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Reform is undoubtedly a buzzword for China in 2013. This year， the nation’s new leadership brought changes， trends， and spiritual aspirations to Chinese society. The recently-concluded Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China blazed a new road toward deeper， healthier reform.
The past year， despite remaining the world’s second largest economy， China still encountered great challenges and difficulties in economic development. Calls to end government-led stimulus and let the market play the decisive role have become concrete policy and action. The helmsmen guiding the vessel of the Chinese economy are attracting global attention. Over the past 12 months， achievements have been made in defending China’s national interests， improving the people’s living standards， and seeking solutions to problems emerging over the course of social transformation. A number of social trailblazers and their accomplishments have laid a solid foundation for the revival of the nation.
In this issue， we look back at China in 2013 through the stories of 30 of the country’s most influential people.
Xi Jinping： Earth’s Third Most Influential Person
Highlights
As the CPC Central Committee announced decisions on several important issues to comprehensively deepen reform， a document outlining 60 specific reform measures from 16 different aspects was debated and approved at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November. The move was closely watched by experts and journalists both abroad and within China， where reform is considered the most pressing need.
Profile
Born in 1953 as the son of Xi Zhongxun， a Communist revolutionary hero， Xi Jinping volunteered to live in a small village in northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province as an “educated youth” at the age of 15. By serving as a provincial governor for many years， Xi not only accumulated deep affection for common people but also developed a down-to-earth working style. In March 2013， Xi Jinping， general secretary of the 18th CPC Central Committee， was elected president of China at the country’s 12th National People’s Congress.
Difference
Navigating the country’s development path and taking a crucial role in policy making， China’s new leadership is expected to significantly influence the nation as well as the world. Announcing an impressive “Decision” after a year in office， Xi Jinping， who was ranked the third most influential person in the world by Forbes magazine， is leading his team through further reform in a brave and strategic manner. Li Keqiang： Pioneer of “Likonomics”
Highlights
When China’s economic path was still engulfed with uncertainty in 2013， China’s newly-elected Premier， Li Keqiang， proposed that real economic growth in China should be achieved through reform， which in turn will point China’s economic path on the right track， since the time has come to end stimulus-heavy economic policy adopted in the wake of the international economic crisis in 2008. Considering the move’s significant influence on China’s economy， the U.K. magazine The Economics even coined the term “Li Keqiang index，” which measures China’s GDP growth under the guidelines of Li Keqiang’s economic philosophy.
Profile
Born in 1955， Li Keqiang received a Ph.D of economics under the supervision of China’s leading economist Professor Li Yining. After years of experience serving as the leader of Communist Youth League of China and provincial governors， Li Keqiang was elected to the Politburo Standing Committee（PSC） in October 2007 and remains a member today when the 18th PSC took office in November 2012. On March 15， 2013， Li Keqiang was elected Premier by the 12th National People’s Congress.
Difference
Taking the reins of China’s economy， which currently sits a crucial junction after three decades of rapid development， Li Keqiang is considered the pilot of the nation’s economic development in a transition period characterized by conflict and complexity after “Likenomics” has been in place for almost a year. It is widely believed that， based on Li’s philosophy， accelerated transformation and upgrade of the nation’s economic structure through enduring short-term pain will eventually steer China’s economy onto the right track.
Wang Yi： China’s Face of Foreign Affairs
Highlights
In March of 2013， Wang Yi was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs after he was approved by the Congress with an overwhelming 99.4 percent of votes.
Profile
Born into an ordinary family， Wang Yi was sent to northeastern China， where he served as an “educated youth” for eight years before he returned to Beijing and enrolled in the Japanese Department of Beijing International Studies University （BISU） at the age of 24. Upon graduation， Wang was hired by the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and began his career as a diplomat in 1982. Having served as China’s ambassador to Japan for two different terms， Wang is well-known and respected in Japan. Famed for his wisdom and strategy at the Six-party Talks in 2003， Wang Yi also played an important role during his tenure as director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of PRC. Difference
Under the new leadership， China’s diplomacy has become more proactive and progressive as today’s foreign affairs activities are considered confident， practical， and people-orientated. Wang Yi， heading China’s foreign affairs in such a crucial time， is believed to be the right man for the job.
Liu He： Architect of China’s Economy
Highlights ？
According to a Wall Street Journal report， when then-U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon flew to Beijing in May to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping， the Chinese leader introduced to him a tall， scholarly-looking aide by his side. “This is Liu He，” Xi told Donilon. “He is very important to me.”The report remarks that “Mr. Liu’s job is nothing less than to craft the economic vision that will guide China for the decade to come.”
Profile ？
A renowned economist， Liu He has long served as the brain of the Chinese government. In 1995， he acquired a master’s in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School. In 1998， he founded the Chinese Economists 50 Forum. He has worked with the Development Research Center of the State Council and the Office of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs， which is responsible for drafting and formulating macro-economic policies. In March 2013， he was appointed minister of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs and vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Difference ？
Liu He oversaw the drafting of the “383 Plan，”which the Development Research Center of the State Council submitted to the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， and inspired his nickname， the“architect of China’s new economic plan.”
Liu He led the drafting of a dozen national industrial policies， and participated in the formulation of the Five-year Plans 5 times. He has also drafted speeches on economic topics for three general secretaries of the CPC Central Committee.
Jack Ma： e-Commerce Czar
Highlights
On November 11， Taobao.com and Tmall， online shopping sites operated by China’s largest e-commerce company Alibaba Group， racked up 35 billion yuan
（US$5.7 billion） in only 24 hours， an increase of 83 percent over the previous year. The figure marked another e-commerce miracle for Alibaba， which was founded by Ma， and cemented “11.11” （Single’s Day） as one of China’s most significant shopping days. Profile
In 1995， Jack Ma founded China’s first online commercial information classifieds website， China Yellow Pages. In 1999， he founded Alibaba.com. As part of a bid to build a comprehensive e-commerce industrial chain， he founded Taobao.com， AliPay， Tmall， and AliCloud one after the other. In May 2013， he resigned as CEO of Alibaba Group.
Difference
As a pioneer of Chinese e-commerce， Jack Ma was the first entrepreneur from Chinese mainland to appear on the cover of Forbes magazine. He was also ever selected by the World Economic Forum as one of 100 Young Global Leaders.
Wang Jianlin： Unparalleled Wealth
Highlights
In October 2013， Wang Jianlin， chairman of Dalian Wanda Group， jumped atop the Forbes China Rich List with personal wealth of 86 billion yuan （US$14 billion） to become the wealthiest person on the Chinese mainland.
Profile
Wang entered the real estate market in 1989 and became chairman of Dalian Wanda Group in March 1993. Under his leadership， the company not only grew quickly within China， but also expanded into overseas markets. In 2012， Wanda acquired North America’s second largest movie theater chain， AMC Entertainment， for US$2.6 billion to become the largest cinema operator in the world.
Difference
As Dalian Wanda became one of China’s largest private enterprises， Wang himself became legendary. Due to his company’s rapid expansion， especially in commercial real estate， Wang has been called the “godfather of commercial real estate.”
Li Ka-shing： Business Legend
Highlights
Last August， Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa Limited， both controlled by Li Ka-shing and his family， announced the sell of some of their properties in Hong Kong， Shanghai， and Guangzhou， valued at HK$39 billion. At the same time， the Hong Kong tycoon invested massive sums in the purchase of assets in Europe. In the first half of 2013， his companies completed four overseas acquisitions valued at nearly HK$25 billion. U.K. media once lightheartedly predicted that Li would eventually “buy all of Britain.”
