A businesswoman from central China who was raised in a family that prized sons over daughters has built her own e-commerce fashion empire.
Huang Xuanni, 44, grew up in a rural family in Binzhou, Hunan province, where she was the overlooked sixth daughter among seven children.
Her parents, who lavished attention on their only son, left Huang to eat alone on the doorstep and rarely remembered her name.
Mainland reports recount a heartbreaking moment in her childhood when her parents abandoned her on a mountain after she fell ill. A passing stranger rescued her and returned her home.
In her only childhood photograph, Huang’s grandmother lovingly holds her younger brother while Huang is relegated to the edge of the chair.