New Class People, New Era Mark

In the spring of 2008, the concept of “new class people” was for the first time put forward in the National People’s Congress and China People’s Political Consultative Conference. As the explorers and front-runners of the socialism market economy with Chinese characteristics, the new class people represent the achievements of the 30 year’s reform and opening up of China.

In order to propagate the splendid fruits of the reform and opening up and set the examples of business among the new class people, China Business Focus launched the First Chinese New Class Elite Leaders Selection (hereafter the Selection), which aimed at encouraging the new class people to shoulder the historical duties the society gives them and build the stronghold for the construction of harmonious society and promotion of economic recovery.

The organization committee of this Selection invited some famous scholars, prominent people, commercial leaders and senior media persons to form a professional board of review and made use of Internet to conduct the selection in the sequence of recommendation, online vote and experts’ appraisal.

The Selection focused on the new class elites in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai. The candidates included the founders of private companies, senior management and technology personnel engaged in foreign companies, as well as the people returning to China from foreign countries and oversees Chinese businessmen. In addition, lawyers, professional talents in finance, architecture design, arts and health were also qualified candidates.

Wealth is not the only standard of this Selection. The fruits of the candidates in their fields, their contributions to the society, their roles in the social and economic development and the potential in the future were all put into consideration. The main purpose was not only to praise those who had made great achievements in their own fields and accumulated certain personal wealth, but also to find the “rising stars” with great potential. The qualified candidates were the models of successful businessmen, as well as young and capable talents in the fields of arts, science and technology.

This made the Selection different from the traditional ones, which always focused on the top entrepreneurs in China like Ma Yun, Liu Yonghang and Li Yanhong. The innovation of Selection helped to attract many people’s and organization’s attention. China Private Economy Research Institute, Shanghai Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce and so on responded actively to the Selection.