Zhou Qunfei rose from a low-income rural childhood and factory work to found the glass-processing business that became Lens Technology, retaining controlling ownership through its Shenzhen and Hong Kong listings. [1][2][3]
Factory work supplied the skills and savings to start
Forbes says Zhou grew up in a poor family in Hunan, helped raise livestock for food and income, left school at 16 and moved to Guangdong to find factory work. [1]
In 1993 she started a watch-parts business with relatives in a Shenzhen apartment, creating the precursor to Lens Technology after learning the glass-processing trade as a factory worker. [1]
The business later moved into glass for mobile devices and became a supplier to global electronics companies, with Forbes reporting that Apple and Samsung demand helped turn Lens into a large-scale manufacturer. [2][1]
Founder control survived two public listings
Lens listed in Shenzhen in 2015, and Forbes reported that Zhou held about 88% of the company immediately after the offering, converting founder ownership into a publicly valued fortune. [2]
Lens completed a second listing in Hong Kong in 2025, where listing documents showed companies controlled by Zhou and her spouse holding about 59% of the issued share capital. Her fortune is therefore rooted in founder equity created despite documented poverty, early school departure and migrant factory work. [3][1]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Sep 26, 2026.
- Zhou Qunfei & family · Forbes · Mar 10, 2026
- China Businesswoman Zhou Qunfei, Rags-To-Riches Supplier To Apple, Is Now Worth $3.5 Bln · Forbes · Mar 19, 2015
- Hong Kong Global Offering Prospectus · Lens Technology Co., Ltd. · Jun 30, 2025
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