Profile
Li Ka-shing is the founder and chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings. He was born in Chaozhou， Guangdong Province， and fled to Hong Kong with his family during World War II. At the age of 22， he founded a plastic manufacturing company， and began to invest in real estate in 1958. In 1979， Li acquired his current flagship company， Hutchison Whampoa Limited， from HSBC， and became the first Chinese person to purchase a British company. After more than a half century of efforts， he has become a true business legend. Difference
According to Forbes magazine’s World’s Billionaires List， Li Ka-shing is the richest Chinese person with net wealth of US$31 billion. His smallest moves can inspire global concern and be interpreted as signals of shifts in China’s economy.
Jennifer Li： Powerful Woman
Highlights
On May 22， Jennifer Li， chief financial officer （CFO） of Chinese Internet search giant Baidu， jumped onto Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women for the first time.
Profile
Jennifer Li holds a B.A. from Tsinghua University and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. She became CFO of GM China in 2004. She has served as Baidu’s CFO since March 2008. During her tenure， Baidu has established a complete cost control system， conducted a series of investment and acquisition trades， and maintained stable growth.
Difference
Jennifer Li holds the purse strings of China’s biggest search engine. She has been listed among Financial Times’ Top 50 Women to Watch for two straight years. She is also one of Fortune China’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Business.
Ren Zhengfei： Soldier to Businessman
Highlights
On October 16， U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne met Ren Zhengfei， CEO and founder of Chinese telecommunication equipment giant Huawei， during Osborne’s visit to the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen. Although the U.S. market closed the door to Huawei under the pretext of “national security，” the Chinese company secured a substantial market share in the U.K. Huawei announced that it would invest US$200 million to set up a research center in Britain and another US$2 billion in research facilities and parts purchasing in the country within the next five years.
Profile
In 1974， Ren Zhengfei was recruited by the army as an infrastructure engineer. After retiring from military service in 1983， he joined Shenzhen South China Sea Petroleum Logistics Service Base. In 1987， he raised 21，000 yuan to found Huawei. He has served the company’s president since 1988. Under his leadership， Huawei has grown into the world’s second largest telecommunication equipment supplier.
Difference
Ren Zhengfei made Huawei a legend of China’s telecommunication market. For both of the past two years， he topped the Fortune magazine’s list of “Top 50 Most Influential Business Leaders in China.”
Huang Rulun： Mr. Philanthropy
Highlights ？
On April 10， Huang Rulun was ranked China’s most generous philanthropist on the Hurun Philanthropy List 2013 released in Shanghai by the Hurun Research Institute. His donations last year alone totaled more than 580 million yuan （US$95.2 million）.
Profile ？
In 1986， 35-year-old Huang Rulun settled in the Philippines， where he founded a construction company. In 1991， he returned to China and established Century Golden Resources Group， which is now one of China’s largest real estate developers. He remains chair of the company.
Difference ？
Despite ranking relatively far from the richest man in China， only 34th on Hurun Rich List 2013， with a fortune estimated at 22 billion yuan， Huang has donated some of the biggest sums to education and poverty aid. Also， many colleges and universities in Beijing and Fujian Province have received 10 million yuan grants from him. He has revealed that his great concern for education is a product of his frustrated youth.
Wang Shu： The Thinker’s Architect
Highlights
On April 18， Wang Shu was honored as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Profile
In 1988， Wang Shu graduated from Nanjing Institute of Technology （now Southeast University） in Nanjing， Jiangsu Province， with a master’s degree in architecture. Wang stunned the world with an essay criticizing the entirety of Chinese architectural circles. He now serves as the dean of the School of Architecture at the China Academy of Art. In 2012， he became the first Chinese citizen to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize， the global architecture’s top honor.
Difference
Famous for his frequent utilization of recycled materials， Wang has always spoken out against the waste of building materials. A man of contradiction， he has reached the top of his profession while remaining anchored in modest life. He has strived to blaze new trails in innovation and education while lobbying for a return to the traditional and natural. He is often considered an anomaly of subculture due to his widespread acceptance by the mainstream.
Ma Ke： First Lady of Design
Highlights
On March 22， Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Russia for his first foreign visit after inauguration， but his accompanying wife， China’s new First Lady Peng Liyuan， caught world’s attention with her wardrobe largely designed by Ma Ke. Profile
After graduating from the Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology in 1994， Ma Ke started her design career with a small garment company in Guangzhou， Guangdong Province. By 1995， she was ranked as one of China’s Top Ten Fashion Designers. A year later， Ma co-founded Exception de Mixmind and became its art director. In 2006， she launched a line of haute couture called Wuyong， meaning “useless” in Chinese， and became the first Chinese fashion designer to make a Grand Finale debut at Paris Fashion Week.
Difference
With focus on accelerating China’s garment industry and making the country one of the world’s major clothing producers， Ma Ke asserts that design should be driven by each practitioner’s everyday life. “Never follow blindly， stay out of others’ shadows， and use your lifetime to be exceptional at one thing.” Her Zhuhai-based Wuyong workshop is a public interest group with a mission to carry on and kindle innovation in traditional Chinese folk arts and crafts， inspire people to live a simple life and pursue growth and freedom of the soul.
Zeng Fanzhi： Painting New Heights
Highlights
On October 5， the most famous oil painting by Zeng Fanzhi， The Last Supper， sold for a record price of HK$160 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong 40th Anniversary Evening Sale. As the marquee piece of the evening， The Last Supper’s turn on the block marked the climax of the auction and brought an electric atmosphere. When the hammer finally fell， the applause was thunderous.
Profile
Born in Wuhan in 1964， Zeng graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in 1991. Soon thereafter， his work was appearing in solo exhibitions. Today， many of his works have been acquired by collectors from Switzerland， Germany， Hong Kong， and the Chinese mainland.
Difference
The Last Supper not only set a record price for contemporary Asian art， but also catapulted Zeng amongst China’s most expensive living painters. Considered his most representative work， The Last Supper captures the spirit of China’s dramatic changes during waves of commercialization in the 1990s.
Ang Lee： Cross-cultural Master
Highlights
On February 25， Ang Lee received his second Best Director Oscar for Life of Pi. Profile
Born in Taiwan in 1954， Lee graduated from National Taiwan University of Arts in 1975 and later Tisch School of the Arts of New York University， where he received an MFA in film production. In 1995， Lee directed the big screen adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel Sense and Sensibility， which became a sensation in international film circles. In 2006， he won his first Best Director Oscar for Brokeback Mountain.
Difference
Lee is the only person of Chinese heritage to win both the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and Best Director Oscar twice. He is a master of cross-cultural communication. His deep understanding of both Chinese and Western cultures continues driving his career.
Feng Xiaogang： New Direction
Highlights
In July， China Central Television （CCTV） announced that Feng Xiaogang， a renowned Chinese film director， was invited to helm the 2014 Spring Festival Gala. In television ratings terms， the Gala remains the Superbowl of China， despite recent difficulties satisfying the younger generation and their diverse entertainment options. Feng declared that fun is his top priority in arranging the programming.
Profile
A Beijing native film director and writer， Feng is particularly known for comedies in the Beijing dialect. Since the 1990s， his films such as Dream Factory， Be There or Be Square， The Banquet， and If You Are the One have performed well at the box office.
