Chinese tech billionaire sits between Elon Musk and Tim Cook.

A host of Chinese business leaders attended the state banquet hosted by President Xi Jinping to entertain President Donald Trump on the evening of May 14th, including the chairmen of Hisense, Wanxiang Group, Fuyao Glass, Air China, Comac, Lenovo, Xiaomi, Haier, and the CEO of ByteDance.

One of the most widely shared images on social media platforms X and Weibo is of Zhou Qunfei, founder of the display manufacturing company Lens Technology, positioned between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook. She is known as “China’s legendary female billionaire” for her self-made entrepreneurial journey.

Zhou Qunfei was born in 1970 into a poor family in Hunan Province. When she was five years old, her mother passed away, her father went blind, and she struggled to make ends meet. Later, after achieving success, she always proudly stated that her difficult childhood was the driving force behind her achievements.

At the age of 15, Zhou Qunfei dropped out of school and went to Shenzhen to work. Initially, she worked as a warehouse security guard at a construction site, but after four months without receiving her wages, she realized she had been scammed. Determined to stay in the city, she sought work as a factory worker at a lens and screen manufacturing plant near Shenzhen University.

Despite working 12 hours a day for the equivalent of one USD, Chu Qunfei still found time to study accounting and commerce through part-time courses… In 1993, with savings of over 20,000 Hong Kong dollars, she established a screen manufacturing workshop in her rented apartment with her seven siblings.

When starting her business, Chu Qunfei never attended university, but she had accumulated knowledge in accounting and computer science, and even had a truck driver’s license. In the beginning, she struggled to find clients. Many times she was met with coldness and rejection, and in some cases, she was even chased away before she could even present her case.

After years of researching and manufacturing watch glass, she decided to open Lens Technology in 2003, focusing on glass screens for mobile phones. The turning point came when Motorola contacted her, ordering scratch-resistant screens for the Razr V3.

After its launch, Lens Technology immediately made a splash in the industry, with orders pouring in from Samsung, Nokia, and HTC. In 2007, Apple placed an order for their first iPhone models, and Ms. Chu’s life changed from that point on.

According to Sina , Lens Technology’s rise was largely due to orders from Apple. The company’s performance skyrocketed as the American tech giant ushered in the era of smartphones with large screens. In March 2015, Lens Technology went public. That year, the company had 32 factories in 7 locations with over 90,000 employees. Zhou Qunfei became the richest woman in China at the age of 45.

In 2016, Fortune magazine named Ms. Chu on its list of the most powerful women in Asia-Pacific. She also topped Forbes ‘ 2017 list of the world’s richest self-made female billionaires with a net worth of $7.4 billion. Starting from a company specializing in watch glass manufacturing, she led Lens Technology to become a “star” enterprise, capitalizing on mobile industry trends through orders from Apple.

The company’s business also went through a downturn, with Chinese media reporting that Lens Technology no longer mentioned Apple in its 2021 annual report. Amidst the rising risks, Ms. Chu quickly sought new markets, betting on the future of electric vehicles. Also in the 2021 report, Lens Technology revealed that it was supplying display screens for new electric vehicle models from Tesla, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and others.

By 2024, Lens Technology’s partnership network had included more than 30 automakers. The product range was not limited to center console displays but expanded to smart windows, charging stations, wireless charging modules, and various components for electric vehicles.

Alongside the automotive industry, Zhou Qunfei continues to lead Lens Technology into emerging technology fields such as humanoid robots and AI glasses. As of May 15th, Lens Technology had a market capitalization of $26.6 billion, with its stock price up 5.9% from the previous day.

Compiled by Diep Anh