Chen Tianqiao
Founder of Shanda, China’s online-gaming pioneer, and brain-science philanthropist
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Chen Tianqiao is a Chinese entrepreneur who founded Shanda in 1999, which made online games popular in China and made him the country’s richest person in 2004. He later focused on brain science, founding the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute with a $1 billion pledge.
Biography
Background
Chen studied economics at Fudan University and worked at Lujiazui Group in Shanghai.
Shanda
He founded Shanda in 1999. Licensing the Korean game The Legend of Mir 2 in 2001, it became China’s largest online-game company and listed on the Nasdaq in 2004.
Richest at 31
In 2004 he was named China’s richest person. He also built Shanda Literature, a giant web-fiction platform.
Brain science
After suffering anxiety, he moved to Singapore and the US and in 2016 pledged $115 million to Caltech, founding the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for neuroscience.
Timeline
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1999
Founds Shanda
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2001
Legend of Mir 2
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2004
Shanda IPO; richest in China
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2016
Caltech gift
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2024
AI and brain-science projects
Did you know?
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1
He was China’s richest person at 31.
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2
His wife Chrissy Luo co-founded Shanda.
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3
His institute supports research in Shanghai and California.
Frequently asked
Who is Chen Tianqiao?
Chen Tianqiao is a Chinese entrepreneur who founded Shanda in 1999, which made online games popular in China and made him the country’s richest person in 2004. He later focused on brain science, founding the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute with a $1 billion pledge.
Where is Chen Tianqiao from?
Chen Tianqiao was born in Zhejiang, China.
What is Chen Tianqiao known for?
Chen Tianqiao is best known for Founding Shanda Interactive (1999); Legend of Mir; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute.
References
- Chen Tianqiao — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Chen Tianqiao (Q5090908) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Chen Tianqiao”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Chen Tianqiao.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/chen-tianqiao
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