China is home to more self-made female billionaires than any other nation, according to Hurun Report. The Shanghai-based research firm marked International Women’s Day on March 8 by sharing its latest numbers. It counts 88 such billionaires in the world, and says China has 56 of them.
Topping the global list is Chen Lihua, popularly known as the “Beijing real estate queen.” Growing up in poverty in the Chinese capital, the high school dropout started off in furniture repair. She moved to Hong Kong in the early 1980s and got into real estate investing. Six years later, she established what is now Fu Wah International Group, a real estate giant involved in property development, asset management, and finance.
Following Chen is the “touchscreen queen” Zhou Qunfei, the founder of Lens, which is based in the Hunan province and makes touchscreens for mobile devices.
After those two China makes four more appearances in Hurun’s Top 10 list of the world’s self-made female billionaires:
Some variations will arise based on how one counts, of course—Hurun also described its methodology—but suffice to say China does well in the category.