Wang Jianlin (; born 24 October 1954) is a Chinese business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He is the founder of Dalian Wanda Group, China's largest real estate development company, and the world's largest movie theater operator. He previously owned 17% of the Spanish football club Atlético Madrid. In 2016, Wang reached a deal with FIFA to launch the China Cup, in which national football teams compete in Nanning, Guangxi each year. Wang has been the economic consultant for Yunnan province, as well as a construction consultant of the Guiyang government, and was named honourable citizen of Changchun, and "outstanding contributor" to the construction of Dalian. As of November 2020, Wang is estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of US$14.4 billion, making him one of the richest men in China. Early life and career Wang Jianlin was born on 24 October 1954, in Cangxi County, Guangyuan, Sichuan, as the oldest of five boys. His father Wang Yiquan was a peasant who fought for Mao Zedong's People's Liberation Army during the Long March (October 1934–October 1935). Retired from the army just before the Korean War, his father, working for the forestry service, and mother Qin Jialin settled in a village in Jinchuan County, Sichuan, where their son would grow up. His given name at birth was originally 建林 which can be translated as 'forest builder'. Wang became a soldier at age 15, lying about his age, and made his way up in the army ranks quickly, becoming a commander at age 27. During his time in the army, he served in Chengdu, before being sent to the Shenyang Military Region in 1970. After 17 years in the army, in 1986 Wang started working as the office administrator for the Xigang District in the city of Dalian. In 1988, using a $80,000 loan, he took over the small property developer Xigang Residential Development. In 1992, as the company went public as one of the first in a pilot program, he was promoted to general manager and changed the name to Dalian Wanda. His company owns 21.57 million square metres of investment property, 168 Wanda Shopping Plazas, 82 luxury hotels, 213 cinemas, 99 department stores, and 54 karaoke centres around China. The company became the world's largest theatre owner in 2012 when it acquired AMC Theatres. He bought out U.S.-based AMC Entertainment for . He listed it on the New York Stock