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Sun Hung Kai’s Kwong Siu-hing isn’t the richest woman in Asia – which 3 female Chinese entrepreneurs are worth more?

You might have heard of Hong Kong’s Kwong Siu-hing, but who are Asia’s other richest women? Photo: David Wong/Twitter
You might have heard of Hong Kong’s Kwong Siu-hing, but who are Asia’s other richest women? Photo: David Wong/Twitter

From property moguls to education innovators and pharmaceutical giants, these women prove it’s not just men driving the great economic miracle of the 21st century

You can't talk about the richest women in Asia without expecting to see China dominating the list – after all, China ranks as the world’s second largest economy, accounting for nearly a sixth of the global total. So here goes – let’s meet the richest women on the world’s most populous continent.

Yang Huiyan, China – US$23 billion

Yang Huiyan. Photo: Forbes
Yang Huiyan. Photo: Forbes
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It's hard not to know who she is, as she also ranks fifth on the world's richest women list, and 42nd overall. At only 37 years old, she has an estimated wealth of US$23 billion. While it's true that Yang inherited 57 per cent of real estate developer Country Garden (with recent developments in Malaysia and Australia) from her father, this isn't the only business that she owns.

She is also the chairwoman of Bright Scholar Education. You might think it isn't much – only six international schools, 11 bilingual schools, 34 kindergartens and still growing.

Zhong Huijuan, China – US$14.4 billion

Zhong Huijuan. Photo: @BeijingReview/Twitter
Zhong Huijuan. Photo: @BeijingReview/Twitter

Don't we all love a good success story? This former chemistry teacher is now worth US$14.4 billion. At 59, she owns three quarters of the company, Hansoh Pharmaceutical, sharing the rest with her daughter. And just why is this venture paying off so much?

They offer a wide array of drugs in six different therapeutic areas, namely CNS diseases, diabetes, oncology, anti-infectives, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular. It also doesn't hurt that her husband is involved in the same business venture, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine. Their combined wealth and reach in the pharmaceutical industry puts them in the same circle as the Sackler and Bertarelli families.