Former richest man in China Zong Qinghou was attacked at his residence in Hangzhou on Friday by a migrant worker whose attempt to seek a job from the beverage tycoon was rejected.

Zong, board chairman of China's beverage giant, the Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co Ltd, suffered injuries to his left hand at his apartment building and received medical treatment at No.2 Hospital, affiliated with the Zhejiang University, soon after the attack. The muscle tendons of two fingers of his left hand were injured.

According to Wahaha, by Friday afternoon local police had arrested the suspect, surnamed Yang, 49, a native from Suzhou of Jiangsu province. Early this year, Yang borrowed 30,000 yuan to look for a job in Hangzhou but failed to find any work. A television program featuring Zong Qinghou helping migrant workers inspired him to seek support from the billionaire. He followed Zong to his residence but his request was rejected. The case is still under investigation.

Zong Qinghou, 67, has returned to work and business operations will remain normal. Zong is the second-richest man in China with a personal fortune of 115 billion yuan ($18.79 billion), according to the Hurun Rich List released last Wednesday in Beijing.