Wang, Yung-ching

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Wang, Yung-ching

Founder, Formosa Plastics
AGE: 90

Though Taiwan's top industrialist Wang Yung-ching finally handed over to his son the reins of the sprawling petrochemical company Formosa Plastics in 2006, 91-year-old Wang still calls the shots behind the scenes. In July, he braved the blistering heat in Ha Tinh province in northern Vietnam for the ground-breaking ceremony of an $8 billion steel complex that Formosa is building. Wang's is a classic rags-to-riches story: the son of a Taiwanese tea farmer, he started selling rice at 9 years old. Known for his excessive frugality, he considered hot showers an unnecessary luxury until he was well into his 80s.