Snow Feinan Li

There was no single dramatic moment. During the pandemic, I had the opportunity to observe the country very closely—its leadership, efficiency, sense of security and clarity of vision. I gradually began to see Abu Dhabi not as an alternative to China, but as a new base for the next stage of my global development—a place from which I could connect China with the Middle East, Africa and the wider world.

I came by circumstance, but I stayed by choice. Today, my parents and I live in Abu Dhabi, my businesses and factories continue to expand here, and I feel deeply connected to the country.

They may appear to be completely different worlds, but to me they are deeply connected.

Manufacturing teaches discipline, patience, precision and respect for materials. It also teaches you to think about structure, scale and permanence—all of which influence how I experience art. Art, in return, keeps my intuition alive. Business gives me discipline; art gives me imagination. I need both.

The first work I collected was by the Chinese artist Zhou Chunya, and yes, it is still with me.

At the time, I did not think of myself as building a collection. I simply felt a strong connection to the work and wanted to live with it. That instinct has never changed.

For me, collecting is not simply about ownership. It is a form of respect for great artists and a way of preserving the legends being created in our own time. That responsibility can also extend beyond a private collection. Important works should sometimes enter public institutions, where they can be shared and continue their lives across generations. This belief led me to donate works to Louvre Abu Dhabi and become its first individual donor.

Shanghai is where I come from, and it will always be part of my identity. Abu Dhabi is where I am building my future and where my parents and I now feel at home.

Tokyo and Monaco are places I love and have spent meaningful periods of my life, but today, when I think of home, I think primarily of Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. Perhaps home is no longer one city—it is where your life, your family and your sense of purpose come together.

When I first visited Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2019, and again in 2020, I was deeply moved by what it represented: tolerance, peace, inclusion and the idea that cultures can speak to one another without boundaries.

I did not want every important work to remain in my private home. Some works deserve to enter the public conversation and be experienced by future generations. Donating part of my collection in 2024 felt like giving something back to a country that had welcomed me and become my home. Becoming the museum’s first individual donor was an honour, but the deeper meaning is that these works now belong to a much larger story.

Most of my daily work is actually outside the art world. I am expanding our advanced manufacturing operations in Abu Dhabi, including one of the largest industrial valve manufacturing facilities in the Middle East and North Africa.

Through our family investments and my other roles, I am also working across strategic materials, energy transition and frontier technologies, connecting opportunities between the Middle East, China, Asia and Africa. I am especially committed to contributing to the “Made in Abu Dhabi” vision and building industries that create long-term value.

“I believe before I see.”

You cannot build anything meaningful if you only believe after the result is already visible. Whether in business, art or life, I trust my instincts, commit fully and keep moving forward. I believe first—and then I make it real.