The 2026 Hurun China Rich List has unveiled that Zhou Qunfei, the founder of Lens Technology, has claimed the title of China’s wealthiest woman, boasting a net worth of RMB 127 billion. Alongside her husband, Zheng Junlong, their combined wealth soars to RMB 128 billion, securing the 33rd spot on the list. Last year’s top female entrepreneur, Zhong Huijuan, along with her daughter Sun Yuan, witnessed their fortune dwindle to RMB 124 billion this year, causing them to fall to the 35th position.

Female entrepreneurs constitute 23.2% of this year’s list, with over 70% having built their fortunes from scratch, and Zhou Qunfei stands as a prime exemplar. She left school early and entered the workforce at a tender age, embarking on her entrepreneurial path in 1993. In 2003, she established Lens Technology, which later became a key supplier to Apple. The company has achieved dual listings on both the Growth Enterprise Market and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, establishing an A+H share structure. With a diverse business portfolio and multiple R&D and production bases, its current market value surpasses RMB 140 billion.

However, Lens Technology encountered performance challenges in the first three quarters of this year, experiencing significant year-on-year declines in both revenue and net profit attributable to the parent company. The company attributed these setbacks primarily to factors such as escalating storage chip prices, the appreciation of the RMB, and adjustments in the launch schedules of new products by major clients, with industry insiders widely speculating that Apple is the major client in question. In previous years, although Lens Technology’s net profit had continued to grow, the growth rate had been decelerating annually. Currently, the company is expediting its strategic layout in AI-related emerging sectors and plans to acquire stakes in relevant companies. Its holding subsidiary is one of the server cabinet suppliers certified by NVIDIA. Additionally, the list reveals that the wealth of several entrepreneurs has undergone varying degrees of decline, which is seen as a rational correction following significant previous gains, with an overall growth trend still apparent over a two-year period. Entrepreneurs in sectors such as consumer goods and hog farming have also experienced notable wealth contractions.