Net worth of 47 billion yuan—Chen Lihua has died! Married to “Tang Monk” Chi Zhongrui for 36 years

On April 5, Ms. Chen Lihua, Honorary Chairwoman of Fuhua International Group and Director of the Chinese Rosewood Museum, passed away in Beijing after failing to recover from an illness, at the age of 85. She was also the wife of “Tang Monk” from Journey to the West, Chi Zhongrui—how regrettable!

Ms. Chen Lihua’s net worth of 47 billion yuan is a reflection of how she built a commercial empire from scratch; behind it lies her legendary life from a furniture repair worker to a real-estate titan, and then to a preserver of culture.

Chen Lihua grew up in poverty. After dropping out of high school, she worked as a worker at a street tailor shop. In 1977, she opened a furniture repair shop.

In early 1981, she went to Hong Kong to engage in real estate investment and founded Fuhua International Group. In 1988, Chen Lihua returned to mainland China to develop her business.

In 1999, the China Rosewood Museum, which she funded with an investment of 200 million yuan, was completed. According to the 2026 Hurun Global Self-Made Female Entrepreneurs List, Chen Lihua’s net worth was 47 billion yuan, ranking 12th.

In 1999, she invested 200 million yuan to create China’s first state-level private museum—the China Rosewood Museum—with a collection of more than 3,000 rare treasures.

To restore the “Inner Nine, Outer Seven” 16 city gates of old Beijing, she led a team to kneel and conduct surveys for three years, which caused her knees to ulcerate, and she went deep into India’s jungles to collect rosewood materials, risking encounters with snakes and pythons.

She insisted that “business profits should give back to culture,” donating her lifetime collection free of charge to institutions at home and abroad. In 2011, “Rosewood Carving Techniques” was selected as a National-Level Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the museum became a living fossil of traditional craftsmanship.

In 1990, Chen Lihua and Chi Zhongrui registered their marriage; at the time, Chen Lihua was 49 and Chi Zhongrui was 38. The two met because of their shared love of Peking opera.

Chen Lihua was a veteran Peking opera enthusiast, while Chi Zhongrui came from a Peking opera family. After meeting at a Peking opera event, their relationship warmed up.

Chen Lihua was 11 years older than Chi Zhongrui. At the time, her worth exceeded 50 billion yuan, and she was the founder of Fuhua International Group; Chi Zhongrui became famous for playing Tang Monk.

This marriage of “a strong wife and a weak husband” once sparked doubts about an “interest-based union,” but the two answered the controversy by staying together for 36 years.

After marriage, they addressed each other as “Chairwoman” and “Mr. Chi Zhongrui,” and in public they always treated each other with respect. Chi Zhongrui respected the household customs that Chen Lihua had set.

For example, the whole family dined together every evening, and the two emphasized that “mutual understanding” was the core of long-term companionship. Chen Lihua once said, “I have never joked with Mr. Chi Zhongrui; when I speak, I must use the ‘you’ form,” showing mutual respect.

In 2013, the main creators of Journey to the West visited Lu Yu’s Talk, where Chi Zhongrui talked about the secret to their happiness with Chen Lihua. “I feel that it’s all about being able to understand each other. She can understand me; I can understand her. I feel that the two of us are very happy being together.”

It is reported that the core content of Ms. Chen Lihua’s will is as follows: her children (including adopted daughters) each receive 10 billion yuan in cash, and her remaining major assets and the Chinese Rosewood Museum are inherited by her husband, Chi Zhongrui.

But as for the exact total amount of the estate and the details of the distribution, there are multiple online versions that have not been officially finalized or confirmed.

The story of Chen Lihua and Chi Zhongrui tells us: a truly long-lasting marriage is never about being well-matched in status; it is about having aligned values, fulfilling each other, and showing respect and companionship. Go well on your journey, and may this 36-year devotion be remembered for a long time.