Timber! Chinese Gaming Billionaire Chen Tianqiao Owns Nearly 200,000 Acres Of Oregon Timberland, Is Second-Largest Noncitizen Landowner

Chinese entrepreneur Chen Tianqiao, renowned for his success in online gaming, is the second-largest non-American landowner in the United States. Holding an expansive 198,000 acres of Oregon timberland, Tianqiao is at 82nd position among the country’s largest property owners, according to the Land Report. By comparison, Bill Gates owns about 242,000 acres of farmland throughout the United States. 

The acquisition of this substantial acreage took place in 2015 when Tianqiao purchased the land from Fidelity National Financial Ventures for $85 million. Recently, Oregon tax records revealed Shanda Asset Management as the beneficial owner, aligning with the Singapore-based holding group under Tianqiao’s leadership.

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Tianqiao’s ownership of Oregon’s extensive property marks him as a major individual holder of American land by a non-U.S. citizen, with only Canada’s Irving family, with more than 1.2 million acres of Maine timberland, surpassing him.

The surge in foreign ownership of U.S. land, particularly in agriculture, is a sensitive political issue. As of 2021, non-U.S. entities, including those from China, owned approximately 40 million acres of American agricultural land, according to the Department of Agriculture. 

As wealthy investors seek inflation hedges and uncorrelated assets, farmland has become an attractive investment. The average value of U.S. cropland surged 8.1% last year and has risen by over a third since 2020, driven by food demand, inflation and interest in unique properties offering both recreation and investment potential. The Emmerson family, owners of Sierra Pacific Industries, maintains the title of the country’s largest landowner. They own 2.4 million acres spread throughout Washington, Oregon and California through the family's timber company. Following this family on the Land Report's list are billionaires John Malone, Ted Turner and Stan Kroenke. 

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The purchase of land by Tianqiao and others has prompted discussions among lawmakers about imposing national regulations to restrict foreign investment in American agricultural properties.

Despite the Senate’s attempt to ban the sale of farmland to individuals or businesses from specific countries, including China, such measures have yet to be signed into law. Nearly half of all states already have some form of restrictions on foreign ownership.

Tianqiao, originally from Zhejiang Province, founded the online gaming company Shanda Interactive in 1999, transforming it into one of China’s major internet companies within five years. After going public on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange in the U.S., Tianqiao privatized the company in 2012 and relocated its headquarters to Singapore. His diverse investments span public and private equities, venture capital and real estate.

Apart from his business ventures, Chen and his wife, Chrissy Luo, have made significant charitable contributions, including a $115 million donation to establish the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at the California Institute of Technology in 2016. This institute aims to advance the understanding of the brain.

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