宗继盛

Jerry Zong (Zong Jisheng), male, was born in 2017 at Hoag Hospital in Irvine, California, USA. He identifies himself as the illegitimate son of Wahaha founder Zong Qinghou and former Wahaha marketing director Du Jianying. He is one of the key figures in the inheritance and equity disputes involving Zong Qinghou’s estate.

In December 2024, together with Zong Jichang and Zong Jieli, Jerry Zong filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong against Wahaha chairwoman Zong Fuli. The case involved companies including Shenyang Wahaha Rongtai Food Co., Ltd. At the same time, the three also filed a lawsuit at the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, seeking confirmation of their right to inherit 29.4% of Wahaha Group’s equity held by Zong Fuli, as well as claims to trust funds valued at approximately USD 700 million each.

On July 14, 2025, the Hong Kong High Court (Courtroom 23) held a hearing in which Jerry Zong and his siblings sought HKD 14 billion and inheritance of Wahaha shares from Zong Fuli. On August 1, the court held another closed-door hearing and issued an interim injunction, ruling that Zong Fuli could not transfer assets from Jian Hao Ventures Limited’s HSBC account in Hong Kong until the lawsuits in Hangzhou Intermediate and Zhejiang High People’s Courts were resolved. The court also required disclosure of the account’s current balance and full transaction details.

The Hong Kong High Court further revealed that on February 2, 2024, Zong Qinghou had made two wills: one covering certain overseas assets and the other concerning his mainland Chinese assets. Neither will included Jerry Zong, Zong Jichang, Zong Jieli, or Du Jianying as beneficiaries. Instead, they named Zong Fuli, her mother Shi Youzhen, and Zong Qinghou’s mother Wang Shuzhen, among others, as beneficiaries. In response, Jerry Zong and his siblings applied for DNA testing, citing Article 1071 of the Civil Code to assert their inheritance rights, while also noting that Zong Qinghou had privately acknowledged their “Zong family bloodline” in his later years.

Although still very young, Jerry Zong has become a central figure in the high-profile legal battles over Zong Qinghou’s estate and Wahaha’s equity.