Renowned entrepreneur Chen Lihua has passed away. Her husband is "Tang Monk" Chi Chongrui! She grew up in poverty, dropped out of high school, and built her fortune from scratch to become China's richest woman. She once said, "Poverty is the best university."

Ask AI · How Does Chen Lihua Turn Poverty into Entrepreneurial Drive?

Economic Daily Editor: Duan Lian, Xiang Jianglin

On April 7, Fuhua International Group released a death notice stating that Chen Lihua, honorary chairwoman of the group and director of the Chinese Rosewood Museum, passed away in Beijing on April 5, 2026, after illness with no effective cure, at the age of 85.

Chen Lihua was born in October 1941 in Beijing and is from the Manchu ethnic group. She is an honorary humanities doctor and lifetime honorary board member at the Savannah College of Art and Design in the United States, a member of the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, deputy director of the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Overseas Chinese Committee of the 11th and 12th National Committee of the CPPCC, executive vice chairwoman of the China Association of Enterprises with Overseas Chinese Investment, chairwoman of the Beijing Chamber of Chinese Merchants, and lifetime honorary chairwoman of the Beijing Man Studies Association. In 2011 and 2012, Chen Lihua was selected for 《Forbes》’ “100 Most Influential Women in the World” for two consecutive years. In 2012, Chen Lihua was awarded by U.S. magazine 《TIME》 the “100 Most Influential People in the World” list.

According to reports by 《China Entrepreneur Magazine》, Chen Lihua herself revealed that she is an eighth-generation descendant of the Yehe Nara clan from the Zhenghuang Banner of the Manchu, and that she was born in the Summer Palace, but she was not a fortunate “gege.” Her family was poor; she dropped out of school in high school.

A book titled 《The 26 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurial Women》, published by China Business Press, records that Chen Lihua was born in the Summer Palace. In her childhood, her family was poor; she dropped out of high school. In the 1960s, she started a business repairing furniture, and then later established a furniture factory. Chen Lihua has said, “Thank you for poverty,” describing it as “the best university.”

In 1982, Chen Lihua moved to Hong Kong and engaged in international trade and real estate investment. Her first bucket of gold came from excavating it in Hong Kong. Using the money she earned from the furniture business, she bought 12 villas at Bi Lihua; she purchased at low prices and sold at higher prices, and after several rounds, Chen Lihua accumulated substantial original capital.

In 1988, Chen Lihua founded Fuhua International Group in Hong Kong. At present, the group’s pillar industries cover real estate development and operation management, cultural arts, and healthy living, among other areas. According to information on the company website, relying on its complete real estate value chain, Fuhua International Group carries out diversified real estate operation management businesses, covering large office parks, office buildings, high-end clubs, hotel apartments, shopping malls, residences, and more.

In the early 1990s, Fuhua International Group invested in and built the Chang’an Club along Chang’an Avenue in Beijing, becoming the first in China to launch a high-end membership club model. It introduced a clubhouse-style, privatized membership management approach, attracting well-known entrepreneurs at home and abroad and elites from all sectors to gather there, making it a business club widely recognized in China as having a long history and significant influence.

In addition, Jinbao Street, which runs north of Chang’an Avenue and connects with the Wangfujing commercial district, is a representative work of Fuhua International Group that integrates diversified real estate operation management. Its contents include high-end star-rated hotels such as Jinglian and Liting, Class-A office buildings such as Jinbao Building and Huali Building, and large shopping malls such as the Jinbao Hui Shopping Center, as well as other high-end commercial properties—forming a large high-end city street that integrates multiple functions such as office, culture, shopping, and entertainment.

According to The Paper, Chen Lihua is the most well-known Chinese businesswoman on the Forbes China rich list in her early years, and she has been the only one to remain consistently listed for a long time. According to available data, in the 2001 Forbes China Mainland 100 Rich List, Chen Lihua ranked 6th with wealth of 5.5 billion yuan, becoming the top female rich person in Mainland China.

On the 2012 Forbes China rich list, she ranked 17th with wealth of 17.64 billion yuan. On the 2014 Forbes China 400 rich list, Chen Lihua, with assets of 37.3 billion yuan, became number one on the list of the world’s self-made female rich for first-generation wealth.

According to China News Service, the 《2016 Hurun List of Female Rich Women》 shows that Beijing’s real estate queen, the 75-year-old Chen Lihua, became China’s top female rich person for the first time with wealth of 50.5 billion yuan, while Yang Huiyan and Zhou Qunfei ranked second and third, respectively. In addition, Chen Lihua also became the world’s most successful female entrepreneur in 2016—that is, the world’s top self-made female rich person.

On the latest Hurun Rich List, Chen Lihua still ranks 118th with assets of 47 billion yuan.

Chen Lihua has one son and two daughters, each of whom manages affairs of Fuhua International Group. Her son, Zhao Yong, currently serves as president of Fuhua International Group and leads the group’s strategy and business development work comprehensively.

Chen Lihua’s husband, Mr. Chi Zhongrui, is a well-known Chinese performing arts artist. He once portrayed the Monk Tang from the classic Chinese novel 《Journey to the West》, a role widely known to all. The two married in 1990.

In 1988, Chen Lihua met Chi Zhongrui, who at the time could be considered a “national idol.” Chen Lihua was 11 years older than Chi Zhongrui, and she had been divorced, with three children. At that time, she was already 47. In 《Ruyu You Yue》, she admitted that she was the one who pursued Chi Zhongrui—saying, “Mr. Chi is so beautiful; many women line up to chase him.”

Because of her marriage to Chi Zhongrui, Chen Lihua, who has always been low-key, once became a focus of public discussion. Many years ago, a reporter interviewed Chen Lihua and asked, “When you marry Mr. Chi, who is more than ten years younger than you, do you feel any pressure?”

Chen Lihua said, “There is pressure. At the time, I didn’t think about the consequences. I have never indulged myself in front of Mr. Chi. The person I chose isn’t that kind of thing; I was looking for a travel companion, for a life.”

And Chi Zhongrui said, “Acting can be done for a period of time, but you can’t act for your whole life. We don’t need to make declarations—time will tell everything.”

Her children and husband have given Chen Lihua’s cherished rosewood career their utmost support. Chen Lihua said: “After 30 years of rosewood time, it is both tough and fulfilling. With rosewood by my side, and with family support and understanding, it is the most solid backing for my rosewood life.”

Editor | Duan Lian Xiang Jianglin

Proofread by | Zhang Jinhhe

Daily Economic News, compiled from The Paper, Orange-Tree Interaction, China News Net, Zhengguan News, China Entrepreneur Magazine, Jimu News, public information, and others

Daily Economic News