UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

OR

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

OR

OR

Date of event requiring this shell company report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For the transition period from ____________ to ________________

Commission file number: 001-34238

THE9 LIMITED

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

17 Floor, No. 130 Wu Song Road

Hong Kou District, Shanghai 200080

People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

George Lai, Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +86-21-6108-6080

Email: georgelai@corp.the9.com

17 Floor, No. 130 Wu Song Road

Hong Kou District, Shanghai 200080

People’s Republic of China

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.

* Not for trading, but only in connection with the listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market of American depositary shares.

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.

None
(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act.

None
(Title of Class)

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report:

As of December 31, 2019, there were 121,761,675 ordinary shares, par value US$0.01 per share, issued and outstanding, being the sum of 108,154,341 Class A ordinary shares (excluding 15,338,560 ordinary shares we reserved for issuance upon the exercise of options under our share incentive plan and for our treasury ADSs) and 13,607,334 Class B ordinary shares.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.   Yes  ¨    No  x

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.    Yes  ¨    No  x

Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).     Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ¨

† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S. C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.  ¨

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).   Yes  ¨    No  x

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.    Yes  ¨    No  ¨

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

In this annual report, unless otherwise indicated, (1) the terms “we,” “us,” “our company,” “our” and “The9” refer to The9 Limited and, as the context may require, its subsidiaries and our consolidated affiliated entities, (2) the terms “affiliated entities” and “affiliated PRC entities” refer to our consolidated affiliated PRC entities, including, among others, Shanghai The9 Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Shanghai IT, in which we do not have direct equity interests but over which we effectively control through a series of contractual arrangements as described under “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions—Arrangements with Affiliated PRC Entities,” (3) the terms “shares” and “ordinary shares” refer to our ordinary shares; “Class A ordinary shares” refer to our Class A ordinary shares of par value US$0.01 per share; “Class B ordinary shares” refers to our Class B ordinary shares of par value US$0.01 per share; and “ADSs” refers to our American depositary shares, each of which represents three Class A ordinary shares, (4) “China” and “PRC” refer to the People’s Republic of China, and solely for the purpose of this annual report, excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, (5) all references to “RMB” and “Renminbi” are to the legal currency of China and all references to “U.S. dollars,” “dollars,” “US$” and “$” are to the legal currency of the United States, and (6) all discrepancies in any table between the amounts identified as total amounts and the sum of the amounts listed therein are due to rounding.

Our business is primarily conducted in China and a significant portion of our revenues are denominated in RMB. This annual report contains translations of RMB amounts into U.S. dollars based on the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For the convenience of the readers only, this annual report contains translations of some RMB or U.S. dollar amounts for 2019 at US$1.00 to RMB6.9618, which was the noon buying rate in effect as of December 31, 2019. The prevailing rate on April 24, 2020 was US$1.00 to RMB7.0813. We make no representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, the rates stated below, or at all. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Future movements in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the RMB may adversely affect the value of our ADSs.”

Effective May 9, 2018, we effected a change of the ratio of the ADSs to ordinary shares from one ADS representing one ordinary share to three ordinary shares. On May 6, 2019, we adjusted our authorized share capital and adopted dual-class share structure, consisting of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Currently, each ADS represents three Class A ordinary shares. Unless otherwise indicated, ADSs and per ADS amount in this annual report have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the changes in ratio for all periods presented.

PART I

Not Applicable.

Not Applicable.

The following table presents selected consolidated financial information for our company. You should read the following information in conjunction with “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” below. The selected consolidated statement of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and should be read in conjunction with those statements, which are included in this annual report beginning on page F-1. The selected consolidated statement of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2016 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, which are not included in this annual report. The consolidated financial statements were prepared and presented in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP.

Not Applicable.

Not Applicable.

Risks Related to Our Company and Our Industry

We may continue to incur losses, negative cash flows from operating activities and net current liabilities in the future. If we are not able to return to profitability or raise sufficient capital to cover our capital needs, we may not continue as a going concern.

