Huawei Stories: Adventurers

Valued at $25 billion following its IPO in 2014, JD.com (Jingdong) is China’s second largest e-commerce company (behind its rival Alibaba) and leads the way in sales of consumer electronics and books. Through unprecedented access to the inner-workings of JD.com and its founder, Richard Liu, and other main players, this book offers the most detailed examination of the success behind one of China’s most successful companies of recent times. Founded in 1998 as an online magneto-optical store, the company evolved into selling books, CDs, videos and consumer electronics online on an enormous scale. In 2014, Asia’s largest Internet company, Tencent, acquired a 20% stake in JD.com, which made the company the No.2 online retailer in China, and thus triggering a fierce battle with Alibaba for dominance in the China market. The story of JD.com’s growth, and the strategies and philosophy of its charismatic founder, is featured in this fascinating book.

China's economic rise and influence have been one of the most significant developments in the global economy of recent times. A driving force behind this expansion has been the private entrepreneurs and companies of China, some of which have literally redefined the economic and business landscape, both inside and outside of China. Dong Mingzhu is one such entrepreneur. Gree Electric is one of the powerhouses of the air-conditioning industry, and owes its success to the entrepreneurial and management tenacity of Dong. As a young widow, aged 36, she travelled south and began work at Gree as an ordinary salesperson. Four years later, in 1994, she became head of sales. By 1996, she was deputy president, and by 2001, president of Gree. During this time, Dong challenged and transformed industry norms through her innovations in sales, service and employee policies. This is the story of one of China's most inspiring and innovative business leaders.

Author: Guo Hongwen