Iconic American Companies Owned by Chinese Investors

Headquarters: New York City
Bought By: Bona Film
Headquarters: Beijing

The glittering lights of Hollywood and the looming presence of 21st Century Fox has been part of the American dream since the days of Marilyn Monroe, but the company itself is no longer 100% American. In 2014 Beijing’s Bona Film bought 19% of Fox for $70 million.

The following year, Bona poured in $235 million into a slew of upcoming movies that the movie studio was producing. Through the financing body TSG, Bona was able to help several blockbusters get off the ground. TSG had done it in the past with movies like The Martian and X-Men Days of Future Past.

Headquarters: Smithfield, Virginia
Bought By: WH Group
Headquarters: Hong Kong

When it comes to producing pork-based products, Smithfield Foods reigns supreme. The company has been going since 1936 when it was created by Joseph W. Luter and his son. The business grew steadily over the years to become one of the largest in the industry, with over 500 farms in America alone.

Back in 2013, WH Group bought Smithfield foods for the astronomical sum of $4.72 billion. At that time, it was the most expensive acquisition made by a Chinese company in America. So, while Smithfield’s HQ might be in Smithfield, Virginia, the company is actually run from Luohe in Henan province.

Headquarters: McLean, Virginia
Bought By: HNA Group Co Ltd
Headquarters: Haikou, China

Hilton Hotels & Resorts has been operating since 1919 thanks to founder Conrad “Nicky” Hilton. From a handful of simple locations, Hilton became a worldwide name with 586 hotels in 85 countries by 2018. Today, Hilton hotels are all over the world.

In 2016, China’s aviation and shipping titan HNA Group paid $6.5 billion for a 25% stake in the hospitality chain, becoming the biggest shareholder. This was the second purchase that year for HNA who also bought Carlson Hotels Inc. in a bid to spread its wings into the hotel industry. At the time of the purchase, Hilton Hilton was worth around $26 billion.

Headquarters: Peterborough, New Hampshire
Bought By: Sanpower Group Corp; General Electric Capital Corp; Sailing Capital Management Co Ltd
Headquarters: Nanjing, China; Connecticut, United States; Shanghai, China

Brookstone Inc. started out as a mail-order business selling special tools that were hard to find in the mid-60s. From there it started selling items like remote control toys, alarm clocks, and much more. As of 2018, there were 34 locations in America.

The company fell on hard times in 2014 when it was forced to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 11, but Chinese companies Sailing Capital and Sanpower came forward and bought it for $173 million. Thankfully, this purchase and a large injection of cash saved the company from going under completely. Brookstone came out of bankruptcy in July 2014.

Headquarters: New York City
Bought By: Legend Holdings Corp
Headquarters: Beijing, China

In recent years, shared workspaces have become more chic and on-trend than ever, especially for freelancers or companies just starting out. WeWork capitalized on this trend when it was conceived 10 years ago. Now, it manages over 4 million square meters of co-working space.

However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the business, who desperately needed some capital in 2016. As a result, Beijing-based company Legend Holdings Corp poured over $430 million into WeWork as a “new partner.” CEO of Legend’s Hony Capital John Zhao said, “Our investment in WeWork is both strategic and obvious.”