Yao Liangsong is the chairman of Guangzhou-headquartered Oppein Home Group, one of China's largest makers of kitchen appliances and home furniture. Yao set up Oppein in 1994, and has prospered amid a rise in home ownership and growth in the middle class. Yao is a 1986 graduate of Beihang University, where he received a degree in machinery manufacturing. His brother Yao Liangbo is a member of the board of directors at Oppein.