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Liu Xiucai, at 68 years old, chairs Cathay Biotech, a Shanghai-headquartered company specializing in industrial chemicals. With a net worth of $1.1 billion as of December 5, 2025, Liu's wealth stems from his self-made success in the chemicals industry. Cathay Biotech went public in 2020 on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Liu's career includes a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and post-doctoral positions at Yale and Columbia.
Liu Xiucai was born in Chuzhou, Anhui Province, China, in 1957. He later became a U.S. citizen. At a young age, Liu showed a strong aptitude for academics, leading him to pursue modern chemistry at the China University of Science and Technology in 1977 after the resumption of China's national college entrance exams.
After graduating, Liu went to the United States and earned a doctoral degree in biochemistry. He worked as a researcher from 1991 to 1994. Inspired by a seminar predicting the future of China's biochemical industry and the need for bio-based manufacturing, Liu decided to start his own business back in China. He quit his position at Sandoz Inc. in 1994 and began acquiring and optimizing biochemical technologies. This led to the founding of Cathay Biotech Inc. in Zhongguancun in 1997. The company went public in Shanghai in 2020.
Liu's business strategy has focused on synthetic biology. Cathay Biotech has developed and commercialized several bio-based compounds and polymers. The company aims to build a zero-carbon industry park with clean energy and has focused on renewable raw materials, recyclable products, and competitive costs.
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Established Cathay Biotech Inc. in Zhongguancun, focusing on bio-based production.
Xiucai Liu joined Cathay Biotech.
Cathay Biotech went public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
