Who is Dong Mingzhu? One of China’s richest women, famous for her dominant attitude to work

“You can hand in your resignation if you want to have free time, no problem. I think it’s a personal decision,” Dong said.

“I haven’t had a break in over 30 years. Do you think I’m at a loss or have made a wrong decision? Personally, I’m very happy. Happiness has no standards, it comes from the heart,” she added.

When asked if reaching the age of 35 is a “hurdle” for many Chinese, as companies prefer to hire younger employees, she replied: “If no one will hire you, you can start your own business.”

Her remarks were perceived as heartless and elitist, prompting an online backlash with some people pointing out flaws in her logic.

One online observer said: “Working hard is indeed a responsibility, but does wanting free time mean not working hard? Don’t workers have a right to free time?”

The Post takes a closer look at Dong and her views.

Rto fame

Dong was undoubtedly a professional role model for many young people and they felt that her persistent character was worthy of emulation.

In 1984, at the age of 30, she lost her husband and had to raise her two-year-old son alone.

Six years later, she left her hometown of Nanjing in southeast China and went alone to Zhuhai in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong to pursue a career.

She rose through the ranks at Gree Electric and became CEO of the company in 2012.

controversy

Her sharp comments and dominant style have led to a change in public opinion in recent years.

One of the most high-profile conflicts involved Meng Yutong, a 1999 graduate of Zhejiang University in eastern China, who personally selected Dong from a workplace reality show to be her secretary in 2021.

The couple often appeared together on live broadcasts: “I want to train her to become the next Dong Mingzhu,” Dong said.

However, Meng left Gree after less than two years, with many speculating that work pressure and salary incompatibility were the reasons for this.

Meng mentioned Gree’s heavy workload several times on her personal social media, saying, “Who hasn’t had a full weekend off in the last two months and worked over 20 hours this weekend?”

After Meng’s departure, Dong reportedly criticized her publicly, saying: “She used our platform to become an internet celebrity. I cannot tolerate someone like that at Gree, so I fired her.”

Last year, her co-worker Wang Ziruo flattered her on another TV show, causing further controversy.

Wang said, “I have never read my pay slip at Gree. Even if I do nothing every day, just watch them in meetings and listen to their daily conversations and actions, I feel it is a blessing.”

Online observers say this explains why Dong appears distant and lacking in compassion toward her own workers.

“Submissive employees create an information cocoon for those in power,” one person said online.