Difference
Contrasting many renowned directors， Feng’s work is aimed at the mainstream public， and he follows commercial numbers closely. His name has already raised expectations for the 2014 Spring Festival Gala.
Meng Jinghui： Tears of Joy
Highlights
From late July to early September， avant-garde stage director Meng Jinghui’s drama To Live toured the Chinese mainland. Adapted from the novel of the same name by writer Yu Hua， which is considered by many to be the most influential Chinese novel of the 20th century， Meng’s To Live has proven a powerful tearjerker. His direction and stark but imaginative staging fittingly complement the bleak story. In early 2014， the drama will be brought to life in mainstream German theaters.
Profile
Born in Beijing， Meng graduated from the Chinese Language Department of Beijing Normal University in 1986， and received a master’s degree from the Central Academy of Drama in 1991. Now， he is a director at the National Theatre of China. Difference
Meng is hands-down the most influential experimental theater director in Asia. The drama To Live is an intimate， personal story which not only illuminates the conditions in China at the time， but proves a profound exploration of the human condition regardless of locale， making it a benchmark for contemporary Chinese drama.
Guo Jingming： Controversial Times
Highlights
Soon after Tiny Times， a film directed by pop writer Guo Jingming and adapted from his own novel of the same name， was released last June， it earned 488 million yuan （US$80 million） at box office. However， money-worship values celebrated in the film aroused ferocious comments from critics. Verbal warfare between cinema heavyweights and Guo’s fans went on for more than a few rounds on the web.
Profile
A Sichuan native， Guo first achieved fame in high school due to a national writing competition and later dropped out of Shanghai University. A representative writer of China’s millennial generation， Guo has been a bestselling novelist for years and manages his own publishing house and cultural company.
Difference
Controversial Guo represents many of the young adults born in the wake of China’s introduction of reform and opening-up. China’s millennials are bolder and more ambitious than their parents. They tend to focus on the surest path to success rather than traditional value judgments.
Sun Li： Goddess of TV
Highlights
On October 8， Chinese actress Sun Li was nominated for a Best Actress International Emmy for her performance in the 76-episode The Legend of Imperial Concubine Zhen Huan.
Profile
Born in Shanghai in 1982， Sun joined an art troupe at the age of 15. She broke out in 2003 in the TV series Jade Goddess of Mercy. In 2012， due to the soaring popularity of The Legend of Imperial Concubine Zhen Huan throughout the global Chinese-speaking community， Sun became the most popular Chinese actress.
Difference
The Legend of Imperial Concubine Zhen Huan is considered the most successful and influential TV series in China in recent years. It not only scored impressive ratings across Asia， but also performed well on American TV. Sun’s exquisite performance as Zhen Huan catapulted her to the top tier of young Chinese actresses. Lang Ping： Volleyball Brass
Highlights
On April 25， China’s National Women’s Volleyball Team announced that they had contracted Lang Ping as their head coach.
Profile
In 1978， Lang Ping joined the National Women’s Volleyball Team as a player. In 1981， she helped win China’s first world championship at the Third Women Volleyball World Cup in Japan. In 1995， she first became the head coach of the national team， and won a silver at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as well as runner-up at the 13th Women’s Volleyball World Championships in Japan in 1998. She left China to coach abroad in March 1999.
Difference
Lang Ping first left China for a coaching position in the Italian professional volleyball， where she was honored as coach of the year several times. From there， she was hired to coach the American Women’s Volleyball Team， which defeated China in Beijing in 2008 and took the silver medal. Her global coaching experience and capabilities are unparalleled， and no one on the planet is more qualified to coach China’s national team. Volleyball fans throughout the country hope she will put China’s team over the top.
Li Na： World-class Athlete
Highlights
On April 29， Li Na graced the cover of Time magazine as one of its 100 Most Influential People in the World. After her secondplace finish at the 2013 WTA final in Istanbul， Turkey in October， she was ranked as one of the top three tennis players in the world.
Profile
Li Na began playing tennis at age six. After going professional in 1999， she became China’s first tennis player to reach the Olympic semifinals in Beijing in 2008. In 2011， she won women’s singles at the French Open， becoming the first Asian to win a singles grand slam.
Difference
After the 2008 Beijing Olympics， Li Na established her own private team， which proved a savvy move for Chinese sports development when she won the 2011 French Open.
Wang Qishan： Anti-Corruption Crusader
Highlights
As a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee （CPCCC）， Secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection， and head of CPCCC’s inspection leadership group， Wang Qishan launched a campaign against corruption this May during the inaugural round of inspections. By the end of September， nine of ten groups of inspectors had identified corruption cases. The second inspection tour began in late October. Profile
Born in 1948， Wang Qishan was one of a million “educated youth”to work in the countryside in decades past. After receiving a degree in history， he became an expert in China’s rural affairs and finance. During his tenure with the People’s Bank of China as well as his political career， he has navigated many major events， including the global financial crisis， the SARS pandemic， and the Beijing Olympic Games. He has faced and overcome one challenge after another. In 2008， he joined the Political Bureau and was elected a member of its Standing Committee at the 18th CPC National Congress.
Difference
In recent years， China has encountered serious problems with corruption. Soon after becoming head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection， Wang Qishan introduced new measures to combat corruption such as preemptive procedures， severer punishments， exhaustive investigations， enhanced mobility of non-government forces， and intensified secret inquiries by inspection groups. His strategies ultimately illuminated the magnitude of the corruption situation throughout the country. As a result， 2013 was dubbed “the dawn of China’s anticorruption era.”
Wang Yaping： Out of this World
Highlights
June 20 marked a milestone for China’s space program when Wang Yaping became China’s first “space teacher” by delivering a physics lecture to high school juniors while aboard Tiangong-1， the country’s space station， 300 kilometers from the earth.
Profile
Wang Yaping， China’s youngest astronaut， became the country’s second female astronaut after Liu Yang. A native of Shandong Province， Wang logged 1，600 flight hours as a military pilot， during which time she stood out for her delivery of relief supplies to victims of the Wenchuan earthquake as well for dispersing clouds and thwarting rain ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Difference
The Shenzhou-10 spacecraft， the fifth manned space craft in China since 2003， successfully completed China’s first applicability flight back-and-forth between space and earth， marking a brand-new stage for the space laboratory and a new era for Chinese manned space flight.
Wang Xuguang： Transparent Judge
Highlights
In August， Bo Xilai， former secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China， faced public trial at the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court in Shandong Province. Wang Xuguang， vice president of the court， presided over the trial and served as judge. His performance was widely acclaimed for being “unbiased and skillful” as well as for practically safeguarding the litigious rights of both sides. Profile
A native of Shandong， Wang Xuguang joined the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court after graduating from the Law Department of Shandong University in the 1980s. He later enrolled as a Ph.D student at Renmin University of China’s law school and spent time at University of Illinois as a visiting scholar. With an interest in the Internet， Wang has devoted much of his time to developing an online court.
Difference
The event marked China’s first live webcast （via Weibo microblogging） of a trial of a former senior Party official. Not only did it illuminate Wang’s performance， but also marked a breakthrough for China’s exploration of judicial reform and transparency.
Lei Jun： Smartphones for the People
Highlights
In October 15， 2013， the Mi Phone 3 and Mi TV devices were released. The price tag for a Mi Phone 3 tops out at 2，499 yuan （US$400）.
Profile
Born in 1969， Lei Jun became an angel investor before assuming the position of chairman of Jinshan Software in 2011. Now， he serves as chairman and CEO of Beijing Miui Science and Technology Co. Ltd. Lei and his company developed Mi smartphones to deliver high performance for a low price， which won them many fans.
