Inside the descent into chaos at a Chinese billionaire's cattle empire

But it was Hui's bid for S. Kidman & Co, the massive property empire which was eventually acquired by Rinehart and her Chinese partners, and his later purchase of a cattle station portfolio the size of Belgium - part of which was previously owned by prominent businessman Harold Mitchell - that brought him the most attention. Mitchell had been trying to sell the portfolio, known as the Yougawalla Pastoral Company, for years after separating from his wife. In Hui, he found a deep-pocketed buyer. Aside from paying $70 million for Mitchell's portfolio, a company backed by Shimao also bought the…