MONEY MACHINE
FOREWORD BY FRANK NEWMAN
Weijian Shan’s Money Machine shares a compelling account of one of the most significant deals in private equity history: the first and only foreign acquisition of control of a Chinese national bank.
Money Machine shares the riveting story of how an American investment firm accomplished the impossible, buying control of an ailing national bank in China and transforming it into one of the healthiest and most profitable financial institutions in the country.
As the chief architect of the deal, Shan is the ultimate insider and leads readers on a daring adventure into the secret world of private equity moneymaking, full of frustrations and triumphs, obstacles and inspiration. Additionally, Money Machine shares details of a transaction in uncharted territory. Before this, no foreign company had ever acquired control of a national bank in China, where the industry was tightly regulated. To this day, it remains the one and only transaction of this nature.
“Banking reform, long an oxymoron in a country of government-controlled banking system, was energized by a foreign private equity takeover. This book shares the full story. As the tenacious architect of this historic transaction, Shan provides a breathtaking account of the financialization of modern China.”
“An absolutely amazing tale! It’s highly informative and reads like a novel. A must read for anyone doing business in China. And that means almost everyone.”
“Money Machine is the third of Weijian Shan’s riveting memoirs. It is the inside story of how an American private equity firm took over an ailing bank in China and fixed it, before exiting in one of the most lucrative financial transactions ever – and a win for all sides involved. It is also a cautionary tale of just how much tenacity is required when it comes to investing in China – something which is as relevant today as it was over a decade ago.”
“Money Machine is an instant dealmaker’s classic. The author delivers an eyewitness drama of fundamental change. Money Machine ultimately is less about money but about change. Read and learn.”
MONEY GAMES
Money Games is a riveting tale of one of the most successful buyout deals ever: the acquisition and turnaround of what used to be Kora’s largest bank by the American firm Newbridge Capital.
Full of intrigue and suspense, this insider’s account is told by the chief architect of the deal itself, the celebrated author and private equity investor Weijian Shan. With billions of dollars at stake, and the nation’s economic future on the line, Newbridge Capital sought to become the first foreign firm in history to take control of one of Korea’s most beloved financial institutions.
“Dealmaker Weijian Shan has given us the full story of one of the most profitable acquisitions and successful turnarounds of the Asian Financial Crisis, as well as intimate and valuable personal insights. I recommend it for everyone who has ever wondered how the acquisitions we read about are accomplished.”
“Weijian Shan’s story of a banking takeover launched in the depths of the Asian Financial Crisis is a great yarn, told with intelligence and wit. But it’s also the best account I’ve read of the daring and sheer tenacity it takes to get such a massive deal done – qualities that have made Shan one of Asia’s most respected investors.”
“Weijian Shan gives readers a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of one of Asia’s most politically sensitive and economically complex bank rescues by a foreign private equity firm, full of dramatic personalities, negotiating tricks, and financial insight. Money Games is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn what it takes to close a deal, rescue a company, and then exit with a profit – anywhere in the world.”
OUT OF THE GOBI
FOREWORD BY JANEY YALLEN
Weijian Shan’s Out of the Gobi is a powerful memoir and commentary that will be one of the most important books on China of our time, one with the potential to reshape how Americans view China, and how the Chinese view life in America.
Shan, a former hard laborer who is now one of Asia’s best-known financiers, is thoughtful, observant, eloquent, and brutally honest, making him well-positioned to tell the story of a life that is a microcosm of modern China, and of how, improbably, that life became intertwined with America. Out of the Gobi draws a vivid picture of the raw human energy and the will to succeed against all odds.
Shan only finished elementary school when Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution tore his country apart. He was a witness to the brutality and absurdity of Mao’s policies during one of the most tumultuous eras in China’s history. Exiled to the Gobi Desert at age 15 and denied schooling for 10 years, he endured untold hardships without ever giving up his dream for an education. Shan’s improbable journey, from the Gobi to the “People’s Republic of Berkeley” and far beyond, is a uniquely American success story – told with a splash of humor, deep insight and rich and engaging detail.
This powerful and personal perspective on China and America will inform Americans’ view of China, humanizing the country, while providing a rare view of America from the prism of a keen foreign observer who lived the American dream.
Says former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen: “Shan’s life provides a demonstration of what is possible when China and the United States come together, even by happenstance. It is not only Shan’s personal history that makes this book so interesting but also how the stories of China and America merge in just one moment in time to create an inspired individual so unique and driven, and so representative of the true spirits of both countries.”
“A personal history of China in its Mao and Post-Mao periods written by one of China’s brightest people. Worth reading and, more importantly, understanding the ‘great leap forward’!”
“This is no ordinary memoir. It is the engrossing, vivid personal story of someone buffeted by the tides of China’s tumultuous emergence from poverty to power in the space of a few decades. Weijian Shan’s journey from rural exile in the Gobi Desert to the heights of international finance is a metaphor for China itself.”
“This is more than a memoir, it’s an epic. Shan’s improbable journey from his teenage exile in a bleak Gobi Desert work camp to becoming a renowned leader of international finance could be the stuff of fiction. Out of the Gobi is a must-read for anyone wanting a deeper understanding of modern China, and a window from which to view our nation as well.”
“Out of the Gobi is a fascinating, inspiring book. It told me what I hadn’t known about China through its modern struggles and successes, and about how the United States looks from the world’s perspective, and about human ingenuity, courage, and humor that have no national limitations.”
PRESS
ENQUIRIES
For event bookings, press inquiries & more information, please contact:
© Copyright WEIJIAN SHAN 2018-2023