Property tycoon Wang Jianlin topped the ranking of China's richest people for a third consecutive year, defending his spot against those with experience, like Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, and newcomers such as Yao Zhenhua, chairman of the financial conglomerate Baoneng Group.

The 62-year-old Wang, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, and his family collected wealth totaling 215 billion yuan ($32 billion), followed by Ma, 52, whose family wealth surged by 41 percent from a year earlier to 205 billion yuan, according to the annual Hurun Rich List.

Several dark horses made the list in spite of little change at the top. Among them, the most impressive was the 46-year-old Yao, whose fortune increased to 115 billion yuan - nine times the amount of the previous year. Yao made headlines this year with a hostile takeover battle for leading real estate developer China Vanke Co.