Then Zhu said he would accept Hsieh's reciprocal invitation to go to Kaohsiung.

CNN: ?>?magazine

Zhu says he is looking for ways to open up a private industry park somewhere in Zhejiang that would provide a bridge for high-tech entrepreneurs doing business between China and America.

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"Zhu said he knows the trip won't be easy, but he is amazingly calm, " says Fred Hu, head of Asia economic research for Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong and a former student of Zhu's at Qinghua.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

Recalling a trip with American colleagues to Singapore a decade ago, Zhu says he was stopped and asked to wait for an hour at customs while his American colleagues were given a quick OK to pass through.

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Instead, he died from a crushing sadness and disappointment after discovering that Zhu, whom he had courted as a handsome man with beautiful eyes, turned out to be a woman under her man's disguise.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Young China | 'Is There Anything Wrong with Love?'

WebEx does well winning business from cash-strapped new businesses but needs larger customers to reach Zhu's goal, he says.

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Zhu's parents died when he was young, and he was raised by an uncle who gave his charge 100 pieces of silver when it came time for the young man to go to university.

CNN: Red star

Ten minutes' walk up the valley from his two-room house he pointed out where the Zhu clan's palace once stood.

CNN: Red star

Mr Zhu has let it be known that he intends to stick to his plan to visit Japan immediately before or after an Asia-Europe meeting due to be held in South Korea in October.

ECONOMIST: Japan plays the wrong China card

But in 2006, Mr Zhu struck out on his own, realising he would be more content to publish his own scoops.

BBC: China

Zhu, 69, did not get where he is today through charm and bonhomie, although he can be warm and witty on the right occasion.

CNN: THE MAN WITH THE IRON FACE

Zhu is very conscious of his image, and he often quotes from stories about himself in the Western press--including their exact date.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

While many Chinese who come to the U.S. eventually get U.S. citizenship, Zhu carries a Chinese passport (one reason that he is eligible for our list of China's richest).

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"Zhu has got serious religion about reform, " he says.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

But Dr Zhu wanted to be sure that that was truly what he had.

ECONOMIST: Stem cells

Zhu "knows the trip won't be easy, but he is amazingly calm, " says Fred Hu, head of Asia Economic Research for Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong.

CNN: Red star

But Shenhua owner Zhu is confident Drogba can have a positive impact on results as he seeks his first title since taking over in 2007 -- and the club's first since 2003.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The bad news: It provided funding for only one year, and Zhu had to rush to lock in more financial support almost as soon as he arrived in California.

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The 52-year-old Zhu's big ambitions for WebEx aren't farfetched, given some of the other adversity he has overcome.

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