We incurred net losses of RMB112.1 million, RMB239.3 million and RMB196.2 million (US$28.2 million) for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, as we continued to incur product development and sales and marketing expenses for our new products and general and administrative expenses while we have not generated significant revenues from our new games or other operations in those periods and since 2009. Our product development, sales and marketing and general and administrative expenses may increase in the future as we continue to explore various opportunities of new product and services development and business expansion in order to grow our revenues. Our ability to achieve profitability depends on the competitiveness of our products and services as well as our ability to control costs and to provide new products and services to meet the market demands and attract new customers. Due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with our business, we may not be able to achieve profitability in the short-term or long-term.

We recorded negative operating cash flows of RMB86.7 million, RMB101.2 million and RMB54.2 million (US$7.8 million) for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Furthermore, as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, we recorded net current liabilities of RMB636.3 million, RMB875.4 million and RMB903.6 million (US$129.8 million), respectively. Our net current liabilities positions as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 were primarily due to continuous cash outflow in connection with our product development and sales and marketing activities. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—A. Operating Results—Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our liquidity position will improve in the future. We may continue to incur losses, negative cash flows from operating activities and net current liabilities, which may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

We had an accumulated deficit of approximately RMB3,410.9 million (US$489.9 million) and total current liabilities exceeded total assets by approximately RMB876.6 million (US$125.9 million) as of December 31, 2019. If we are unable to achieve profitability or raise sufficient capital to cover our capital needs, we may not continue as a going concern. There can be no assurance that we can obtain additional financing. Our ability to obtain additional financing is subject to a number of factors, which may be beyond our control. See “—We may not be able to obtain additional financing to support our business and operations, and our equity or debt financings may have an adverse effect on our business operations and share price.”

Our consolidated financial statements for each of the three years ended December 31, 2019 included in this annual report beginning on page F-1 have been prepared based on the assumption that we will continue on a going concern basis. The auditors of our consolidated financial statements have included in their audit reports an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or amounts of liabilities that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

We are transitioning our business focus and may continue to experience significant decline in our results of operations.

In March 2019, we entered into a joint venture agreement with Faraday&Future Inc., or F&F, and subsequently attempted to enter into electric vehicle business. However, our transition to electric vehicles business did not develop as we anticipated. As of the date of this annual report, we have not entered into a license agreement with F&F and have not fulfilled our first installment contribution obligation of US$200.0 million to F&F as set forth in the joint venture agreement and its amendments. As a result of our business focus transition, our revenues decreased significantly from RMB17.5 million in 2018 to RMB0.3 million (US$0.05 million) in 2019. Currently, the existing agreements with F&F and other agreements that we entered into for our electric vehicles business are still effective and constitute our outstanding legal obligations. However, there can be no assurance that we will continue to proceed with our electric vehicle business or that our electric vehicle business will be developed as previously planned. Currently, we are still operating our gaming business and are in the process of identifying an alternative business development focus for our company. We cannot assure you that we will successfully identify or transition our business focus and it is possible that we remain in such status for a certain period of time. During such period, our revenue may be very limited and we may continue to experience material and adverse effect to our results of operations, financial condition and business prospects. If we are not able to identify any alternative business focus and generate sufficient revenue in a timely manner, our operations may not sustain going forward.

New lines of business or new products and services may subject us to additional risks.

From time to time, we may implement new lines of business or offer new products and services within our existing lines of business. For example, in March 2019, we entered into a joint venture agreement with F&F to establish a joint venture and serve China with electric vehicles designed and developed by F&F. Currently, we are also in the process of identifying an alternative business development focus for our company. However, as a new entrant into the new lines of business, we face significant challenges, uncertainties and risks, including, among others, with respect to our ability to:

Moreover, there can be no assurance that the introduction and development of new lines of business or new products and services would not encounter significant difficulties or delay or would achieve the profitability as we expect. Failure to successfully manage these risks in the development and implementation of new lines of business or new products or services could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and prospects. For example, as our previous efforts to enter into blockchain business, in February 2018, we subscribed a total of 5,297,157 blockchain-related tokens to be issued by Telegram Inc., or Telegram, for a consideration of US$2.0 million with a third-party company and the tokens were expected to be issued in 2019. In October 2019, Telegram notified participants of the tokens offering that the SEC filed a lawsuit against it in United States and that the expected launch date has been extended to April 2020. As of December 31, 2019, we provided a valuation allowance on these subscribed tokens. As of the date of this annual report, these subscribed tokens have not been issued. There will no assurance that those tokens will be issued on time and Telegram may further extend the launch date or may enter into a termination arrangement depending on the development of future events.

