Two days ago, Zhong Huijuan wasn't even the richest person in her family.
Now she has become the wealthiest self-made woman in Asia with a $10.5 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The bulk of her wealth comes from her stake in Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group, China's largest maker of psychotropic drugs, which soared 37 percent on Friday in Hong Kong during its first day of trading.
Zhong, a former chemistry teacher who founded Hansoh in 1995, overtook Longfor Group's Chairman Wu Yajun to claim the self-made title. Zhong is the second-richest woman in Asia, trailing only Yang Huiyan, co-chairman of Country Garden Holdings, who inherited her fortune.