S ong Zuowen is a self-made Chinese industrialist and the founder and chairman of the Nanshan Group, a large, privately held conglomerate based in Shandong province. He is a classic example of a post-reform era entrepreneur who built a massive business empire from humble beginnings. He started his first venture in the late 1970s, a small factory that produced materials for the textile industry. He reinvested his profits and gradually expanded and diversified his business.

The Nanshan Group has since grown into a sprawling enterprise with a primary focus on aluminum production, making it one of China's largest aluminum manufacturers. The group's interests also span a wide range of other industries, including textiles and apparel, real estate, finance, tourism (with a major resort and golf course), and education (with its own university). Song is known for his hands-on leadership style and for building a vertically integrated and highly diversified company.