Li was born into an impoverished family China in 1928. When he was 15, his father died, forcing Li to leave high school so that he could work to support his family. He took a job in a plastics company, where he would work 16 hours a day. At this company,Li used to assemble plastic flowers. By 1950, Li had started his own plastics manufacturing company. His company prospered, which led Li to expand his business into many different fields. However, his successes are not all monetary. Li Ka-shing a reputation for being honest and generous. In fact, he is one of Asia's most prominent philanthropists, and has announced plans to donate one-third of his wealth to charity.