Difference
Miui Science and Technology Co. Ltd. introduced limited availability as a marketing strategy， making it more difficult to acquire a Mi Phone. Due to its impressive performance at a low price， Mi phones have already attracted many diehard fans. The MIUI operating system， developed from Android by Miui， was designed specifically for the Chinese users， which proved especially popular with consumers.
Ma Huateng： Mobile Trailblazer
Highlights
Thanks to a usage explosion in 2013， WeChat （Weixin in Chinese）， a mobile app developed by Tencent Holdings， became the most popular networking app in China.
Profile
Born in 1971， Ma Huateng graduated from the Computer Department of Shenzhen University， founded Tencent in 1998， and still serves as its chairman and CEO. He believes that the mobile internet is not just an expansion， but an overthrow of the internet. He continuously warns himself to ‘live dangerously’ with inspiration from the phrase “when the giant fell， his body was still warm” in reference to Nokia.
Difference
The development of the Chinese internet has consistently followed the steps of the U.S. For example， Baidu mirrors Google， Facebook’s twin is Renren， Twitter has Weibo， and ICQ， QQ. The rise of WeChat foreshadows the mobile internet’s takeover of the internet and marked the first time a globally viable communication platform was developed in China.
2013： The Year of Online Finance
March 7
Alibaba Group announces the launch of its Ali Micro-Finance Service Group， offering financial services for small and micro businesses and consumption services within its system. Already ranked second behind only Ping An Insurance Group， one of China’s insurance giants， in terms of configuration and combination， the newly-established group provides a wide range of financial services including bill payment， loan application， insurance， and escrow.
June
Agricultural Bank of China opens an Internet Laboratory on Financial Technology Innovation to accelerate its exploration and development of innovation mechanisms in Internet financing and diversify its online business.
July
AliPay joins hands with Tian Hong Asset Management Co.， Ltd. to release a new service named “Balance of the Treasure.” It allows clients to complete everyday transactions with their cell phones： buy， sell， and check earnings at any time.
July 6
Sina Corp is granted a license to provide third-party payment for Internet and mobile services.
July 29
Jingdong Mall announces the founding of its Financial Clique which moves it into the realm of internet financing services.
August 29
Minsheng E-Commerce Co.， Ltd. （Minsheng E-Commerce） is founded in Shenzhen， with registered capital of four billion yuan. Unlike anyone else at the time， it provides professional financial services such as venture capital investment and asset management in addition to basic e-commerce services.
August
WeChat 5.0 rolls out for mobile devices， with the new payment features.
October
China Merchants Bank leads the launch of a P2P online loan platform.
October 28
Baidu Financing under Baidu Financial Center goes live online. The collaboration with ChinaAMC offers a fund called Baifa， which guarantees an annual return of eight percent， considerably higher than other monetary funds， such as Balance of the Treasure and Current Treasure.
November
November 6， Shanghai welcomes the launch of Zhong An Online Property and Casualty Insurance Company Ltd.， a joint venture between Ping An Insurance Group， Alibaba Corporation， and Tencent Holdings. It is the first online insurance company in China.
Xie Dikui： Creative Reality
Highlights According to New Media Center of Xinhua News Agency， Where Are We Going， Dad？， a reality show about the relationship between father and child， won 89 percent approval from viewers and became the most popular entertainment program of the year， topping The Voice of China and If You Are the One.
Profile
Before developing Where Are We Going， Dad？ for Hunan TV， Xie Dikui produced many programs related to adolescent growth and parental relationships and accumulated plentiful experience shooting in public.
Difference
The formula for Where Are We Going， Dad？ came from South Korea. Although the Chinese version is very similar to the Korean original， the new show eclipsed its forefather in many aspects. Today， most of the popular shows on Chinese TV are purchased from overseas concepts. Making the shows suitable for Chinese viewers is always the challenge for Chinese producers.
Wu Jiaxiang： Free Thinking
Highlights
Wu Jiaxiang had his book Fairness published after three years of research. “If I finished the book in the morning， I wouldn’t regret dying in the evening，” he said. Xinhua’s book channel recommend his book as a must-read political and historical work. “To read this book is to understand China’s 4，000-year political history，” some commented.
Profile
Born in a fishing village in 1955， Wu Jiaxiang graduated from Peking University in 1982 and became an official in the Chinese government. After he left office， he became a private businessman， independent researcher and writer. Wu studied at Harvard University for three years as a visiting scholar. He continues to conduct research on economic strategy， politics and business as well as traditional Chinese thinking on strategy.
Difference
Freedom of speech evidences the development of a nation. China needs more Wu Jiaxiangs： public intellectuals， thinking loudspeakers and wisdom torchbearers.
Zhu Qingshi： Educator-in-Chief
Highlights
In July， South University of Science and Technology of China （SUSTC） in Shenzhen， Guangdong Province， enrolled 400 students in its third year.
Profile
Born in 1946， Zhu Qingshi is a chemist， an academician， and an educator committed himself to educational reform. During his tenure as president of the University of Science and Technology of China from 1998 to 2008， Zhu vetoed enrollment and campus expansion， earning his reputation as a leading reformer. After resigning from the position in September 2009， he was appointed the first president of SUSTC and immediately launched a series of reform measures in realms of administration， recruitment and graduation requirements， which aroused debate about China’s current educational system and administration. Difference
Considered an idealist， Zhu Qingshi’s ultimate goal is to create one of the top-rated universities in the world within China. He has held fast to this dream even when faced with massive obstacles while running SUSTC. He has been likened to a modern Cai Yuanpei （1868-1940）， a revolutionist and educator who implemented reform at Peking University by introducing cuttingedge styles of academia and educational freedom.
Du Shaozhong： Environmental Wolf
Highlights
As one of the seven trial platforms， the Beijing carbon trade platform was launched at the China Beijing Environment Exchange on November 28， 2013.
Profile
Born in 1953 in Beijing， Du Shaozhong became vice director and spokesman of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. When he registered a Weibo （Chinese Twitter） account with the name of “Wolf King of Basum” in 2011， he attracted over four million followers in a matter of days. Du was dubbed “a truly natural manager” and his Weibo was listed among the top ten official accounts by both People’s Daily Online and Sina. com. In early 2012， Du resigned from his position to assume the chair of the China Beijing Environmental Exchange.
Difference
Beijing was shrouded in a haze for 26 days in January 2013， while most parts of the country were also engulfed in pollution. Improving the environment has become an urgent task for China because pollution is not only hindering its development but threatening public health. Building an ecofriendly China is a dream of every citizen.
Xu Jiayin： Investing in Football
Highlights
On November 9， 2013， the Guangzhou Evergrande Football Club won the AFC Champions League. The victory marked the first time a Chinese team took the title.
Profile
Born into humble circumstances， Xu worked as a technician， workshop foreman and plant manager before founding Guangzhou Evergrande Real Estate in 1996. The company grew into a large corporate group dealing in real estate， hotels， commerce， sports and culture. Xu believes his large investment in football over the last few years will greatly enhance his business in more ways than just advertising.
Difference
After failing to qualify for the World Cup many times， Chinese football （soccer） has been a sore spot for Chinese sports fans. Midway through this year， the national men’s team lost to Thailand one to five. Chinese football has become synonymous with national humiliation. Nicknamed “China’s Royal Madrid，” the Guangzhou Evergrande club， financed with a fortune from Xu Jiayin， finally gave Chinese football fans a reason to smile.
