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Born into poverty in Kunming, Yunnan, Zhang became an orphan at the age of 10, according to the South China Morning Post. Details surrounding his parents’ deaths or any surviving relatives remain undisclosed.

With minimal formal education, Zhang began working at a milk tea store in Kunming at 17 as an apprentice. By 18, he had learned to read and write, steadily rising from manager’s assistant to manager and eventually regional supervisor. Within five years, he became a franchise partner and brand agent.

Between 2015 and 2017, Zhang worked at a Shanghai-based robotics company, managing external cooperation. His entrepreneurial drive, however, soon led him to launch his own venture.

In November 2017, he founded Chagee, a milk tea brand inspired by traditional Chinese aesthetics. According to Zhang, while many competitors focused on fruit-flavored milk tea, he highlighted the use of fresh tea leaves, aiming to offer a distinctly Chinese alternative to global coffee giants like Starbucks.

“The world will always belong to the young. So how are young people drinking tea nowadays in comparison to coffee?” he discussed his brand’s motives, as quoted by The Straits Times. “That got me thinking on how we can make tea more accessible and attractive to more young people around the world.”

Today, Chagee operates 6,000 stores across China and abroad. After the company’s Nasdaq listing in April, a surge in its stock price helped boost Zhang’s estimated net worth to US$2.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Zhang has also earned admiration from employees for his dedication and discipline.

“To this day, he hasn’t bought a car or a house,” an anonymous employee told media. “He lacks materialistic desires and aspires to leave a mark in history.”

Zhang and Gao, both 32, reportedly met at a networking event for young entrepreneurs, and the couple registered their marriage in June. Their wedding reception is set to take place at the Zhongwu Hotel in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, on Dec. 15.

Gao is a Brown University graduate and holds an executive position at Trina Solar, the solar-panel manufacturer founded by her parents and listed in New York and Shanghai.

The news of the wedding has gone viral, drawing tens of millions of views and widespread commentary on social media.

“He started from scratch. Now, he’s marrying a beautiful and wealthy woman,” commented one online observer. “He’s someone every man envies.”

Another remarked: “It seems as if the inspiring hero from a novel has come to life.”