Globalization: Get Rich Quick

Richard Yan is not merely a new breed of mainland Chinese businessman--he's a member of the very first class, and one of its rising stars. His Richina Group, which didn't exist four years ago, has revenues of $270 million and 1,850 employees making leather, running a jazzy Beijing aquarium and turning out computer magazines. Yan, 34, is the driving force, and his megawattage borders on the nuclear. He works 100-hour weeks, flies only coach on business trips and flops on friends' couches to cut expenses.

But the key to this instant Chinese empire is more than energy and frugality. Yan and...