Xu Ming

Xu Ming
Xu Ming took the witness stand at Bo Xilai's trial on 22 August 2013
Native name	徐明
Born	April 1971 Dalian, Liaoning, China
Died	4 December 2015(2015-12-04) (aged 44) Wuhan, Hubei, China
Education	Masters degree
Alma mater	Shenyang Aerospace University Dongbei University of Finance and Economics
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Employer	Dalian Shide Group
Organization	Dalian Shide F.C.
Net worth	$490 million (2013)
Political party	China Zhi Gong Party
Relatives	Xu Bin (brother)

Xu Ming (Chinese: 徐明; pinyin: Xú Míng; April 1971 – 4 December 2015) was a Chinese entrepreneur and onetime billionaire. He was the founder of the conglomerate Dalian Shide Group, and the chairman of Dalian Shide F.C., China's top football club in the 2000s. In 2005 Forbes ranked him the eighth-richest person in China, with an estimated net worth of US$1.05 billion, but his net worth declined to $690 million in 2011. The 2013 Hurun Report estimated his wealth to be around US$490 million, ranking 676th in China.

Xu had close relationships with several high-ranking government officials and their families, especially the former Politburo member Bo Xilai. After Bo was implicated in a political scandal and fell from power in 2012, Xu was taken into custody, and testified in August 2013 at the trial of Bo, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Xu was also sent to prison, where he died in December 2015, less than a year before his scheduled release.

Xu Ming was born in Dalian, Liaoning Province, Northeast China. He held a master's degree from the Shenyang Institute of Aeronautical Engineering (now Shenyang Aerospace University) and an MBA from Dongbei University of Finance and Economics.

Xu entered the work force in 1990, working for the Foreign Economic and Trade Commission of Zhuanghe, a county-level city under the administration of Dalian. Only a year later, he quit his stable government job to establish several construction companies, which were awarded contracts for the earthwork projects of Shengli Square in front of the Dalian Railway Station and Xinghai Square, also in Dalian. Both projects were successful and received praises from Dalian municipal officials.