Wang Wei, Huang Nubo, Tang Jun, Li Jing and Chen Guangbiao … the world may have not got used to pronouncing these Chinese names, but Nancy Merrill has no problem getting her tongue around them. For the past year the American television host has sat face to face with China's top-notch entrepreneurs who are spearheading the country's economic boom.

With her trademark short grey hair, Merrill - who likes donning bright tailor-made suits with delicate Chinese features - unveils the personal stories behind China's explosive growth on her one-on-one business show called Minds of Millionaires, aired weekly on ICS (International Channel Shanghai) and CCTV.

As an Emmy Award-winning television presenter and producer, Merrill is sometimes surprised, often touched, and always inspired by China's growing number of millionaires as she ferrets out the secrets of their success, and also the price of their fame.

"China has had a significant impact on the global economy," she said. "I hope more and more young people get to see what's behind these successful entrepreneurs and that their stories can inspire parents in the way they bring up their children."

Talking wealth

According to statistics from the Hurun Rich List 2011, China has more than 960,000 multi-millionaires and around 60,000 billionaires. While this new breed of the super-rich all hail from very different backgrounds, they are at their core, ordinary human beings with regrets and fears, Merrill said.

She still vividly remembers her first interviewee, Liu Qiangdong, chairman and founder of 360buy.com, one of China's biggest online shopping websites with over 25 million users. For all his achievements Liu said he regretted not spending enough quality time with his 3-year-old son, something that he admitted may not change appreciably in the near future.

Merrill was also moved by a poem written by Huang Nubo, a real estate developer who aroused controversy when he proposed to buy a huge tranche of Iceland equivalent to 0.30 percent of the country's land. The chairman of Zhongkun Group talked about his fears in verse after he once climbed to the top of a mountain and unexpectedly found a black dog waiting there.

Merrill said that she has benefited from being a woman and an American when interviewing her subjects, who, in many cases, are men with strong personalities and who don't easily reveal their innermost feelings. Indeed, it is her talkative manner, easy-going body language and open facial expressions that help bring out the dynamic personalities in these people.

On a lighter note, Merrill was amused how Li Guoqing, CEO of dangdang.com, struggled to recall what his wife Yu Yu was wearing when they first met, while Yu Yu, who is chairman of the company, said without hesitation that Li was wearing a white sweater. Together, the couple has built up one of China's leading e-commerce companies that had a $1 billion IPO in 2010.

Sharing with confidence

It takes a lot of confidence to sit down with these luminaries of China's emerging business aristocracy; some rose from rags to riches, some had a poignant childhood, while others became embroiled in financial scandals and other business problems.

Having interviewed more than 6,000 people including high-profile celebrities such as Jimmy Carter, Sophia Loren, Nancy Reagan and Mother Teresa, Merrill said she rarely gets butterflies in her stomach on such occasions.

"I have never felt intimidated, ever," the television veteran from Boston, said, adding that a sense of curiosity and being well-prepared makes the job a lot easier. "I always feel that someone might give me a test at the end of the day, and I don't want to get an F!" she joked.

She landed her first job at NBC in Boston after hearing about openings at the broadcasting network. She initially wanted to be a program producer but found herself in the office of the head of entertainment on the day a presenter had called in sick. Merrill told her future boss that she could be his next host. Although surprised by the offer, the television chief gave her 24 hours to come up with an idea for a show and find the guests. "And 24 hours later I did it," Merrill said.

As someone who has a strong interest in people, and who has never been afraid of the camera, the former English teacher said: "I think I was born to do this. It's probably the perfect fit."

Spoiled in Shanghai

Arriving in Shanghai only two years ago, Merrill admits she often feels "spoiled" here. Be it the old woman who offered to help her across a busy street, the strangers who lend a helping hand when she gets lost, or the colleagues who forgive her when she mispronounces guests' names, she feels the people in Shanghai are endlessly hospitable, kind-hearted and particularly caring for foreigners who don't speak the language.

Although her Chinese language skills are still at beginner level, she has learned to pick up clues from the expressions and body language of people, meaning that she doesn't always have to rely on the simultaneous interpretation for interviewees who don't speak English. She has even surprised some local guests on occasion with a few phrases in Shanghainese.

Looking out from her apartment window at a landscape of modern high-rises and traditional shikumen houses, Merrill ponders what this prosperous city has had to offer her. "I am like a pioneer in this country, and I have so much to learn about it," she said.