ZHANG WEIYI

I grew up in Langzhong, an ancient town along the Jialing River in rural Sichuan. My earliest memories are of the mist rising over the river, the rhythm of my grandmother's stories, and the quiet determination of people who build lives from almost nothing. That landscape — equal parts beauty and hardship — shaped everything I would become.

At 23, fresh from earning my degree in Accounting at Hubei University of Economics, I founded SANO Investment Co., Ltd. in Shenzhen with little more than conviction and a business plan sketched on notebook paper. I designed every aspect of the company myself: the corporate structure, the governance framework, the investment thesis. I didn't hire consultants — I became one.

Over the next decade, that single entity evolved into the SANO Energy corporate family — seven subsidiaries spanning energy storage, international trade, fine arts, public welfare, and venture capital. I restructured the flagship from a limited liability company into a joint-stock company (深洛能源股份有限公司), built a Hong Kong trading arm (SANO GROUP LIMITED), launched an AI-focused tech subsidiary in Sichuan, and created dedicated entities for art curation and philanthropy. Every piece of this architecture was designed by me.

Along the way, I earned my Securities Fund qualification from the Asset Management Association of China, took a position as Investment Manager at CFCI International Fund Management, and led transactions worth billions of RMB across three continents. I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Economics at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (中南财经政法大学), one of China's top finance universities — continuing to sharpen the intellectual foundation behind every investment decision.

In recognition of my cross-border investment contributions, I was granted Hong Kong permanent identity — a milestone that positions me among a new generation of socially responsible young investors bridging mainland China, Hong Kong, and the global economy. Through HK SANO GROUP LIMITED, I direct the group's international energy investment and development operations, channeling capital from one of the world's most dynamic financial hubs into sustainable infrastructure across Asia, Africa, and beyond.

But the numbers only tell part of the story.

Indonesia — PSR zircon mining acquisition (4,140 hectares) · Maldives — Light-storage hybrid infrastructure (RMB 100M+) · Ghana — National infrastructure bonds · Philippines — Solar energy development · Thailand — EV charging stations · Japan — Urea commodities trading · USA — Washington State agricultural solar integration (690M kWh/yr) · Hong Kong — SANO GROUP international trading hub.

Art, to me, is not decoration — it is infrastructure for the soul. That conviction led me to personally fund the construction of the Dongjie Art Center (四川东杰自然艺术中心) in Sichuan from the ground up: I selected the site, oversaw the architectural design, commissioned the landscaping, and funded every phase of construction from my personal accounts. The center now hosts exhibitions, cultural exchanges, and public welfare events — a space where contemporary art breathes alongside the natural world.

Through Sichuan Dongjie Painting & Calligraphy Co., Ltd., I sponsor the national touring exhibition of artist Li Huaifu (怀馥), a member of the China Democratic National Construction Association Art Academy. His work — rooted in classical Chinese ink painting yet reaching toward modernity — mirrors my own philosophy of bridging tradition and innovation. The exhibition has toured Beijing, Chengdu, and Shandong since 2021.

I also built the Leizu Silk Artworks Platform, curating 134 blue-chip Chinese artworks with an estimated value exceeding RMB 100 million — not as a financial play, but as an act of cultural preservation.

Philanthropy is not a sideline — it is central to who I am. I established the Shengluo Public Welfare Fund under the Sichuan Education Foundation (a provincial-level public foundation) and serve as its Chairman. The fund focuses on what I care about most deeply: giving children in rural China the same foundation I wished I had.

When I learned that my own childhood primary school — Wencheng Town Central School in Langzhong — still had an outdated cafeteria, I funded the complete renovation personally. That cafeteria now serves hundreds of children every day. It was the most meaningful investment I have ever made.

Through my companies, I have also donated to the Sichuan Post-Disaster Reconstruction Foundation, providing student desks, school backpacks, and patrol drones for earthquake-affected communities. Our youth crime prevention video series reaches thousands of families across rural Sichuan, and our occupational mentoring program partners with 30+ organizations to open doors for young people who, like me, come from places where doors don't open easily.

On Nanzhao Romance Island — a jewel set in the turquoise waters of Erhai Lake, Dali, Yunnan — I am developing "Benyuan" (本园), a cultural tourism project that reflects everything I believe about the relationship between place, beauty, and purpose. Through Yunnan Xindao Cultural Tourism Development Co., Ltd. (云南鑫岛文旅发展有限公司), which controls the island's core asset Dali Jindao Tourism Development Co., Ltd., I am transforming an existing tourism property into an immersive retreat where traditional Bai minority culture, contemporary art, and sustainable hospitality converge.

The project involves architectural renovation, landscape design, and the creation of artist residency programs that will bring creators from across China and beyond to live and work on this island in one of the world's most beautiful lakes.