Xiaolong (Leo) YAO

Founder & Director, Art Sector

A Life Shaped by Culture and Commerce

Xiaolong Yao — known internationally as Leo — brings together an uncommon combination of deep cultural knowledge and hard-won business experience that sits at the very heart of LianGroup's identity.

From Jiangxi to the Navy

Born in 1972 in Fuzhou, Jiangxi Province, Leo grew up in a region with a rich tradition of Chinese painting and craftsmanship. After completing his education, he served in the Chinese Navy — an experience that instilled the discipline, precision, and long-horizon thinking that still characterise his approach to business and life.

Two Decades at Poly Group

Leo subsequently joined China Poly Group, one of China's most storied state-owned enterprises with major operations across defence, culture, real estate and transportation. Over a career spanning more than two decades, he held senior positions in transportation management and real estate, including serving as Safety Director at one of its regional local construction branch — a role that demanded both strategic oversight and meticulous operational attention.

His years inside a large, complex Chinese institution gave him an intimate understanding of how China's business landscape actually works: the importance of relationships built over years, the role of trust in high-value transactions, and the cultural context that underpins every serious negotiation.

A Collector's Eye

Throughout his professional career, Leo developed a serious parallel life as an art collector and connoisseur. His collecting interests span traditional Chinese calligraphy, ink paintings, and Yixing teapots — objects that require not only financial investment but years of study to appreciate fully. This depth of knowledge is what allows LianGroup to operate as a genuine cultural intermediary rather than simply a transactional broker.

Leo has built personal relationships with some of China's most distinguished living artists, including Master Lü Ruda (吕如达) and artist Yu Xiaofang (喻潇芳) — relationships that took years to cultivate and that now form the foundation of LianGroup's art brokerage practice.

Tai Chi and the Long Game

Leo is a Tai Chi champion — a discipline that shares its philosophy with his approach to business: patience, balance, and the understanding that sustainable results come from consistent practice rather than short-term force. He founded LianGroup in 2023 with a clear conviction: that China's extraordinary cultural and commercial resources remain largely inaccessible to the outside world, and that a trusted, knowledgeable intermediary could change that.