As usual, we round off our S3 Newsletter with a few articles that aren’t so closely related to S3’s business world.
On this occasion, at the request of several readers who wanted to discover more Chinese companies, we have revived our list of the 10 most notable Chinese companies, expanding it to the ‘20 most notable Chinese companies’. In addition, we are continuing our series on the 10 most popular hobbies in China, this time focusing on the next most striking modern hobby.
Top 20 Chinese companies
Having highlighted the key aspects of BYD (automotive), Kweichow Moutai (alcoholic drinks), Tencent (internet and video games), the Sinopec/PetroChina duo (energy), ICBC (banking), China Mobile (mobile networks), Huawei (mobile devices), DiDi (ride-sharing), DJI (drones) and Alibaba (e-commerce), we turn our attention to a true giant, albeit one that is almost certainly virtually unknown outside China: State Grid Corporation of China.
The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) was established in 2002 as a Chinese state-owned enterprise responsible for the operation and development of the country’s electricity transmission and distribution networks. It is currently the world’s largest electricity company and one of the world’s largest companies by turnover.
According to the Fortune Global 500, the company serves more than 1.1 billion people across 26 provinces and regions in China, covering approximately 88 per cent of the country’s territory, generating a turnover of 555 billion dollars, and employing 1.35 million people – a figure that places it third in the world, trailing only the US retail behemoths Walmart and Amazon.
Beyond China, the State Grid Corporation of China is a strategic player in the global energy sector thanks to its investments in countries such as Brazil, Chile, Portugal, Italy, Australia and the Philippines. It is a leader in ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission technologies and plays a key role in the integration of renewable energy, smart grids and China’s energy transition.
Top 10 most popular hobbies in China
Once again, we’ll be taking a look at the everyday lives of Chinese people, discovering what they enjoy doing when they’re not working, studying or spending time with their families.
Having covered traditional hobbies – such as calligraphy, mahjong, practising tai chi and tea culture – as well as some modern ones (table tennis, karaoke and dancing), let’s move on to the next one!
China has established itself as the world’s largest online gaming market, with over 680 million players and annual revenue in excess of 50 billion dollars, maintaining a more than steady growth despite strict regulations on children’s screen time.
In addition, the country is home to some of the world’s most successful games, such as Honor of Kings, which has surpassed 100 million daily active users – a figure greater than the population of many countries.
What is most striking is the scale of the social and economic phenomenon surrounding online gaming in China. More than 50 per cent of Chinese gamers are involved in eSports in some way – whether by playing, competing or watching live streams – whilst short videos have become the main channel for discovering new games.
