Not so fast

2013-01-18 09:07

The numbers are staggering for any Chinese CEO hoping to take his company public: More than 800 companies are on waitlists to secure initial public offerings in the nation's stock markets. Last year, there was a 43.5 percent decline (from the previous year) in the number of Chinese companies that went public and a 57.2 percent drop in the amount of funds raised. Those are not very promising prospects. That is, unless you're a CEO looking abroad.

Hengda gains an edge with Nasdaq listing

2013-01-18 09:07

Crossing downtown Jinjiang, in Fujian province, and passing by the headquarters of Hengan International Group Co, two similar names catch the eye.

Quotable

2013-01-18 09:07

"But I do think that the Chinese auto manufacturing industry has a pretty good chance to usher in some new technology."

IN BRIEF (Page 14)

2013-01-18 09:07

AIM not such a long shot

2013-01-18 09:07

London's investment community is increasingly developing the expertise to help Chinese companies raise funds on its capital markets, aided by a surge of such companies expanding their overseas footprint.

Fitting place for fine furnishing

2013-01-18 09:07

Shunde, the hometown of kung fu screen idol Bruce Lee and other martial arts legends, has a fight on its hands. This district of Foshan in South China's Guangdong province is also known as the cradle of the country's furniture industry. Since the early 1980s, taking advantage of its proximity to Hong Kong, more than 2,600 furniture makers and 3,000 dealers have set up shop along national highway 325, which runs through the towns of Longjiang and Lecong in Shunde. Neighboring cities in the Pearl River Delta, such as Dongguan, took up the trend and the province became the main source of furniture for the domestic market and export. But that cradle has been rocked hard and taken some knocks over the years.

Love is in the air as furniture flies out the window

2013-01-18 09:07

E-commerce gives dealers another outlet for selling their wares

An armchair ride

2013-01-18 09:07

China has been going through its coldest winter in nearly 30 years, and many furniture makers, going through a chilly period of their own, may have been consoled in that at least they are not alone. And then there is Foshan Hong Qiao Furniture, a company whose name means rainbow, and whose summers never seem to end.

Total recall

2013-01-18 09:07

In the race to become the world's biggest auto market, Chinese carmakers have suffered much fewer setbacks than those in other countries caused by vehicle recalls due to safety defects.

Easy on the eye

2013-01-18 09:07

Ivy Zhong's New Year gift was a healthy set of financial figures. Three months after the purchase of the Hollywood effects company Digital Domain, which produced the visual effects for Titanic (1999) and many other Hollywood blockbusters, Zhong, vice-chairman of Beijing Galloping Horse Media Group, says that the visual effects company is in great shape.

Drink king's new tonic: luxury on tap

2013-01-18 09:07

Can this really be the man who had an early business venture selling something as simple as Popsicles, who went on to make a mint flogging soft drinks and who has a reputation for leading a life of austerity?

Gaining trust on a global scale

2013-01-18 09:07

Cyril Camus is the fifth generation of his family to run what is considered one of the world's great spirit brands.

The secret is out

2013-01-11 09:43

Rene Pieter Bulthuis recently went hunting for razors and blades in Shanghai, despite being freshly shaven and couth. He spent all day in and out of stores, including Wal-Mart, Lotte Mart and Tesco, but couldn't find what he was looking for. Amid the fleet of Gillettes and big name brands, he was searching for something cheaper - that elusive private label.

Local ventures seek more partnerships

2013-01-11 09:43

Li Daomo, the food development manager of China Heli Mart, from Southeast China's Guizhou province, has been assigned to Shanghai to find development opportunities for the retailer's private label products.

Quotable

2013-01-11 09:43

"Chinese companies are more likely to buy firms in the United States to acquire their technological know-how, while they buy European companies to secure brand names."

IN BRIEF (Page 14)

2013-01-11 09:43

Breaking through

2013-01-11 09:43

Times are tough for Typhoo Tea Ltd, the London-based tea brand. Sales in Europe have dropped because of the recession. Costs are rising.

Fitness first

2013-01-11 09:43

Many people know Xiamen for its exotic foods, great architecture and mild climate. In the past decade, it has been ranked as China's "most suitable" city to live in and as its most romantic. But under this relaxed, leisurely charm on the surface beats a strong industrial pulse, pumping its way to economic success.

Fair gives Xiamen a healthy spotlight

2013-01-11 09:43

New platform aims to connect chinese firms with overseas customers

The world's fat burns, and a city cheers

2013-01-11 09:43

It's the chair that promises to turn your acres of ugly fat into kilos of prime muscle and give you a million-dollar look. All it takes, the television advertisement will tell you, is a few minutes a day in the AB Lounge, and you too will have the kind of abdomen and sexy muscle lines that will leave others breathless.