W u Zhigang is the founder of Shenyang Toly Bread, one of China's largest and most recognizable bakery chains. A former teacher at a telegraph school, he started the business in 1995 in Shenyang at the age of 60, proving it's never too late to become an entrepreneur. Toly Bread focused on producing short-shelf-life breads for the mass market, building a massive distribution network that delivers fresh products to supermarkets and convenience stores daily.

Under Wu's leadership, the company expanded rapidly across China and went public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2015. He retired from the chairmanship in 2019, passing leadership to his sons, but the family remains the controlling shareholder. Toly Bread is widely credited with industrializing the bakery industry in China.