Due magnati cinesi in gara. E alla fine per l'ingresso nella As Roma l'avrebbe spuntata Chen Feng, il proprietario del colosso del turismo HNA Group, battendo la proposta del magnate Wang Jianlin, l'uomo piu ricco della Cina e grande appassionato di calcio al punto da avere investito circa 100 milioni di dollari nella massima serie cinese. Ormai l'accordo (di cui ci sono ampi dettagli nel Sole 24 Ore in edicola oggi) tra l'HNA Group di Chen Feng e i soci della Roma (Pallotta e Unicredit) sembra in dirittura di arrivo. HNA Group e' una conglomerata che possiede attivita' nel turismo (ha una quota del 20 per cento nella spagnola Nh hotels), nell'immobiliare, nel retail e nel settore finanziario, oltre che la quarta compagnia aerea cinese (Hainan Airllines, la stessa che e' stata additata come nuovo partner di Alitalia).

Di seguito, ecco la biografia (in inglese) tratta dal sito del milionario Chen Feng.

Chen Feng, male, born in June 1953, in Huozhou, Shanxi province, senior economist, and government special allowance winner approved by the State Council in October 1994. In August 2004, he was certified for the 1st wave senior professional manager issued by China Enterprise Confederation (CEC) and China Enterprise Directors Association (CEDA).
In 1984, Mr. Chen graduated from Lufthansa College of Air Transportation Management in Germany; in 1995 gained MBA from Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands, and in 2002 pursued the advanced studies of senor management in Harvard Business School.    
Mr. Chen Feng worked many years in CAAC and the National Air Regulations Bureau, and later acted as the Aviation Business Assistant to Provincial Governor in Hainan province, in charge of the establishment of Hainan Provincial Airlines.
At present, Mr. Chen Feng is Chairman of the BoD of HNA Group.
Entrusted by Hainan provincial government, Mr. Chen Feng initiated the establishment of Hainan Provincial Airlines in 1993. With the endeavor of various channels, the company started its official operation on May 2nd, 1993. The company successfully moved over its initial phase of operation by financing from banks and issuing stocks in domestic and international markets. In 1997, the company was restructured and changed the name as Hainan Airlines (HNA) Company, Ltd.. In 2000, HNA Group Company, Ltd. was founded. Today, the total assets of the group have reached around 90 billion RMB, and the company was expanded as a diversified large corporate group with the businesses from air transportation to airport management, hotel & tourism, retailing, logistics and other related industries. The total staff of the group have reached over 39 thousand.
Mr. Chen Feng was once nominated as the Standing Committee Member of the People’s Congress of Hainan Province, deputy of the 16th and 17th People’s Congress of CPC and Member of the 10th and 11th National Committee of CPPCC. 
Mr. Chen Feng was successively nominated as 10 Top Meritorious Entrepreneurs of Hainan in 1994, 2000 and 2003, National Outstanding Youth Entrepreneur in 1994, National Outstanding Entrepreneur, National Model Worker and May 1st Labor Prize Winner in 1996. In 1997, Mr. Chen Feng won the International Outstanding Entrepreneur Contribution Award jointly issued by Sino-American Friendship Association and American Medium and Small Enterprises Federation. In 2000, he was nominated as National Model Worker, and in 2002 both as China 1st Session Founding Entrepreneur and as Hainan 1st Session Founding Entrepreneur. In 2003, Mr. Chen Feng gained the Corporate Management and Operation Innovation Award of Hainan Province and Outstanding Member 2003 by Hainan Provincial Entrepreneurs Association. In August 2003, he was nominated as the 3rd Session Meritorious Entrepreneurs of Hainan, and in December 2003, gained the 10th National First Class Corporate Management and Modern Innovation Achievement Award because of his strategic concept and implementation of Creating the Best Airlines as the target. In 2004, Mr. Chen Feng also gained the title of the Top 10 Most Popular Entrepreneurs of China. In December 2004, he won the title of the Top 25 Most Influential Leading Entrepreneurs of China, and the Top 20 China-Born Entrepreneurs of the Most Influential to China. In December 2004, he was granted the title Excellent Socialist Cause Builder with Chinese Characteristics jointly by the United Routes Ministry of the Central Government, China Development & Reform Committee, National Personnel Department, State Administration of Industry and Commerce and All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. In September 2005, Mr. Chen Feng was elected the Best Chinese Business Leader 2005, jointly sponsored by Shanghai Median Group and CNBC. In November 2005, Mr. Chen Feng won the Asian Business Leader sponsored by CNBC and selected by the famous Business School of Chicago University with DDI, a world known HR consulting and leadership development company, and an independent appraisal committee made up of professional personnel from 10 countries and regions. In 2006, he gained the title of The Most Foresight IT Leader of China and Hainan Provincial Special Meritorious Entrepreneur. In 2007, he was awarded the honor of Top 10 Meritorious Persons for Brand Building of Hainan. In 2008, he was awarded Chinese Enterprise Innovation Medal by CEC and and CEDA for the 30th anniversary of China’s opening up and reform.
In order to honor the contribution made by HNA Group to the economic exchange and development between China and other countries, in July 2006, Mr. Chen Feng was awarded the Medal of the Commander in the Order of the Crown by the Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, Belgium; in March 2007, Mr. Chen gained the Pioneer Award issued by Governor Mr. Deval Patrick, Massachusetts, USA; in the mean time, Mr. was awarded the Knight Cross Medal of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic.  
Mr. Chen Feng is currently Executive Vice President of the 7th Board of China Enterprise Confederation (CEC) and China Enterprise Directors Association (CEDA), Member of the 10th Standing Executive Committee of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, President of Hainan Harvard Alumni Association, Chairman of Hainan Provincial Entrepreneur Association, President of Hainan Provincial General Chamber, Vice Chairman of China Transportation System and Engineering Society, Vice Chairman of International Innovation Forum and part-time professor of Renmin University of China, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Nothern Jiaotong University, Dalian University of Technology, Civil Aviation University of Management and Nanjing University of Aeronaustics and Astronaustics as well as guest professor of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Civil Aviation University of China and Hainan University.