Singapore - When China's female property tycoon Zhang Xin's teenage son wanted to have more money, she suggested finding work at a fast food restaurant to him.

Despite being having a net worth of US$3.6 billion (S$4.6 billion) according to Forbes, Zhang does not let her high profile nature and wealth of her business to influence the way she brings up her teenage sons.

Born to Burmese Chinese immigrants in Beijing in 1965, Zhang Xin and her mother had to move to Hong Kong when she was 14 to look for jobs in factories.

Five years later, Zhang managed to save up enough money to move to England and pursue a university education.

After a stint at Wall Street in New York, the former Goldman Sachs employee decided to tap into opportunities in China and returned to Beijing. There, she met her husband Pan Shiyi and they set up SOHO China in 1995.

With Zhang's business acumen and her husband's ambitious drive, SOHO China rose to become one of China's most prominent property development companies and is worth more than US$3 billion (S$3.8 billion) today, said CNN. Her husband currently sits as the chairman while she holds the position of CEO in the company.

To be successful, Zhang says women must be fearless to rise to the top. She says they have to go for their dreams even if it means resisting social norms.

When walking into a room full of older and powerful men, the CEO of SOHO China remains unfazed. Explaining to CNN, she said she doesn't think of anything else except closing the deal and getting the job done.

According to her, a lot of women despite being smart and educated, at some point will decide to stay at home as it is more comfortable.

That attitude she said, is the real barrier stopping women from succeeding in their careers.

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