Editor's note: The following article was translated and edited from a summary of Fortune China's “50 Most Influential Business Leaders in China" for 2012 list which has been making the rounds on the Chinese web. Additional information on these business leaders was obtained through their corresponding Baidu-Baike and Wikipedia links.

On March 29th, Fortune (China) published a list of "The 50 Most Influential Business Leaders in China". At the top of the list is Ren Zhengfei (任正非) a former Major in the PLA, an elected member of the 12th National Congress of the CPC and the founder and president of Huawei Technologies (1988), a Chinese multinational company that specialises in the development, production and sales of telecom equipment. Second on the list is Liu Chuanzhi (柳传志), a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences from 1966-68 and from 1970-84 when he left to found a company named Legend, which became "Lenovo", currently the second largest computer manufacturer in the world. Third on the list is Zhang Ruimin (张瑞敏), a self-educated business manager who climbed up the hierarchy of the “Household Appliance Division” of the Qingdao municipal government in the 1980s, and eventually became the general manager of the Qingdao Refrigerator Plant, (renamed Haier in 1991), which he developed into the world's fourth largest white appliances company.

Below, is an analysis of the list from four different perspectives: "first-timers", "women", "industry with most people on list", and "private entrepreneurs occupying the top spots".

1) First-timers on the "The 50 Most Influential" list
It's a pleasant surprise to see that 14 of the spots on the "The 50 Most Influential" list for 2012 – nearly one-third – are occupied by first-timers. As the global economic environment changes, emerging industries have been increasingly spawning young and dynamic Chinese entrepreneurs. For example, Liu Qiangdong (刘强东), born in 1974 and with a degree in sociology from Renmin University in 1996, went on to found 360Buy in 2004 – an online retail site that has become very (very) popular among Chinese shoppers for its low prices and which has since been dubbed the Amazon of China. Wang Wei (王卫), at the young age of 24, set up his first company with some friends using 10,000 RMB that his father had lent him. In 1993 he moved to Foshan (Guangdong Province) and established a new company called SF (Shunfeng) Express, which under his management grew to become a domestic and international express delivery giant in China and throughout much of Asia. Gu Yongqiang (古永锵), as a child moved to the US with his family in 1985, received an MBA from Stanford, and went on to run Sohu – a Chinese web portal and online media company. After leaving that position in 2006, he spent about a year developing a new venture – a little company called "Youku" – which has gone on to become the YouTube of China, most recently merging with former competitor Tudou, in the process creating the largest online media site in China.

2) Women on the "The 50 Most Influential" list
Despite the business world being dominated by men, in recent years more women entrepreneurs have been working their way up to top managerial positions in Chinese companies. The 2012 list features several influential female business leaders, such as Dong Mingzhu (董明珠) who began working at Zhuhai-based Gree Electric in 1990 – the  world's largest residential air-conditioner manufacturer – and since then worked her way up to become its deputy chairman and CEO. Sun Yafang (孙亚芳), joined Huawei Technologies in 1992, where she immediately made a name for herself as the "empress of Huawei", and quickly became the company's chairwoman of the board in 1998. Wu Yajun (吴亚军) previously worked as a mechanical engineer, reporter and editor, and later became the general director of Longfor Properties in Chongqing. She is also a member of the National People's Congress and is currently the world's richest woman, with an estimated net worth of 6.6 billion USD.

3) Industry with the most people on the "The 50 Most Influential" list
Compared to previous years, the information technology industry really outdid itself this year in terms of the number of IT-ers who found their way onto the “50 Most Influential” list for 2012. In total, 12 of the 50 most influential business leaders work in IT, a record high for the list. In addition, 2012 is the first year that the "The 50 Most Influential" has included two people from the same company – Liu Chuanzhi and Yang Yuanqing (杨元庆) from Lenovo and Ren Zhengfei and Sun Yafang from Huawei Technologies – all of whom work in the IT industry. These pairings go to show that a strong partnership often translates into successful business, and helps guide the future of the company.

4) Private entrepreneurs occupy many of the top spots
China's private entrepreneurs claimed many of the top spots on this year's "The 50 Most Influential" list. Despite facing the challenges of being short on funds and resources, their tenacious entrepreneurial spirit and fearlessness have seemingly prevailed, pushing their companies' growth and geographical reach. Look no further than Ren Zhengfei's Huawei Technologies and Liu Chuanzhi's Lenovo, which have appeared on the "The 50 Most Influential" list year after year.

2012 marks the 8th consecutive year that Fortune (China) has published this list. As the center of the Asian economy has gradually shifted from Japan to China during this time, the importance of Chinese entrepreneurs in the global business community has become increasingly prominent, and it is quite likely that within the next five years, many more of these influential Chinese entrepreneurs will begin appearing on the Fortune Global 500 list.

2012 Fortune (China) "50 Most Influential" List - Top 10

Rank	Name	Company and Title	Age
1	Ren Zhengfei (任正非)	Huawei, President	67
2	Liu Chuanzhi (柳传志)	Lenovo, Chairman	67
3	Zhang Ruimin (张瑞敏)	Haier, Chairman and CEO	63
4	Yu Liang (郁亮)	Vanke, CEO	46
5	Ma Huateng (马化腾)	Tencent, Chairman and CEO	40
6	Zhang Jindong (张近东)	Suning, Chairman	49
7	Fu Chengyu (傅成玉)	Sinopec, Chairman	60
8	Ma Yun (马云)	Alibaba, Chairman and CEO	47
9	Feng Guojing (冯国经)	Li & Fung Group, Chairman	66
10	Liu Deshu (刘德树)	Sinochem, President and CEO	59

Source: techweb
 

Related links
Made in China: The Business and Appeal of Manufacturing in China
Risky Business: 4 Hurdles Chinese Start-up Entrepreneurs Have to Clear
The Great Gamble: Starting a Business in China

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: Fortune 50 Most Influential Business Leaders in China Chinese entrepreneurs successful Chinese companies 2012 fortune 500 china list