Li Xiyan, as a supplier of reprocessed silicon materials but later focused on solar. In 2012, Longi raised over $200 million in an IPO on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. As of mid-October ...

founding LONGi with classmates and his wife Li Xiyan as a supplier of reprocessed silicon materials. The alums named the new business “LONGi” after the Lanzhou University president.

As of last October, Li and his wife Li Xiyan were worth about $3.7bn, ranking 179th of the richest people in China, according to the Hurun Research Institute, a group tracking wealth in the country.

As of October, Li and his wife Xiyan were worth about $5.7bn, ranking just outside the 100 richest people in China, according to the Hurun Research Institute, a group tracking wealth in China.