Divorced for 8 years without remarrying! "Yunnan Pharmaceutical King" dotes on daughter, lavishly gifts 280 million in half a year

In just a few months, nearly 300 million yuan worth of “wealth gifts” have been given to their daughters. This is not only fatherly love but also a way for the giant Yunnan pharmaceutical company to prepare for the succession of their daughters.

Recently, an announcement in the A-share market brought Yunnan’s “King of Medicine” Ruan Hongxian into the public eye.

On the evening of March 16, the leading chain pharmacy company Yixintang officially released an announcement. The company’s controlling shareholder, actual controller, chairman, and CEO, Ruan Hongxian, plans to transfer no more than 5.856 million shares to each of his two daughters, Ruan Shengxiang and Ruan Aixiang, through block trades within three months after the announcement, representing 1% of the company’s total share capital each. The total transfer will not exceed 11.7121 million shares, accounting for 2% of the company’s total share capital.

Based on Yixintang’s closing price of 13.11 yuan per share on March 17, the value of the shares Ruan Hongxian plans to transfer is approximately 154 million yuan.

The announcement clearly states that this share transfer is part of internal family asset planning, will not lead to a change in the company’s control, and will not adversely affect the company’s governance structure or ongoing operations.

In fact, this is not the first time Ruan Hongxian has transferred shares to his daughters. Over four months ago, he already made a significant equity transfer.

At that time, Yixintang also issued a similar announcement. Ruan Hongxian planned to transfer 1% of the shares to each daughter via block trade, with an average transfer price of 11.31 yuan. The total transferred shares were 11.6373 million, valued at about 132 million yuan.

In just half a year, Ruan Hongxian has transferred shares to his daughters twice, totaling 4%. At the current stock price, the total market value has approached 286 million yuan.

As of the announcement date, Ruan Hongxian directly owns 170 million shares of Yixintang, accounting for 29.13% of the company’s total share capital. Each of his two daughters owns about 1%, and the combined ownership of the father and daughters reaches 31.12%.

Behind this vast pharmaceutical business empire is a story of starting from scratch.

In 1987, Ruan Hongxian and his wife Liu Qiong founded the Kaiyuan “Hongxiang” Medicinal Materials Business Department, the predecessor of Yixintang.

In 1997, Yunnan Hongxiang Traditional Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd. was officially established, and Hongxiang Chinese and Western Medicine Pharmacy was also born, forming the prototype of Yixintang’s chain pharmacies.

In 2014, Yixintang successfully listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange’s SME Board, becoming a leading enterprise in the domestic chain pharmacy industry. Ruan Hongxian and Liu Qiong’s wealth skyrocketed, earning them the reputation of Yunnan’s “King of Medicine” and “Queen of Medicine.”

In 2016, the couple ranked second on the Yunnan Rich List with a fortune of 6.7 billion yuan, reaching the peak of their careers and wealth.

However, at the height of their success, their marriage unexpectedly ended.

In 2017, Yixintang announced that Ruan Hongxian and Liu Qiong had finalized their divorce and divided their shares according to their pre-divorce ownership proportions.

After division, Ruan Hongxian held 175.68 million shares, accounting for 33.75%, while Liu Qiong held 95.648 million shares, accounting for 18.37%.

In a subsequent teleconference, Ruan Hongxian admitted that the main reason for the divorce was personality differences, and also mentioned that to avoid industry competition, both parties made this choice.

Regarding the company’s future and their post-divorce plans, he stated: “My wife has her own Shengai Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic. We have two daughters. Everything we do is for our daughters. If Liu Qiong plans to reduce her holdings, I have the right of first refusal to buy her shares, which can mitigate certain risks.”

Ruan Hongxian also said that even after divorce, they would continue to support each other’s careers.

After the divorce, Ruan Hongxian and Liu Qiong each focused on their respective business sectors. Ruan Hongxian continued to lead Yixintang, while Liu Qiong focused on her Shengai Traditional Chinese Medicine Group. She still holds 11.53% of Yixintang and serves as a director.

From this share transfer, it is clear that Ruan Hongxian’s statement about “for the daughters” is gradually becoming a reality. Under their careful cultivation, their daughters are stepping into the spotlight to take over the family business.

Their daughters, Ruan Shengxiang and Ruan Aixiang, are both born in the 1990s. The eldest, Ruan Shengxiang, is currently vice chairman of Shengai Traditional Chinese Medicine Group, continuing her mother’s traditional Chinese medicine career.

The younger daughter, Ruan Aixiang, was officially appointed as vice president of Yixintang in 2025, assisting her father in managing the chain pharmacy business.

Yixintang itself is now at a critical stage of development.

According to performance forecasts, in 2025, the company is expected to achieve net profit attributable to shareholders of 260 million to 330 million yuan, an increase of 127.79% to 189.12% compared to the previous year. As of December 31, 2025, the company will have 11,112 directly operated stores, a net decrease of 386 stores for the year.

For Yixintang at this moment, which is in a key period of performance recovery and store transformation, maintaining stable control and a clear succession plan are the most important.