| Occupation | Business magnate, investor, philanthropist |
| Known for | Cheung Kong, CK Hutchison Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa |
| Spouse | Chong Yuet-ming (died 1990; never remarried) |
| Children | Victor Li (eldest), Richard Li |
| Honours | GBM, KBE, JP |
Early life & background
Li Ka-shing was born on 29 July 1928 in Chaozhou, in China’s Guangdong province. (Some low-quality aggregators list 13 June 1928, but the weight of reputable reporting — Bloomberg, the Straits Times, MalayMail — confirms 29 July.) In 1940, as the Sino-Japanese War engulfed the region, his family fled to Hong Kong. His father, a school principal, died of tuberculosis soon after, and the teenage Li left school to work — Bloomberg-reported accounts describe 16-hour days at a plastics trading company. (Business Times; Straits Times)
Career
Plastic flowers to property
In 1950, Li founded Cheung Kong Industries, manufacturing plastic flowers — naming the company after China’s Yangtze River (“Cheung Kong” in Cantonese). By the late 1950s he had moved into property, developing his signature contrarian instinct: buying when others sold, most famously during the 1967 Hong Kong riots that cratered property prices. Cheung Kong listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1972, and by the late 1970s the company had developed roughly one in seven private residences in Hong Kong. (VnExpress; Business Times)
The Hutchison coup
Li’s defining deal came in 1979, when he bought control of Hutchison Whampoa from HSBC for less than half its book value — becoming the first person of Chinese origin to own one of the British-founded Hong Kong conglomerates, in what was described as the first major Chinese acquisition of a British “hong.” The combined Cheung Kong–Hutchison empire grew into pillars spanning ports (Hutchison Ports, including the Port of Felixstowe), telecoms (the “Three” brand), retail (A.S. Watson, Asia and Europe’s largest health-and-beauty retailer), energy, and property. (MalayMail; Wikipedia)
Retirement and handover
On 10 May 2018, Li formally stepped down as chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings, ending a storied run of nearly 70 years. His elder son Victor Li took over the empire; Li himself stayed on as senior adviser (for a reported HK$5,000 a year). His younger son Richard Li heads the telecom group PCCW. (Straits Times)
2025–2026 headlines
Retirement has not meant quiet. A proposed sale of the group’s global port assets to a BlackRock-led consortium soured after Beijing opposed it — reported at US$22.8 billion by SCMP (February 2026) and US$19 billion by AFP (January 2026). Then, on 5 October 2026, Cenovus Energy — in which CK Hutchison plus a Li-family trust hold roughly 29–30% — agreed to acquire Athabasca Oil Corp in a cash-and-stock deal with an implied enterprise value of C$5.7 billion (about US$4 billion). SCMP called it the tycoon’s “first major investment move… after a slew of asset sales across the world,” and the news pushed Li to #1 on US Google Trends on 15 October 2026. (SCMP; Morningstar)
The same week, a viral “R.I.P. Li Ka-shing” claim circulated online. It was a hoax: its origin was Mediamass, a site that manufactures celebrity death hoaxes, whose own page carries the update “This story seems to be false.” No reputable outlet has reported his death; he is alive. (Mediamass)
Personal life & philanthropy
Li married Chong Yuet-ming; she died in 1990, and he never remarried. His two sons are Victor Li Tzar-kuoi and Richard Li Tzar-kai. The family home at 79 Deep Water Bay Road has been occupied for more than six decades — Victor Li dismissed 2025 sale rumours as “entirely fabricated.” (Wikipedia; SCMP)
Philanthropy is central to his legacy. The Li Ka Shing Foundation, founded in 1980, is the charitable trust Li calls his “third son” — he has pledged at least a third of his wealth to it, and it has invested over HK$30 billion in education, medical services, and anti-poverty programmes. Its cornerstone project was founding Shantou University in 1981, China’s only privately funded public university, with foundation grants of HK$12 billion to date. (Li Ka Shing Foundation; Wikipedia)
Net worth snapshot
Li Ka-shing’s net worth is estimated between US$42 and US$47 billion in 2026 across reputable lists, with Forbes’ Hong Kong’s 50 Richest 2026 figure of US$45.1 billion as the primary anchor. Read the full breakdown, wealth timeline, and transparent estimate methodology on his net-worth page.
FAQs about Li Ka-shing
Who is Li Ka-shing?
Li Ka-shing is a Hong Kong business magnate nicknamed “Superman,” founder of Cheung Kong and longtime chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings. Born 29 July 1928 in Chaozhou, China, he rose from a wartime refugee childhood to become Hong Kong’s richest person before retiring in 2018.
How old is Li Ka-shing?
Li Ka-shing was born on 29 July 1928, making him 98 as of October 2026.
What is Li Ka-shing’s net worth?
Reputable 2026 estimates place it between US$42 and US$47 billion, with Forbes’ Hong Kong’s 50 Richest 2026 figure of US$45.1 billion as the most-cited anchor.
Is Li Ka-shing dead?
No. A viral “R.I.P.” claim in October 2026 was a hoax originating from Mediamass, a site that manufactures celebrity death hoaxes — its own page was updated to say “This story seems to be false.” No reputable outlet has reported his death.
Who took over Li Ka-shing’s empire?
His elder son Victor Li took over as chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings when Li retired on 10 May 2018. His younger son Richard Li heads the telecom group PCCW.
Sources
- Superman Li Ka-shing tops Hong Kong’s billionaire list at US$45.1B — SCMP (Forbes 2026)
- Li Ka-shing empire expands oil interests — SCMP (Oct 15, 2026)
- Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing retires — Business Times
- Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing retires — Straits Times
- Li Ka-shing: the man they call Superman — MalayMail
- Who is Li Ka-shing — VnExpress
- Cenovus to acquire Athabasca Oil for C$5.7B — Morningstar/Dow Jones (Oct 5, 2026)
- About the Li Ka Shing Foundation — lksf.org
- Li Ka-shing death hoax page (self-debunked) — Mediamass
- Li Ka-shing — Wikipedia