Rong Desheng

Rong Desheng (Chinese: 榮德生; 4 August 1875 – 29 July 1952), born Rong Zongquan (榮宗銓), was a prominent Chinese industrialist from Wuxi. Along with his elder brother Rong Zongjing, he co-founded the Rong Family Corporation in Shanghai, which grew to become the largest domestic enterprise in the cotton textile and flour industries during the Republic of China era. Following Rong Zongjing's death in 1938 during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Rong Desheng assumed control of the business empire. Despite facing significant financial pressure and threats to his life, he refused to sell the enterprise to Japanese interests.

In the aftermath of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Rong Desheng was kidnapped twice by gangsters allegedly backed by corrupt officials within the Kuomintang (KMT), who attempted to extort money from him. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Rong chose to remain on the mainland and cooperated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was among the few capitalists who received favourable treatment from the new regime.

His son Rong Yiren later served as Vice President of the People's Republic of China in the 1990s. Another son, Rong Yixin (also known as Paul Yung), held the position of Senior Vice President at the China National Aviation Corporation.