Son of China's richest man in spotlight for spending $44,000 in one night at club

Wang Sicong, the son of China's richest man Wang Jianlin, is in the spotlight once again after spending RMB200,000 (S$44,200) in one night at a club.

Photos emerged online of the jaw-dropping bill racked up by the 27-year-old during a Halloween party at Beijing's Elements Club.

In the photos, Wang is dressed simply in a black T-shirt and hat. However, Sina Entertainment reported that Wang was surrounded by scores of pretty female friends, and constantly at the centre of the dance floor.

Pictures of Wang's bill showed that his expenses included 19 bottles of a champagne worth RMB8,000 each.

Some netizens have aired their views on the lavish spending on social media. One netizen pointed out that Wang spent the same amount in one night as the total amount of fees for a Chinese student to go from primary school to university, Chinese news portal NetEase reported.

Wang is no stranger to controversy. On Valentine's Day this year, he stoked public anger after he reportedly said that his top criterion for a girlfriend was that she had to be "buxom".

He also infamously strapped two Apple Watches, worth RMB250,000, on his dog's front legs.

English-language tabloid site Shanghaiist also reported that he splurged on inviting T-ara, one of his favourite K-pop girl bands, to put on a private concert for him and his guests to celebrate his birthday.

Wang's father, Wang Jianlin, recently overtook Hong Kong's Li Ka-shing to become China's richest man with a personal fortune of about S$59.7 billion.

seanyap@sph.com.sg