At 72 years old, Wang Jianlin's dignity: no running away, no defaulting, selling everything to pay debts—this is the backbone of a Chinese businessman!

Seeing online comments saying Wang Jianlin lost completely, some say the Wanda empire has collapsed. But strangely, among all the news about “height restrictions,” “debts,” and “assets frozen,” I didn’t see much mockery. Instead, the most common comment was: “Old Wang, this time, really is a man.”

Why? Because in this business world where “everyone flees when disaster strikes,” Wang Jianlin used his military discipline and toughness to maintain his dignity.

From peak to trough, it only took eight years

In 2016, what was Wang Jianlin’s status? He was the top boss sitting firmly as China’s richest man, with assets of 215 billion yuan. At that time, Wanda was the absolute leader in commercial real estate domestically and a “world citizen” buying and selling around the globe.

American AMC theaters, luxury homes in London, hotels in Sydney—Wang Jianlin’s ambitions reached for the stars and the sea.

Back then, he said “Tsinghua and Peking University are not as big as guts,” and everyone believed it was the truth; he said “Harvard and Yale are not as daring,” and people thought it was about vision.

No one expected that after the peak, there would be a cliff.

Starting in 2017, the trend changed.

Deleveraging, strict regulation—those high-leverage models that once supported Wanda’s rapid expansion suddenly failed. Then came years of betting agreements, failed listings, and a surge in debt defaults.

To pay off debts, Wang Jianlin launched a frantic “sell, sell, sell” mode. Over these eight-plus years, he sold more than 80 Wanda plazas, sold his controlling stake in Wanda Cinema, and even handed over the core equity of Wanda Commercial Management. The once commercial empire now changed its name to “Tai Meng.” His wealth shrank from over 200 billion yuan to just over 10 billion, dropping out of the top ranks of the rich list.

Compared to those “slick” operators, Old Wang commands respect

Honestly, business failures are not scary; what’s frightening is how you behave after failing.

In recent years, we’ve seen too many bosses resort to “tricky operations” during debt crises: some embezzled billions and fled abroad, leaving behind a pile of unfinished buildings and heartbroken homebuyers; some simply “lie flat,” bankrupting their companies while secretly transferring assets and living in luxury; others played “technical divorces” or “fake bankruptcies” to escape debts.

But Wang Jianlin?

An old man in his 70s, no running away, no defaulting, and no giving up. From the moment the debt crisis began, he has been standing in front. No money to pay? Then sell core assets. Selling assets isn’t enough? Then sell his luxury homes.

Even the personal guarantees he made early on to help friends take over projects, when creditors came knocking, he accepted them—even if this could drag him into personal ruin.

Many say it’s because he can’t run away. But at his age, he could easily find an excuse to “rest due to illness,” hand the mess over to professional managers or the next generation. But he didn’t. He still fights like a soldier, running on the front lines.

Someone caught him visiting a scenic spot in Guizhou alone. In the footage, he looks thin, with sparse hair, clearly much older, but his back remains straight.

In his eyes, there’s no despair of a bankrupt person, only a kind of “as long as I’m alive, this isn’t over” resilience.

Soldiers have a core trait of “taking responsibility”

Wang Jianlin served in the military for 17 years, rising from a regular soldier to a battalion-level officer. That military career seems to have been etched into his bones.

What are the qualities of a soldier? Discipline, execution, and most of all, “taking responsibility.”

In business logic, there are many ways to avoid risks; but in a soldier’s logic, owing money and paying it back is a matter of course. Even if the cost is losing the empire he built with his own hands, even if it means the embarrassment of a “height restriction order” in his later years, he must plug the hole.

That’s why, even when he’s fallen on hard times, people still call him “Mr. Wang,” not like some deadbeats who are shouted at and fought against. Because he shoulders his responsibilities, doesn’t shift the risk onto society, and doesn’t transfer the pain onto innocent homebuyers and small suppliers.

Tears of the era, and final stubbornness

Of course, we can’t mythologize Wang Jianlin.

Wanda’s predicament is largely a product of the times. The “real estate golden age” of high leverage, high turnover, and frantic land acquisition and construction has long passed.

Today’s young people no longer buy “face,” no longer trust big shopping malls, and real estate has shifted from “hard currency” to “hot potato.”

Wang Jianlin’s failure is a helpless struggle of an old-era hegemon against the tide of a new era. He tried to use past experience to fight the cycle, but the result was inevitable bloodshed.

However, admitting business failure doesn’t prevent us from respecting his character.

Today, in 2026, watching Wang Jianlin in his seventies still running around for dozens of billions in debt, still pleading for high-interest bonds to keep his remaining plazas, I feel quite uncomfortable.

He lost his business, lost his wealth, even lost the empire he once took pride in. But he won in character, in respect, and in the last dignity of a traditional Chinese entrepreneur.

As some netizens said: “Compared to those slick bosses who run away, Wang Jianlin, this tough guy, deserves our salute.”

As long as he doesn’t fall, as long as he’s still paying off debts, the Wang Jianlin who once shouted “fortune favors the brave” remains a warrior worth respecting.