Cheung Yan (1957- ) Paper recycling Started: 1995 In 2006, with a personal fortune of $3.4bn, Cheung Yan became the first woman to top China's annual Huran Report rich list, making her the richest self-made woman in the world. It was a fortune built entirely from paper. Cheung, the daughter of a Chinese army officer, started her first paper recycling company in Hong Kong in 1985. After a stint in the United States shipping waste paper to China for recycling, Cheung returned to China and started Nine Dragons Paper, of which she is chairlady, with her husband. Nine Dragons Paper now describes itself as the world's largest environmentally friendly paper manufacturer and, according to Forbes, has 18,000 full-time staff.
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