The past year， despite remaining the world’s second largest economy， China still encountered great challenges and difficulties in economic development. Calls to end government-led stimulus and let the market play the decisive role have become concrete policy and action. The helmsmen guiding the vessel of the Chinese economy are attracting global attention. Over the past 12 months， achievements have been made in defending China’s national interests， improving the people’s living standards， and seeking solutions to problems emerging over the course of social transformation. A number of social trailblazers and their accomplishments have laid a solid foundation for the revival of the nation.
In this issue， we look back at China in 2013 through the stories of 30 of the country’s most influential people.
Xi Jinping： Earth’s Third Most Influential Person
Highlights
As the CPC Central Committee announced decisions on several important issues to comprehensively deepen reform， a document outlining 60 specific reform measures from 16 different aspects was debated and approved at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November. The move was closely watched by experts and journalists both abroad and within China， where reform is considered the most pressing need.
Profile
Born in 1953 as the son of Xi Zhongxun， a Communist revolutionary hero， Xi Jinping volunteered to live in a small village in northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province as an “educated youth” at the age of 15. By serving as a provincial governor for many years， Xi not only accumulated deep affection for common people but also developed a down-to-earth working style. In March 2013， Xi Jinping， general secretary of the 18th CPC Central Committee， was elected president of China at the country’s 12th National People’s Congress.
Difference
Navigating the country’s development path and taking a crucial role in policy making， China’s new leadership is expected to significantly influence the nation as well as the world. Announcing an impressive “Decision” after a year in office， Xi Jinping， who was ranked the third most influential person in the world by Forbes magazine， is leading his team through further reform in a brave and strategic manner. Li Keqiang： Pioneer of “Likonomics”
Highlights
When China’s economic path was still engulfed with uncertainty in 2013， China’s newly-elected Premier， Li Keqiang， proposed that real economic growth in China should be achieved through reform， which in turn will point China’s economic path on the right track， since the time has come to end stimulus-heavy economic policy adopted in the wake of the international economic crisis in 2008. Considering the move’s significant influence on China’s economy， the U.K. magazine The Economics even coined the term “Li Keqiang index，” which measures China’s GDP growth under the guidelines of Li Keqiang’s economic philosophy.
Profile
Born in 1955， Li Keqiang received a Ph.D of economics under the supervision of China’s leading economist Professor Li Yining. After years of experience serving as the leader of Communist Youth League of China and provincial governors， Li Keqiang was elected to the Politburo Standing Committee（PSC） in October 2007 and remains a member today when the 18th PSC took office in November 2012. On March 15， 2013， Li Keqiang was elected Premier by the 12th National People’s Congress.
Difference
Taking the reins of China’s economy， which currently sits a crucial junction after three decades of rapid development， Li Keqiang is considered the pilot of the nation’s economic development in a transition period characterized by conflict and complexity after “Likenomics” has been in place for almost a year. It is widely believed that， based on Li’s philosophy， accelerated transformation and upgrade of the nation’s economic structure through enduring short-term pain will eventually steer China’s economy onto the right track.
Wang Yi： China’s Face of Foreign Affairs
Highlights
In March of 2013， Wang Yi was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs after he was approved by the Congress with an overwhelming 99.4 percent of votes.
Profile
Born into an ordinary family， Wang Yi was sent to northeastern China， where he served as an “educated youth” for eight years before he returned to Beijing and enrolled in the Japanese Department of Beijing International Studies University （BISU） at the age of 24. Upon graduation， Wang was hired by the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and began his career as a diplomat in 1982. Having served as China’s ambassador to Japan for two different terms， Wang is well-known and respected in Japan. Famed for his wisdom and strategy at the Six-party Talks in 2003， Wang Yi also played an important role during his tenure as director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of PRC. Difference
Under the new leadership， China’s diplomacy has become more proactive and progressive as today’s foreign affairs activities are considered confident， practical， and people-orientated. Wang Yi， heading China’s foreign affairs in such a crucial time， is believed to be the right man for the job.
Liu He： Architect of China’s Economy
Highlights ？
According to a Wall Street Journal report， when then-U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon flew to Beijing in May to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping， the Chinese leader introduced to him a tall， scholarly-looking aide by his side. “This is Liu He，” Xi told Donilon. “He is very important to me.”The report remarks that “Mr. Liu’s job is nothing less than to craft the economic vision that will guide China for the decade to come.”
Profile ？
A renowned economist， Liu He has long served as the brain of the Chinese government. In 1995， he acquired a master’s in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School. In 1998， he founded the Chinese Economists 50 Forum. He has worked with the Development Research Center of the State Council and the Office of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs， which is responsible for drafting and formulating macro-economic policies. In March 2013， he was appointed minister of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs and vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Difference ？
Liu He oversaw the drafting of the “383 Plan，”which the Development Research Center of the State Council submitted to the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， and inspired his nickname， the“architect of China’s new economic plan.”
Liu He led the drafting of a dozen national industrial policies， and participated in the formulation of the Five-year Plans 5 times. He has also drafted speeches on economic topics for three general secretaries of the CPC Central Committee.
Jack Ma： e-Commerce Czar
Highlights
On November 11， Taobao.com and Tmall， online shopping sites operated by China’s largest e-commerce company Alibaba Group， racked up 35 billion yuan
（US$5.7 billion） in only 24 hours， an increase of 83 percent over the previous year. The figure marked another e-commerce miracle for Alibaba， which was founded by Ma， and cemented “11.11” （Single’s Day） as one of China’s most significant shopping days. Profile
In 1995， Jack Ma founded China’s first online commercial information classifieds website， China Yellow Pages. In 1999， he founded Alibaba.com. As part of a bid to build a comprehensive e-commerce industrial chain， he founded Taobao.com， AliPay， Tmall， and AliCloud one after the other. In May 2013， he resigned as CEO of Alibaba Group.
Difference
As a pioneer of Chinese e-commerce， Jack Ma was the first entrepreneur from Chinese mainland to appear on the cover of Forbes magazine. He was also ever selected by the World Economic Forum as one of 100 Young Global Leaders.
Wang Jianlin： Unparalleled Wealth
Highlights
In October 2013， Wang Jianlin， chairman of Dalian Wanda Group， jumped atop the Forbes China Rich List with personal wealth of 86 billion yuan （US$14 billion） to become the wealthiest person on the Chinese mainland.
Profile
Wang entered the real estate market in 1989 and became chairman of Dalian Wanda Group in March 1993. Under his leadership， the company not only grew quickly within China， but also expanded into overseas markets. In 2012， Wanda acquired North America’s second largest movie theater chain， AMC Entertainment， for US$2.6 billion to become the largest cinema operator in the world.
Difference
As Dalian Wanda became one of China’s largest private enterprises， Wang himself became legendary. Due to his company’s rapid expansion， especially in commercial real estate， Wang has been called the “godfather of commercial real estate.”
Li Ka-shing： Business Legend
Highlights
Last August， Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa Limited， both controlled by Li Ka-shing and his family， announced the sell of some of their properties in Hong Kong， Shanghai， and Guangzhou， valued at HK$39 billion. At the same time， the Hong Kong tycoon invested massive sums in the purchase of assets in Europe. In the first half of 2013， his companies completed four overseas acquisitions valued at nearly HK$25 billion. U.K. media once lightheartedly predicted that Li would eventually “buy all of Britain.”
