Netizens decry lavish spending by China's rich
A Chinese property tycoon's purchase of a mansion in London for 80 million pounds ($119.3 million) has launched a new round of vitriolic sentiment against wealthy Chinese on social media and has renewed discussion of their charitable activities.
Wang Jianlin, chairman of China's largest commercial property developer Dalian Wanda Group, has spent 80 million pounds on a 10-bedroom home on Kensington Palace Gardens. He is also expected to spend tens of millions giving the mansion a makeover, the Daily Mail reported.
It added that Wang will be required to pay a stamp duty of more than 9.5 million pounds, the biggest such bill in British history.
A public relations manager at Wanda told the Global Times on Sunday that the purchase is an individual action and is not related to the group.
The deal began to attract public attention in China once the news was translated and circulated on social media on Sunday.
Many marveled at the luxurious house and expressed their envy, though some criticized Wang and other rich Chinese people for not donating more of their wealth to help the poor.
Public pressure on China's rich has grown in recent years, especially following major natural disasters. They were recently put under public pressure to be more charitable after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on December 1 that he would donate the majority of his wealth to philanthropic causes.
Alibaba founder and CEO Jack Ma has also reportedly purchased a mansion in New York for $23 million.
In a speech at Peking University in September, Ma explained why he was not donating most of his money like some Western philanthropists.
"Chinese entrepreneurs have limited resources. Their first responsibility should be to use their money for investment to create more jobs and wealth," he said. "If we donate all our money when we're young and when many entrepreneurs have not learned how to spend their money, this will not benefit China."
Some Net users also pointed out that it is not right for someone to morally blackmail wealthy people and ask them to give money to the poor.
It is unfair to draw comparisons between Chinese and Western philanthropists, since philanthropy is relatively new in China, Mao Shoulong, a professor at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times in a previous interview.
Wang, whose wealth is estimated at more than 20 billion pounds, is ranked by Forbes as one of the world's wealthiest people.
Cao Heping, an economics professor at Peking University, told the Global Times that it is not inexcusable for Chinese celebrities and wealthy people to make adjustments to their assets given the downturn in the Chinese economy, though heavy consumption can easily trigger debate.
