HONG KONG, July 22 -- Kelly Zong, long seen as the carefully groomed heir to China's Wahaha beverage empire, is now at the centre of two high-stakes legal battles that could reshape the future of one of the country's most iconic private companies.

For decades, Kelly Zong was known as the only child of the late billionaire Zong Qinghou, founder of Chinese beverage giant Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co, according to a Bloomberg report.

Her father's efforts to groom her as his successor were praised as a model for succession during China's one-child policy era.

Now, however, the so-called Wahaha "princess" is facing two overlapping legal battles that may shape China's approach to inheritance law and affect Wahaha's reputation.

In one case, thre...