In China’s hectic real estate market, SOHO China is unique with its new and innovative strategy. It specializes primarily in office and commercial properties, blending residential and mixed-use facilities. The acronym SOHO for short stands for “Smart Office, Home Office,” indicating its intention to harmonize workplace and living space for convenience and efficiency.
SOHO China’s buildings are located in the top business areas of Beijing and Shanghai. The company is well-known for its fashion and statement buildings, thanks to the works of notable architects like Japan’s Kengo Kuma and Iraq’s Zaha Hadid. The buildings, aside from transforming cityscapes, have also set the bar high for building design and efficiency. This has earned SOHO China praise from notable publications like Fortune and The New York Times as the best in China’s real estate industry.
In 2012, SOHO China shifted from building to sell properties to building and retaining them as long-term assets. The shift consolidated the company, with office assets covering 1.4 million square meters in Beijing and Shanghai. As much as the shift was challenging at first, rental incomes in the following year increased by 44%, while profits increased by 69%.
A major milestone came in 2021 when SOHO China signed an agreement to sell 50% of its interests to global investment firm Blackstone at USD 3 billion. The deal reflected just how valuable the company had grown to become in the real estate market.
The SOHO China history is inexorably tied up with its co-founder, Zhang Xin. She was born and raised in Beijing but spent her adolescent years in Hong Kong, where she was employed in factories before pursuing education in the UK. She graduated from the University of Sussex and Cambridge University, and commenced a career at Goldman Sachs. She and her spouse, Pan Shiyi, launched SOHO China in 1995.
Zhang Xin isn’t just a thriving businesswoman—she’s also well-known for her real estate investments abroad and philanthropic giving, which have awarded her scholarships under the SOHO China Foundation. All her hard work has rewarded her a place on the Forbes, Financial Times, and Fortune lists of the world’s most influential women.
Zhang moved to the U.S. in 2022 and stepped down as a company director. Her life worth an estimated USD 3.6 billion is something to learn from. She inspires others to follow their interest and stay who they are regardless of pressure.
With Zhang as the leader, SOHO China has become a symbol of innovation, blending business success with artistic design. As the company continues to shape the skylines of Shanghai and Beijing, its influence on modern living and working environments remains strong.
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