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☆ China's temple visits skyrocket amid economic uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Economic uncertainty has driven temple visits and tourism to new heights, according to analysts and travel websites. Temple visits have surged this year more than fourfold from a year ago, according to recent data from Qunar and Trip.com, another travel site. Social media has also fueled the boom in temple tourism, as young people like to share their experiences on social networks, she added. Anhui Jiuhuashan Tourism Development, which runs the Jiuhua Mountain scenic area in central Anhui province, also shattered quarterly sales records. A small temple at Wudang Mountain in China's Hubei province pictured on October 27, 2004.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ”, Qunar.com, Soeren, Yang Yan, Ryan Pyle, supplicants, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Nanjing Securities, Social, Communist Party, Caitong Securities Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Qunar, Nanjing, Sichuan, Shan, Anhui Jiuhuashan Tourism, Anhui, Jiangxi province, Wudang, China's Hubei, Hangzhou

☆ Chinese bank says missing chairman is cooperating with Chinese authorities in an investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Feb 26 (Reuters) - China Renaissance Holdings (1911.HK) said in an exchange filing on Sunday that its missing chairman and star dealmaker Bao Fan was currently cooperating with relevant Chinese authorities conducting an investigation. This is the first time the mainland China-based boutique bank has given a reason for the disappearance of its founder -- who was reported missing 10 days ago -- though no details about the investigation were shared. "The Board would like to reiterate that the business and operations of the Group are continuing normally," the bank said in the exchange filing. Reuters previously reported, citing sources, that authorities took Bao away earlier this month to assist in an investigation into a former colleague, Cong Lin, the company's former president. read moreBao's disappearance also comes against the backdrop of more than two years of sweeping regulatory crackdown on technology companies.

Though the reasons for Bao's disappearance are unclear, his case follows a series of incidents in which high-profile executives in China have gone missing with little explanation during a sweeping anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by President Xi Jinping. China Renaissance said on Thursday in a stock exchange filing that it had no information that Bao's "unavailability" was related to its business, and that its operations were continuing normally. A spokesperson for Beijing-based China Renaissance declined to comment on specific details and referred Reuters to its exchange filing made on Thursday. "What happened to China Renaissance highlighted the key man risk with some Chinese companies," Li Nan, professor of Finance at Shanghai Jiaotong University, said. key man risk generally refers to the threat posed to a company from over-reliance on a limited number of personnel for decision making.

Feb 17 (Reuters) - Chinese dealmaker Bao Fan, founder of investment bank China Renaissance Holdings Ltd (1911.HK), has gone missing in the latest disappearance of a top business executive, unnerving investors and sending its stock down as much as 50% on Friday. A China Renaissance spokesperson referred Reuters request for comment on Friday to the investment bank's public filing. The firm earned $20.6 million in Chinese related investment banking fees in 2022, down from $43.13 million a year earlier, the data showed. Bao started China Renaissance in 2005 as a two-person team, seeking to match capital-hungry startups with venture capitalist and private equity investors. China Renaissance is also an active investor in the tech sector.

☆ Factbox-Five facts about missing star Chinese dealmaker and his firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Xie Yu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Well-known Chinese dealmaker Bao Fan, founder of investment bank China Renaissance Holdings Ltd, has gone missing in the latest disappearance of a top business executive in the country, unnerving investors. FILE PHOTO: Fan Bao founder and CEO of China Renaissance speaks at the WSJD Live conference in Laguna Beach, California October 25, 2016. Here are five facts about Bao and his firm --* Bao entered China’s prestigious Fudan University in 1989, and later received his master’s degree from the BI Norwegian School of Management. Its investment management business has assets worth around 48.6 billion yuan by the end of last June. It earned $20.6 million in Chinese related investment banking fees in 2022, down from $43.13 million a year earlier.

