Excerpt from Zhou Jintao’s classic 2016 speech: What does “wealth in life comes from the Kondratiev wave” mean? Zhou Jintao: A renowned Chinese macro strategy analyst, widely regarded as the “King of Cycles.” Former Chief Economist at CITIC Construction Securities, he specialized in analyzing global economic trends using the Kondratiev wave theory. His core ideas are summarized in “The Theory of Wave Cycles,” with his most famous assertion being: “Wealth in life comes from the Kondratiev wave.” He believed that the primary opportunities for wealth accumulation in a person’s lifetime stem from economic cycle fluctuations, rather than solely from individual ability. In 2016, Zhou Jintao passed away from cancer.