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A '''tai-pan''' (Chinese: 大班) was an influential foreign businessman doing business in China or Hong Kong in the 19th century. The Chinese term is now used in a more general sense for business executives of any origin. The Chinese term literally means ''big class'' which is equivalent to the English term ''big shot''.
The name was commonly used to refer to high-powered business executives and entrepreneurs in Hong Kong when it was under British control, referring to those in charge of major companies such as Jardine Matheson.