☆ Factbox: Five facts about missing star Chinese dealmaker and his firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Xie Yu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Well-known Chinese dealmaker Bao Fan, founder of investment bank China Renaissance Holdings Ltd (1911.HK), has gone missing in the latest disappearance of a top business executive in the country, unnerving investors. Here are five facts about Bao and his firm --* Bao entered China's prestigious Fudan University in 1989, and later received his master's degree from the BI Norwegian School of Management. Its investment management business has assets worth around 48.6 billion yuan by the end of last June. * The firm is currently ranked ninth on China's equity capital markets league table for 2023, according to Refinitiv. It earned $20.6 million in Chinese related investment banking fees in 2022, down from $43.13 million a year earlier.

SYDNEY, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Shares of boutique investment bank China Renaissance Holdings Ltd (1911.HK) fell by as much as 50% on Friday after the firm said it had been unable to contact Chairman and Chief Executive Bao Fan. China Renaissance shares slid by 50% in early trade to hit a record low of HK$5 each. He started China Renaissance in 2005 and the exchange filing showed he is its controlling shareholder. China Renaissance was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2018 after it raised $346 million. China Renaissance is also an active investor in the tech sector.

Airlines are drawing up plans to expand their services but ordinary Chinese and travel agencies suggest that a return to anything like normal will take some time. But an immediate surge in international travel is not widely expected. According to VariFlight data, international flights to and from China are at 8% of pre-pandemic levels. Weighing on many people's travel plans is the wave of COVID-19 infections now sweeping China, Liu said. One of the fastest bouncebacks is expected to be in international business travel.

[1/3] Travellers stand by their luggage at Beijing Capital International Airport, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Beijing, China December 27, 2022. International health experts estimate millions of daily infections and predict at least one million COVID deaths in China next year. Data from travel platform Ctrip showed that within half an hour of the news, searches for popular cross-border destinations on had increased 10-fold. "International travel ... will likely to surge, yet it may take many more months before volumes return to the pre-pandemic level," said Dan Wang, Chief Economist, Hang Seng Bank China. "COVID is still spreading in most parts of China, greatly disrupting the normal work schedule.

☆ China is reopening after zero-Covid. But there's a long road ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In major cities Shanghai and Shenzhen, Friday morning rush hour traffic was extremely light, according to Baidu data. Subway ridership in major cities as of Thursday remained well below the normal range, according to Wind Information. "It will be the first time in nearly three years that mass migration will resume in China as families congregate." As for foreign direct investment into China, Hart said he expected it would take about a year after travel fully reopens for such investment to start recovering. Hainan hotel bookings last week rose by 20% from the prior week, Trip.com said.

HONG KONG, Dec 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The pandemic has helped Chinese authorities to keep a lot of money at home. With expectations rising for a full reopening of the country, including its international borders, capital outflows could be Beijing’s next headache. The People’s Republic supposedly has strict controls with cross-border cash transfers for citizens capped at $50,000 per year. Even so, jet-setting travellers splurged $255 billion abroad in 2019, boosting hotel revenue in Thailand and designer handbag sales in Paris. With pent up demand for spending overseas likely to be high, China might be tempted to look for benefits from keeping its borders shut.

REUTERS/Thomas PeterBEIJING, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Searches on Chinese travel sites surged and social media platforms were flooded with delight and relief on Wednesday as the public cheered the biggest loosening of some of the world's strictest COVID policies. CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM, EXHAUSTIONThe news was also welcomed by foreign business groups, many of which had become increasingly outspoken about the damage the zero-COVID policy was having on China's economy and the operations of their companies. "Timely implementation will help stabilise China’s economy and get life back to normal," the European Chamber of Commerce in China said of the 10 measures announced on Wednesday. It also urged China to roll out mRNA vaccines for domestic use as part of a vaccination drive with the elderly a priority. Reporting by Sophie Yu and Martin Pollard, Writing by Brenda Goh; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's Golden Week spending plunges to seven-year low as zero-Covid batters economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The National Day break is one of China’s longest public holidays and usually a peak season for travel and spending. But this year, people were deterred from traveling by a resurgence of the virus and stringent Covid restrictions. All the weak data point to the heavy damage of Beijing’s zero-Covid policy on consumer spending and the economy, said analysts. China’s service sector is a key source of employment, accounting for 48% of total jobs created, according to government data. “Entrepreneurs’ concerns continued to stem from recurring Covid outbreaks and the impact of related controls on the market,” Wang said.

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