Chingxiao Shao
The Pioneer
The frontier and an appetite for the unknown, goes first.
Chingxiao Shao emerges in this interview as a Pioneer whose leadership is defined by independent conviction forged across decades of building a boutique China equity franchise from the ground up. She traces a personal arc from cultural revolution-era Beijing, where universities were suspended, through Barings' international training, to founding Red Gate in 2000 with one partner and one secretary. Her investment philosophy, concentrated, benchmark-agnostic, quality-growth oriented, reflects a frontier mentality applied to a market still widely misunderstood by outsiders. Shao consistently emphasizes the primacy of being on the ground in China as an irreplaceable informational edge, and her long-term client relationships with institutions like NBIM validate her differentiated approach. Her stated dream of eventually managing money for retail investors at no fee signals a purpose-driven dimension to her pioneering ambition that extends well beyond commercial success.
“I was desperately looking for independence. Independence is so important. And now after 20 years, we want to manage money for the best institutions around the world, including Chinese institutions.”
“Passive investing or distance investing is really not appropriate for China. You really have to be on the ground. Even today I was telling my kids, just remember always buy good companies because there are so many bad companies out there.”
“Long term I want to make money for them for free. Don't trade too much. No fees or low fees. To compound the wealth for the generations to come. That's my dream.”
Money Maze Podcast: “Investing in China. Chingxiao Shao, Founder of Red Gate Asset Management”
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