The Cove Magazine

Page 106

COVE LIVING

Man of vision Ridong Chairman and Jewel visionary Mr Riyu Li cites generosity and kindness as the measure of success.

IF YOU’RE AT SKY RESTAURANT at Marina Mirage on any given weekday, chances are you’ll run into Mr Riyu Li, the charismatic visionary behind the $1billion+ Jewel development, now in construction on the Surfers Paradise beachfront. The Chairman of China’s influential Ridong Group spends many an evening seated at his favourite spot overlooking the water while chatting with the staff, who have all become quite accustomed to him bringing along his own seafood for the chef to cook – caught while fishing at his property at Tallebudgera. “They do this for me at Aussie China Kitchen too and I am very grateful. And the chef at Sky is from the same province as me, so it is always lovely to talk about our times there,” Chairman Li says. It’s not difficult to see why the chefs are so accommodating after meeting the fun-loving property developer, whose kind nature has earned him a reputation for being ‘the little man with the big heart’. “When I was a very young man in my first job working in a glass factory it was only a very small salary, and people did not have much money,” Chairman Li says.

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“For me it’s most important to be generous and take care of those you love, but I soon realised that if I wanted to keep shouting dinner, my salary wouldn’t support that.” It’s hard to keep step with the super-fit 61-year-old, who takes us on a grand tour of his sprawling Tallebudgera estate, complete with a trek over to see the more than 300 rose bushes he’s just finished planting, along with his flourishing citrus trees, fragrant Jasmine bushes and immaculately manicured lawns – with his translator working overtime as he regales us with stories of his youth. “When you got married at that time, you gave a lot to the woman’s family to show that you were sincere in wanting to marry her, but I questioned how I could be generous to others, and also save enough for myself to have a wife and a home,” he says. The young Riyu Li decided to start what would be the first of many businesses, selling vegetables, eggs and clothing to local buyers. But it was his love for nature that eventually drew Chairman Li to the Gold Coast decades later, as it reminded him of his home city of Zhuhai, on the southern coast of Guangdong province.

“It was love at first sight, like when a boy and girl fall in love. I believe the countryside, the water, the native forests – it is the most beautiful city in the world. And in Australia there is also a very high standard of law, and it is very good for business, close to China and on the same time zone.” He spotted the 1.13 hectare, 130-metre wide beachfront site that would become home to Jewel while walking on the beach in 2010, at the lowest point in the post-GFC market. While it was not for sale at the time, he recognised its future potential for a project that would be second-tonone, and set about tracking down its owner before snapping it up for just over $80million. A global competition to find the perfect architectural concept meant that Florida-based architect Chad Oppenheim was able to team up with Gold Coast-based DBI Design Director Barry Lee to create the plans for the avant-garde Jewel towers, based on three ancient quartz crystals found in the region – a plan Chairman Li believes will be an exquisite fit for the spectacular location. But it wasn’t until 2014 that Jewel really ramped up, when the Australia Week tourism investment roundtable in Shanghai fortuitously brought Chairman Li together with the 20th


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