Dong Mingzhu sits in an exhibition hall at the Gree Group in Zhuhai on Oct 31, 2013. W

hen Dong Mingzhu started working for Gree in 1990, she was just a saleswoman, and Gree was only a local company. Over the past 24 years, Dong has risen from saleswoman to sales manager, eventually becoming sales director, general manager, and finally president and vice-chairwoman.

The company is now one of the largest household appliances producers in China, and the largest manufacturer of residential air conditioning units in the world. [Photo/Xinhua]