From tropical islands to the Great Plains, Chinese tycoons hunt around the world for the best places to stash their spoils.
About a year and a half ago, the sleepy state of South Dakota found itself rudely awoken by the global spotlight. In a filing for his Hong Kong-listed company, Sunac, Sun Hongbin, the Chinese real estate tycoon with a net worth around $10 billion, disclosed he had just transferred his shares to the South Dakota Trust Company. To the surprise of most analysts, a small, two-story brick building in downtown Sioux Falls was the proud custodian of a chunk of shares that is now worth more than $6 bill
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Bob Fu's relationship with China has gone through phases. First, he thought money would solve his problems there; then he joined protesters at Tiananmen Square, thinking the politics could change. In the end, he determined, only God could save China, and he's been fighting for religious freedom in China ever since he resettled in Texas. With his nonprofit, ChinaAid, prospering like never before, he says the U.S. is finally catching on.