Profile
Li Ka-shing is the founder and chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings. He was born in Chaozhou， Guangdong Province， and fled to Hong Kong with his family during World War II. At the age of 22， he founded a plastic manufacturing company， and began to invest in real estate in 1958. In 1979， Li acquired his current flagship company， Hutchison Whampoa Limited， from HSBC， and became the first Chinese person to purchase a British company. After more than a half century of efforts， he has become a true business legend. Difference
According to Forbes magazine’s World’s Billionaires List， Li Ka-shing is the richest Chinese person with net wealth of US$31 billion. His smallest moves can inspire global concern and be interpreted as signals of shifts in China’s economy.
Jennifer Li： Powerful Woman
Highlights
On May 22， Jennifer Li， chief financial officer （CFO） of Chinese Internet search giant Baidu， jumped onto Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women for the first time.
Profile
Jennifer Li holds a B.A. from Tsinghua University and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. She became CFO of GM China in 2004. She has served as Baidu’s CFO since March 2008. During her tenure， Baidu has established a complete cost control system， conducted a series of investment and acquisition trades， and maintained stable growth.
Difference
Jennifer Li holds the purse strings of China’s biggest search engine. She has been listed among Financial Times’ Top 50 Women to Watch for two straight years. She is also one of Fortune China’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Business.
Ren Zhengfei： Soldier to Businessman
Highlights
On October 16， U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne met Ren Zhengfei， CEO and founder of Chinese telecommunication equipment giant Huawei， during Osborne’s visit to the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen. Although the U.S. market closed the door to Huawei under the pretext of “national security，” the Chinese company secured a substantial market share in the U.K. Huawei announced that it would invest US$200 million to set up a research center in Britain and another US$2 billion in research facilities and parts purchasing in the country within the next five years.
Profile
In 1974， Ren Zhengfei was recruited by the army as an infrastructure engineer. After retiring from military service in 1983， he joined Shenzhen South China Sea Petroleum Logistics Service Base. In 1987， he raised 21，000 yuan to found Huawei. He has served the company’s president since 1988. Under his leadership， Huawei has grown into the world’s second largest telecommunication equipment supplier.
Difference
Ren Zhengfei made Huawei a legend of China’s telecommunication market. For both of the past two years， he topped the Fortune magazine’s list of “Top 50 Most Influential Business Leaders in China.”
Huang Rulun： Mr. Philanthropy
Highlights ？
On April 10， Huang Rulun was ranked China’s most generous philanthropist on the Hurun Philanthropy List 2013 released in Shanghai by the Hurun Research Institute. His donations last year alone totaled more than 580 million yuan （US$95.2 million）.
Profile ？
In 1986， 35-year-old Huang Rulun settled in the Philippines， where he founded a construction company. In 1991， he returned to China and established Century Golden Resources Group， which is now one of China’s largest real estate developers. He remains chair of the company.
Difference ？
Despite ranking relatively far from the richest man in China， only 34th on Hurun Rich List 2013， with a fortune estimated at 22 billion yuan， Huang has donated some of the biggest sums to education and poverty aid. Also， many colleges and universities in Beijing and Fujian Province have received 10 million yuan grants from him. He has revealed that his great concern for education is a product of his frustrated youth.
Wang Shu： The Thinker’s Architect
Highlights
On April 18， Wang Shu was honored as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Profile
In 1988， Wang Shu graduated from Nanjing Institute of Technology （now Southeast University） in Nanjing， Jiangsu Province， with a master’s degree in architecture. Wang stunned the world with an essay criticizing the entirety of Chinese architectural circles. He now serves as the dean of the School of Architecture at the China Academy of Art. In 2012， he became the first Chinese citizen to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize， the global architecture’s top honor.
Difference
Famous for his frequent utilization of recycled materials， Wang has always spoken out against the waste of building materials. A man of contradiction， he has reached the top of his profession while remaining anchored in modest life. He has strived to blaze new trails in innovation and education while lobbying for a return to the traditional and natural. He is often considered an anomaly of subculture due to his widespread acceptance by the mainstream.
Ma Ke： First Lady of Design
Highlights
On March 22， Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Russia for his first foreign visit after inauguration， but his accompanying wife， China’s new First Lady Peng Liyuan， caught world’s attention with her wardrobe largely designed by Ma Ke. Profile
After graduating from the Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology in 1994， Ma Ke started her design career with a small garment company in Guangzhou， Guangdong Province. By 1995， she was ranked as one of China’s Top Ten Fashion Designers. A year later， Ma co-founded Exception de Mixmind and became its art director. In 2006， she launched a line of haute couture called Wuyong， meaning “useless” in Chinese， and became the first Chinese fashion designer to make a Grand Finale debut at Paris Fashion Week.
Difference
With focus on accelerating China’s garment industry and making the country one of the world’s major clothing producers， Ma Ke asserts that design should be driven by each practitioner’s everyday life. “Never follow blindly， stay out of others’ shadows， and use your lifetime to be exceptional at one thing.” Her Zhuhai-based Wuyong workshop is a public interest group with a mission to carry on and kindle innovation in traditional Chinese folk arts and crafts， inspire people to live a simple life and pursue growth and freedom of the soul.
Zeng Fanzhi： Painting New Heights
Highlights
On October 5， the most famous oil painting by Zeng Fanzhi， The Last Supper， sold for a record price of HK$160 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong 40th Anniversary Evening Sale. As the marquee piece of the evening， The Last Supper’s turn on the block marked the climax of the auction and brought an electric atmosphere. When the hammer finally fell， the applause was thunderous.
Profile
Born in Wuhan in 1964， Zeng graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in 1991. Soon thereafter， his work was appearing in solo exhibitions. Today， many of his works have been acquired by collectors from Switzerland， Germany， Hong Kong， and the Chinese mainland.
Difference
The Last Supper not only set a record price for contemporary Asian art， but also catapulted Zeng amongst China’s most expensive living painters. Considered his most representative work， The Last Supper captures the spirit of China’s dramatic changes during waves of commercialization in the 1990s.
Ang Lee： Cross-cultural Master
Highlights
On February 25， Ang Lee received his second Best Director Oscar for Life of Pi. Profile
Born in Taiwan in 1954， Lee graduated from National Taiwan University of Arts in 1975 and later Tisch School of the Arts of New York University， where he received an MFA in film production. In 1995， Lee directed the big screen adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel Sense and Sensibility， which became a sensation in international film circles. In 2006， he won his first Best Director Oscar for Brokeback Mountain.
Difference
Lee is the only person of Chinese heritage to win both the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and Best Director Oscar twice. He is a master of cross-cultural communication. His deep understanding of both Chinese and Western cultures continues driving his career.
Feng Xiaogang： New Direction
Highlights
In July， China Central Television （CCTV） announced that Feng Xiaogang， a renowned Chinese film director， was invited to helm the 2014 Spring Festival Gala. In television ratings terms， the Gala remains the Superbowl of China， despite recent difficulties satisfying the younger generation and their diverse entertainment options. Feng declared that fun is his top priority in arranging the programming.
Profile
A Beijing native film director and writer， Feng is particularly known for comedies in the Beijing dialect. Since the 1990s， his films such as Dream Factory， Be There or Be Square， The Banquet， and If You Are the One have performed well at the box office.
Difference
Contrasting many renowned directors， Feng’s work is aimed at the mainstream public， and he follows commercial numbers closely. His name has already raised expectations for the 2014 Spring Festival Gala.
