Tsai Wan-lin
Template:Short description Template:Infobox person Template:Family name hatnote Tsai Wan-lin (Template:Lang-zh; 10 November 1924 – 27 September 2004) was a Taiwanese businessman who, at the peak of his wealth in 1996, was considered to be the fifth richest person in the world,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with a family net worth of US$12.2 billion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time of his death in 2004, he was the richest man in Taiwan with a fortune of US$4.6 billion (NT$156.3 billion), ranked 94th worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He founded the Lin Yuan Group, a large banking and insurance group.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
He was born into a poor farmer's family in Chikunan Town, Chikunan District, Shinchiku Prefecture, Japanese-era Taiwan (modern-day Zhunan, Miaoli County). Tsai started out in Taipei by selling vegetables and soybeans with his brothers as a child.<ref name=TaiTimes>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
With one of his brothers Tsai joined Taipei's Tenth Credit Cooperative in 1960.<ref name=Cpost>Template:Cite news</ref> Two years later, they founded Cathay Life Insurance, which at the time of his death was the largest life insurance company in Taiwan.<ref name=TaiTimes/> Tenth Credit Cooperative was eventually transferred to Tsai Wan-lin's nephew Tsai Chen-chou.
The family split Cathay Life Insurance in 1979. Tsai Wan-lin took control of Cathay Life Insurance with his brother Tsai Wan-tsai taking ownership of the non-life insurance business that he then renamed to Fubon Insurance in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>. Tsai Wan-lin founded the Lin Yuan Group with his share.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Over the next 10 years, the Lin Yuan Group expanded to become the largest Taiwanese conglomerate. Cathay Financial Holdings, a division of the Lin Yuan Group, became Taiwan's largest financial holding company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Tsai was first listed by Forbes as a billionaire in 1987.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was appointed a senior adviser to the president of the Republic of China in 2000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
He died of heart disease at the age of 81 in Taipei's Cathay General Hospital, which he founded in 1977. He had been hospitalized for six years.<ref name=Cpost/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tsai was married to Chou Pao-chin and had seven children.<ref name=tele>Template:Cite news</ref>