Asia’s ‘Aluminum Tycoon’ Collapses After Three Decades

(L-R) China's Liaoning province Deputy Governor Liu Guoqiang, China Zhongwang Holdings Chairman Liu Zhongtian, and Hong Kong Stock Exchange Chairman Ronald Arculli toast just after trading started at the stock exchange in Hong Kong on May 8, 2009. Mike Clarke/AFP via Getty Images

China Zhongwang Holdings Ltd., founded by Liu Zhongtian, was forced to delist from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on April 13.

Liu was a 14-year-old school dropout from rural China who borrowed 200 yuan (approx. $29) to start a business and eventually became known as Asia’s “aluminum tycoon.” He was the wealthiest man in Northeast China at one time.