TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese businessman and Chi Mei Corporation founder Shi Wen-long (許文龍) has died aged 95.
Chi Mei announced the news of Shi’s passing on Saturday (Nov. 18), and said he died just after 11 a.m. in the morning, per CNA. The company said it is handling the death with Shi’s family, and it will announce further details soon.
Shi was born during Taiwan’s period of Japanese colonial rule into a low-income family in Taichung. He founded Chi Mei at 31, and turned the performance materials producer into a multibillion NT$ company.
Chi Mei Electronics was established in 1998, and itself became a global competitor. The electronics company is the fourth largest manufacturer of electronic displays in the world.
Shi was also a lover of the violin, and famously requested that instead of a tomb being built for him when he dies, a concert be held. In 1992 he founded a large museum that now sits in Tainan, which he said he intended to be a place for all to enjoy.
The museum is home to the world’s oldest playable cello, which was made more than 400 years ago. Aswell as many rare violins, the museum is home to a wide range of artworks and cultural items, of which 4,000 were on display as of 2018.
