"It's like printing money," he said, stopping by one of the print shops to watch the machines whir.
Despite his political views, Li did not arrive at such wealth without plenty of help from government officials, though he will not name benefactors.
"In China you have to have relations with the government," Li said. When state-owned enterprises want to do something, he said, the government clears the way, but for private companies, he said, holding up his hand like a cop stopping traffic, "we still need a lot of approvals."
Li said he spends most of his time petitioning the government or entertaining officials to win permits or understand policies that frequently change and are often not made public.
Though he is not a party member, his wife is, and he is a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress. Friends said Li is being courted for membership in the National People's Congress.
"If you want to succeed you have to socialize with powerful people," he explained.
His trajectory from his humble beginnings is aimed at steering him clear of the turmoil that marked his early years. Though he travels on a Chinese passport, half of his wealth is invested abroad. His 16-year-old son lives in a Manhattan apartment near the UN with a chaperon and a chauffeur to ferry him to a private school in Scarsdale.
Said Li, "He prefers it there."
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