Meng Jinghui： Tears of Joy
Highlights
From late July to early September， avant-garde stage director Meng Jinghui’s drama To Live toured the Chinese mainland. Adapted from the novel of the same name by writer Yu Hua， which is considered by many to be the most influential Chinese novel of the 20th century， Meng’s To Live has proven a powerful tearjerker. His direction and stark but imaginative staging fittingly complement the bleak story. In early 2014， the drama will be brought to life in mainstream German theaters.
Profile
Born in Beijing， Meng graduated from the Chinese Language Department of Beijing Normal University in 1986， and received a master’s degree from the Central Academy of Drama in 1991. Now， he is a director at the National Theatre of China. Difference
Meng is hands-down the most influential experimental theater director in Asia. The drama To Live is an intimate， personal story which not only illuminates the conditions in China at the time， but proves a profound exploration of the human condition regardless of locale， making it a benchmark for contemporary Chinese drama.
Guo Jingming： Controversial Times
Highlights
Soon after Tiny Times， a film directed by pop writer Guo Jingming and adapted from his own novel of the same name， was released last June， it earned 488 million yuan （US$80 million） at box office. However， money-worship values celebrated in the film aroused ferocious comments from critics. Verbal warfare between cinema heavyweights and Guo’s fans went on for more than a few rounds on the web.
Profile
A Sichuan native， Guo first achieved fame in high school due to a national writing competition and later dropped out of Shanghai University. A representative writer of China’s millennial generation， Guo has been a bestselling novelist for years and manages his own publishing house and cultural company.
Difference
Controversial Guo represents many of the young adults born in the wake of China’s introduction of reform and opening-up. China’s millennials are bolder and more ambitious than their parents. They tend to focus on the surest path to success rather than traditional value judgments.
Sun Li： Goddess of TV
Highlights
On October 8， Chinese actress Sun Li was nominated for a Best Actress International Emmy for her performance in the 76-episode The Legend of Imperial Concubine Zhen Huan.
Profile
Born in Shanghai in 1982， Sun joined an art troupe at the age of 15. She broke out in 2003 in the TV series Jade Goddess of Mercy. In 2012， due to the soaring popularity of The Legend of Imperial Concubine Zhen Huan throughout the global Chinese-speaking community， Sun became the most popular Chinese actress.
Difference
The Legend of Imperial Concubine Zhen Huan is considered the most successful and influential TV series in China in recent years. It not only scored impressive ratings across Asia， but also performed well on American TV. Sun’s exquisite performance as Zhen Huan catapulted her to the top tier of young Chinese actresses. Lang Ping： Volleyball Brass
Highlights
On April 25， China’s National Women’s Volleyball Team announced that they had contracted Lang Ping as their head coach.
Profile
In 1978， Lang Ping joined the National Women’s Volleyball Team as a player. In 1981， she helped win China’s first world championship at the Third Women Volleyball World Cup in Japan. In 1995， she first became the head coach of the national team， and won a silver at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as well as runner-up at the 13th Women’s Volleyball World Championships in Japan in 1998. She left China to coach abroad in March 1999.
Difference
Lang Ping first left China for a coaching position in the Italian professional volleyball， where she was honored as coach of the year several times. From there， she was hired to coach the American Women’s Volleyball Team， which defeated China in Beijing in 2008 and took the silver medal. Her global coaching experience and capabilities are unparalleled， and no one on the planet is more qualified to coach China’s national team. Volleyball fans throughout the country hope she will put China’s team over the top.
Li Na： World-class Athlete
Highlights
On April 29， Li Na graced the cover of Time magazine as one of its 100 Most Influential People in the World. After her secondplace finish at the 2013 WTA final in Istanbul， Turkey in October， she was ranked as one of the top three tennis players in the world.
Profile
Li Na began playing tennis at age six. After going professional in 1999， she became China’s first tennis player to reach the Olympic semifinals in Beijing in 2008. In 2011， she won women’s singles at the French Open， becoming the first Asian to win a singles grand slam.
Difference
After the 2008 Beijing Olympics， Li Na established her own private team， which proved a savvy move for Chinese sports development when she won the 2011 French Open.
Wang Qishan： Anti-Corruption Crusader
Highlights
As a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee （CPCCC）， Secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection， and head of CPCCC’s inspection leadership group， Wang Qishan launched a campaign against corruption this May during the inaugural round of inspections. By the end of September， nine of ten groups of inspectors had identified corruption cases. The second inspection tour began in late October. Profile
Born in 1948， Wang Qishan was one of a million “educated youth”to work in the countryside in decades past. After receiving a degree in history， he became an expert in China’s rural affairs and finance. During his tenure with the People’s Bank of China as well as his political career， he has navigated many major events， including the global financial crisis， the SARS pandemic， and the Beijing Olympic Games. He has faced and overcome one challenge after another. In 2008， he joined the Political Bureau and was elected a member of its Standing Committee at the 18th CPC National Congress.
Difference
In recent years， China has encountered serious problems with corruption. Soon after becoming head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection， Wang Qishan introduced new measures to combat corruption such as preemptive procedures， severer punishments， exhaustive investigations， enhanced mobility of non-government forces， and intensified secret inquiries by inspection groups. His strategies ultimately illuminated the magnitude of the corruption situation throughout the country. As a result， 2013 was dubbed “the dawn of China’s anticorruption era.”
Wang Yaping： Out of this World
Highlights
June 20 marked a milestone for China’s space program when Wang Yaping became China’s first “space teacher” by delivering a physics lecture to high school juniors while aboard Tiangong-1， the country’s space station， 300 kilometers from the earth.
Profile
Wang Yaping， China’s youngest astronaut， became the country’s second female astronaut after Liu Yang. A native of Shandong Province， Wang logged 1，600 flight hours as a military pilot， during which time she stood out for her delivery of relief supplies to victims of the Wenchuan earthquake as well for dispersing clouds and thwarting rain ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Difference
The Shenzhou-10 spacecraft， the fifth manned space craft in China since 2003， successfully completed China’s first applicability flight back-and-forth between space and earth， marking a brand-new stage for the space laboratory and a new era for Chinese manned space flight.
Wang Xuguang： Transparent Judge
Highlights
In August， Bo Xilai， former secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China， faced public trial at the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court in Shandong Province. Wang Xuguang， vice president of the court， presided over the trial and served as judge. His performance was widely acclaimed for being “unbiased and skillful” as well as for practically safeguarding the litigious rights of both sides. Profile
A native of Shandong， Wang Xuguang joined the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court after graduating from the Law Department of Shandong University in the 1980s. He later enrolled as a Ph.D student at Renmin University of China’s law school and spent time at University of Illinois as a visiting scholar. With an interest in the Internet， Wang has devoted much of his time to developing an online court.
Difference
The event marked China’s first live webcast （via Weibo microblogging） of a trial of a former senior Party official. Not only did it illuminate Wang’s performance， but also marked a breakthrough for China’s exploration of judicial reform and transparency.
Lei Jun： Smartphones for the People
Highlights
In October 15， 2013， the Mi Phone 3 and Mi TV devices were released. The price tag for a Mi Phone 3 tops out at 2，499 yuan （US$400）.
Profile
Born in 1969， Lei Jun became an angel investor before assuming the position of chairman of Jinshan Software in 2011. Now， he serves as chairman and CEO of Beijing Miui Science and Technology Co. Ltd. Lei and his company developed Mi smartphones to deliver high performance for a low price， which won them many fans.
