Zhong, 58, was a chemistry undergraduate who taught chemistry at a middle school in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province in east China. She founded Hansoh in 1995. It is China's largest maker of psychotropic drugs.

Hansoh produces drugs in six major therapeutic areas, including oncology, gastrology and cardiology. The company reported profits of 1.9 billion yuan ($267.4 million) in 2018. It went public in Hong Kong in 2019, with Zhong holding a 68-percent stake.

Zhong's husband, Sun Piaoyang, is the CEO of Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., a manufacturer of anti-tumor drugs.