S un Hongbin is a Chinese-American real estate tycoon with one of the most dramatic and turbulent careers in Chinese business. He is the founder and chairman of Sunac China Holdings, a major property developer. His career has been marked by spectacular rises and devastating falls. He first founded a real estate company that went bankrupt. In the 1990s, he was famously imprisoned for embezzlement, a conviction that was later overturned. After his release, he started again, founding Sunac in 2003 and building it into one of China's most aggressive and largest property developers, known for its focus on high-end residential projects.

Sun developed a reputation as a daring and high-leverage dealmaker, engaging in a series of massive acquisitions, including a multi-billion dollar purchase of assets from its rival, Dalian Wanda. However, Sunac became one of the most high-profile casualties of the severe liquidity crisis that has engulfed the Chinese real estate sector since 2021. The company has defaulted on its debt and is undergoing a major restructuring, a process that has decimated Sun's personal fortune, which was almost entirely tied to his stake in the now-troubled company.