Difference
Miui Science and Technology Co. Ltd. introduced limited availability as a marketing strategy， making it more difficult to acquire a Mi Phone. Due to its impressive performance at a low price， Mi phones have already attracted many diehard fans. The MIUI operating system， developed from Android by Miui， was designed specifically for the Chinese users， which proved especially popular with consumers.
Ma Huateng： Mobile Trailblazer
Highlights
Thanks to a usage explosion in 2013， WeChat （Weixin in Chinese）， a mobile app developed by Tencent Holdings， became the most popular networking app in China.
Profile
Born in 1971， Ma Huateng graduated from the Computer Department of Shenzhen University， founded Tencent in 1998， and still serves as its chairman and CEO. He believes that the mobile internet is not just an expansion， but an overthrow of the internet. He continuously warns himself to ‘live dangerously’ with inspiration from the phrase “when the giant fell， his body was still warm” in reference to Nokia.
Difference
The development of the Chinese internet has consistently followed the steps of the U.S. For example， Baidu mirrors Google， Facebook’s twin is Renren， Twitter has Weibo， and ICQ， QQ. The rise of WeChat foreshadows the mobile internet’s takeover of the internet and marked the first time a globally viable communication platform was developed in China.
2013： The Year of Online Finance
March 7
Alibaba Group announces the launch of its Ali Micro-Finance Service Group， offering financial services for small and micro businesses and consumption services within its system. Already ranked second behind only Ping An Insurance Group， one of China’s insurance giants， in terms of configuration and combination， the newly-established group provides a wide range of financial services including bill payment， loan application， insurance， and escrow.
June
Agricultural Bank of China opens an Internet Laboratory on Financial Technology Innovation to accelerate its exploration and development of innovation mechanisms in Internet financing and diversify its online business.
July
AliPay joins hands with Tian Hong Asset Management Co.， Ltd. to release a new service named “Balance of the Treasure.” It allows clients to complete everyday transactions with their cell phones： buy， sell， and check earnings at any time.
July 6
Sina Corp is granted a license to provide third-party payment for Internet and mobile services.
July 29
Jingdong Mall announces the founding of its Financial Clique which moves it into the realm of internet financing services.
August 29
Minsheng E-Commerce Co.， Ltd. （Minsheng E-Commerce） is founded in Shenzhen， with registered capital of four billion yuan. Unlike anyone else at the time， it provides professional financial services such as venture capital investment and asset management in addition to basic e-commerce services.
August
WeChat 5.0 rolls out for mobile devices， with the new payment features.
October
China Merchants Bank leads the launch of a P2P online loan platform.
October 28
Baidu Financing under Baidu Financial Center goes live online. The collaboration with ChinaAMC offers a fund called Baifa， which guarantees an annual return of eight percent， considerably higher than other monetary funds， such as Balance of the Treasure and Current Treasure.
November
November 6， Shanghai welcomes the launch of Zhong An Online Property and Casualty Insurance Company Ltd.， a joint venture between Ping An Insurance Group， Alibaba Corporation， and Tencent Holdings. It is the first online insurance company in China.
Xie Dikui： Creative Reality
Highlights According to New Media Center of Xinhua News Agency， Where Are We Going， Dad？， a reality show about the relationship between father and child， won 89 percent approval from viewers and became the most popular entertainment program of the year， topping The Voice of China and If You Are the One.
Profile
Before developing Where Are We Going， Dad？ for Hunan TV， Xie Dikui produced many programs related to adolescent growth and parental relationships and accumulated plentiful experience shooting in public.
Difference
The formula for Where Are We Going， Dad？ came from South Korea. Although the Chinese version is very similar to the Korean original， the new show eclipsed its forefather in many aspects. Today， most of the popular shows on Chinese TV are purchased from overseas concepts. Making the shows suitable for Chinese viewers is always the challenge for Chinese producers.
Wu Jiaxiang： Free Thinking
Highlights
Wu Jiaxiang had his book Fairness published after three years of research. “If I finished the book in the morning， I wouldn’t regret dying in the evening，” he said. Xinhua’s book channel recommend his book as a must-read political and historical work. “To read this book is to understand China’s 4，000-year political history，” some commented.
Profile
Born in a fishing village in 1955， Wu Jiaxiang graduated from Peking University in 1982 and became an official in the Chinese government. After he left office， he became a private businessman， independent researcher and writer. Wu studied at Harvard University for three years as a visiting scholar. He continues to conduct research on economic strategy， politics and business as well as traditional Chinese thinking on strategy.
Difference
Freedom of speech evidences the development of a nation. China needs more Wu Jiaxiangs： public intellectuals， thinking loudspeakers and wisdom torchbearers.
Zhu Qingshi： Educator-in-Chief
Highlights
In July， South University of Science and Technology of China （SUSTC） in Shenzhen， Guangdong Province， enrolled 400 students in its third year.
Profile
Born in 1946， Zhu Qingshi is a chemist， an academician， and an educator committed himself to educational reform. During his tenure as president of the University of Science and Technology of China from 1998 to 2008， Zhu vetoed enrollment and campus expansion， earning his reputation as a leading reformer. After resigning from the position in September 2009， he was appointed the first president of SUSTC and immediately launched a series of reform measures in realms of administration， recruitment and graduation requirements， which aroused debate about China’s current educational system and administration. Difference
Considered an idealist， Zhu Qingshi’s ultimate goal is to create one of the top-rated universities in the world within China. He has held fast to this dream even when faced with massive obstacles while running SUSTC. He has been likened to a modern Cai Yuanpei （1868-1940）， a revolutionist and educator who implemented reform at Peking University by introducing cuttingedge styles of academia and educational freedom.
Du Shaozhong： Environmental Wolf
Highlights
As one of the seven trial platforms， the Beijing carbon trade platform was launched at the China Beijing Environment Exchange on November 28， 2013.
Profile
Born in 1953 in Beijing， Du Shaozhong became vice director and spokesman of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. When he registered a Weibo （Chinese Twitter） account with the name of “Wolf King of Basum” in 2011， he attracted over four million followers in a matter of days. Du was dubbed “a truly natural manager” and his Weibo was listed among the top ten official accounts by both People’s Daily Online and Sina. com. In early 2012， Du resigned from his position to assume the chair of the China Beijing Environmental Exchange.
Difference
Beijing was shrouded in a haze for 26 days in January 2013， while most parts of the country were also engulfed in pollution. Improving the environment has become an urgent task for China because pollution is not only hindering its development but threatening public health. Building an ecofriendly China is a dream of every citizen.
Xu Jiayin： Investing in Football
Highlights
On November 9， 2013， the Guangzhou Evergrande Football Club won the AFC Champions League. The victory marked the first time a Chinese team took the title.
Profile
Born into humble circumstances， Xu worked as a technician， workshop foreman and plant manager before founding Guangzhou Evergrande Real Estate in 1996. The company grew into a large corporate group dealing in real estate， hotels， commerce， sports and culture. Xu believes his large investment in football over the last few years will greatly enhance his business in more ways than just advertising.
Difference
After failing to qualify for the World Cup many times， Chinese football （soccer） has been a sore spot for Chinese sports fans. Midway through this year， the national men’s team lost to Thailand one to five. Chinese football has become synonymous with national humiliation. Nicknamed “China’s Royal Madrid，” the Guangzhou Evergrande club， financed with a fortune from Xu Jiayin， finally gave Chinese football fans a reason to smile.