Liu Yiqian

Liu Yiqian (Chinese: 刘益谦; pinyin: Liú Yìqiān, pronounced [li̯ǒu̯ îtɕʰi̯ɛ́n], born 1963/1964) is a Chinese businessman and art collector who built his fortune by investing in stock trading, real estate and pharmaceuticals.

Liu is chairman of Sunline Group, a Shanghai-based investment company As of 2010, the value of his real estate properties have increased to $10 billion yuan (US$ 1.6 billion) over the past 19 years.

In 2004, Liu established the companies Tianping Auto Insurance and Guohua Life Insurance. In April 2013, Tianping formed a joint venture with AXA.

According to Forbes, as of July 2015, Liu has a net worth of US $1.37bn. He ranked as the 163rd wealthiest individual in China and 1,533rd wealthiest in the world.

In April 2014, Liu paid HK$281.24 million (US$36.3 million) for a 500-year-old Ming dynasty doucai chicken cup.

In March 2015, he paid HK$348 million (US$45 million) for a 600-year-old Tibetan embroidered silk thangka (tapestry). It was a record high price for a Chinese work of art sold by an international auction house. Later that month, he bought an antique Tibetan bronze yogi sitting in the lotus position at an auction at Sotheby's in New York.

In April 2015, he paid US$14.7 million for a Southern Song-era vase.

In November 2015, he bought Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani’s Nu couché (1917-18), a widely known painting of a reclining nude woman, for US$170.4 million, the second-highest price for an artwork at auction, in a volatile sale at Christie's in New York. He paid for the painting with his American Express credit card.