From chemistry teacher to pharma tycoon: How Zhong Huijuan became Asia’s richest self-made woman billionaire

China, once known as a maker of copycat drugs, has been rapidly transforming into a major biotech contender. Within this changing landscape, Hansoh stands out as one of the rare domestic players focused on developing its original products rather than generics.

Riding the sector’s upswing, Zhong rose to the top tier of Forbes’ self-made woman billionaire global ranking in June, placing first in Asia and third worldwide with an estimated $15.6 billion fortune that largely stems from her majority stake in Hansoh, which she chairs.

Her wealth climbed further to $19.7 billion by mid-October as the Hong Kong-listed firm’s shares rallied. That same month, Hansoh secured a $1.5 billion licensing deal with Swiss drugmaker Roche to co-develop a colon cancer treatment.

Her beginnings, though, were far from the world of biotech and pharma, in a classroom where she taught chemistry.

Zhong Huijuan. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Exchanges

Born in 1961, Zhong earned her chemistry degree from Jiangsu Normal University at age 21 and went on to teach the subject at a middle school in Lianyungang in China’s northeastern Jiangsu province.

She left the classroom in 1995 to launch her own pharmaceutical venture, Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical, with an initial team of just 10 employees, the South China Morning Post reported.

Hansoh focuses on developing and producing treatments for cancer, infectious diseases, diabetes and central nervous system diseases, with a strong emphasis on research and innovation. It initially committed about 5% of its turnover to research, later raising that figure to more than 10% of annual revenue, an unusually high share for a domestic drugmaker, according to investment firm Gemway Assets.

The business expanded rapidly, generating $4.5 million in revenue by 1997 and opening its first oral formulation plant in 2000. Nearly two decades later, Hansoh made its stock market debut in 2019, raising $1 billion. After the first day of trading, Zhong became Asia’s wealthiest self-made woman for the first time with a fortune of $10.5 billion.

Zhong is married to Sun Piaoyang, who worked at a state-run drug factory in Lianyungang when she was still teaching.

That factory would eventually become Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, where Sun went on to serve as chairman for decades and establish himself as another major figure in China’s pharmaceutical industry. On Forbes’ latest China rich list, his net worth of $13.6 billion ranked just behind his wife and Biokin Pharmaceutical chairman Zhu Yi.

Zhong holds a 2% stake in Hengrui, but the two companies operate entirely separately with their own leadership teams. Their daughter, Sun Yuan, sits on Hansoh’s board as an executive director and also oversees the firm’s research and development efforts.

Analysts have noted the advantages that the family’s parallel successes can bring. When Hansoh listed in 2019, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Mia He commented: "The synergies between Hengrui and Hansoh, particularly in R&D and distribution, will bring the latter advantages over industry competitors."

Sun and Zhong were named China’s richest couple by the Hurun rich list in 2019 and were collectively known as the country’s "pharmaceuticals power couple."

"I’ve never seen a husband and wife couple with such large independent holdings," the list’s founder, Rupert Hoogewerf, said at the time, as quoted by the Financial Times. "You would normally expect the husband and wife to work together to build a company of this size. That’s a first for China."

Despite her wealth and standing in the pharma industry, Zhong is known to keep a very low profile. She reportedly lives in Lianyungang with her husband, per Bloomberg, and rarely gives interviews.

Hansoh’s annual reports include a message from Zhong each year, though her remarks usually stay centered on the business.

In last year’s report, she wrote: "In 2025, Hansoh Pharma will approach its 30th anniversary, and we will continue to deepen the value of pipeline collaboration, build the foundation for long-term business development, and benefit patients with more breakthrough and high-quality innovative drugs."