Buy to let and mixed portfolios

Unlike her brother, Jiang Huaping has stuck to the real estate market. In 1987, she bought a two-storey house in Huangyan for 20,000 yuan and rented out the lower floor. She received a steady income from the rent and ten years later, she sold up for 120,000 yuan.

In 1995, she bought a four-storey house in Taizhou for 400,000 yuan and rented it out. In the next few years, she explored real estate markets across the country. She still believes real estate is the most profitable investment.

After the 1998 housing reform, investing in real estate becomes an option.

Jiang Qinghua has built up a mixed portfolio. He began to trading in foreign exchange in 1993, and his commemorative stamps of the 1997 return of Hong Kong are now worth quite a lot of money.

He also bought a house in a holiday village near to Nanjing. Unlike his sister, he did not buy to let, but spends his spare time at the house. But it is still not a bad investment idea since the price has gone up.

Jiang Qinghua retired from Nanjing No.3 People's Hospital in 2004, but was immediately re-employed by the military hospital where he used to work. He is paid 6,000 yuan per month in addition to his 3,000 yuan pension. That, plus his investment income, has lifted him into the ranks of the Nanjing leisure class.

Key events:

1978--The People's Bank of China becomes independent from the Treasury Ministry, the first step in the reform and opening-up of the banking system.

1981--China issues its first government bonds.

1984--China's first stock Feile-Yinxiang issued.

1988--Government bond exchanges open.

1990--Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges open

1991--The first batch of investment funds "Wuhan Securities Investment Fund" and "Shenzhen Nanshan Securities Investment Fund" launched.

1997--New regulations on investment funds issued.

2001--China's first open-ended fund "Hua An Fund" issued.

2007--The number of A share holders reaches 67,372,367 according to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

(China.org.cn by Fan Junmei, November 21, 2008)