We may not be able to obtain additional financing to support our business and operations, and our equity or debt financings may have an adverse effect on our business operations and share price.

We may continue to experience a material decrease in our cash and cash equivalents balance. We will require additional cash resources to fund our working capital and expenditure needs, such as product developments expenses, payment of license fees and royalties, sales and marketing activities, investment or acquisition transactions, as well as our capital contribution obligations pursuant to the joint venture agreement with F&F. See “—We and F&F are obligated to provide contribution to the joint venture pursuant to the joint venture agreement. If F&F or we fail to fulfill the contribution requirements, the joint venture may not succeed.”

Furthermore, we expect to continue to incur product development costs to develop our proprietary online games, primarily mobile games, and license fees and royalties to obtain game licenses from third-party developers. If our internal financial resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek additional financing through the issuance of equity securities or through debt financing, such as borrowings from commercial banks or other financial institutions or lenders. However, we cannot assure you that such efforts may succeed. For example, we entered into a share purchase agreement in June 2017 with each of Ark Pacific Special Opportunities Fund I, L.P. or AP Fund, and Incsight Limited, or Incsight, which is wholly owned by Mr. Jun Zhu, our chairman and chief executive officer, to raise an aggregate of US$30.0 million through equity financing. Such transactions did not succeed and were terminated in February 2019. In addition, in July 2019, we entered into a convertible note purchase agreement with Jupiter Excel Limited, or Jupiter Excel, pursuant to which we agreed to sell and Jupiter Excel agreed to purchase 12% convertible notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$30 million, or the 2019 Convertible Notes. The closing of the transaction was subject to certain closing conditions. Due to unfavorable market conditions and failure to satisfy the closing conditions, the proposed 2019 Convertible Notes transaction was not closed and the convertible note purchase agreement was terminated in March 2020.

To meet our anticipated working capital needs, we are considering multiple alternatives, including but not limited to additional equity financing, settlement of convertible notes, launch of new games and new operations, and cost controls. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Cash Flows and Working Capital.” There can be no assurance that we will be able to complete any such transaction on acceptable terms or at all. If we are unable to obtain the necessary capital, we may need to seek to be acquired by another entity or cease operations.

Any equity or debt financing may result in dilution to our existing shareholders’ interests or an increase in our debt service obligations. For example, in December 2015, we issued and sold senior secured convertible notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$40,050,000, or the Convertible Notes, to Splendid Days Limited, or Splendid Days in three tranches at initial conversion prices of US$7.8, US$15.6 and US$23.4 per ADS, respectively. In connection with the sale of Convertible Notes, we also issued warrants, or the Warrants, in an aggregate principal amount of US$9,950,000 to Splendid Days in four tranches at initial exercise prices of US$4.5, US$7.8, US$15.6 and US$23.4 per ADS, each representing three Class A ordinary shares, respectively. As of the date of this annual report, the outstanding balance of the Convertible Notes amounted to US$55.5 million, and the Warrants in a principal amount of US$5.0 million with the initial exercise of US$4.5 per ADS were still outstanding. In February 2020, we issued and sold a one-year convertible note in a principal amount of US$500,000 at an initial conversion price of US$1.05 per ADS to Iliad Research and Trading, L.P., or Iliad. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Cash Flows and Working Capital.” The Convertible Notes, among others, significantly increased our debt obligations and any conversion or exercise, as applicable, of the Convertible Notes and Warrants by Splendid Days and any issuance of new shares may cause significant dilution to our existing shareholders’ interest in our company.

Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance, our indebtedness, including the Convertible Notes, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. For example, in June 2016, Asian Development Limited, or Asian Development, our wholly-owned subsidiary, borrowed a loan of HK$92.3 million from a financial services company, which is secured by a pledge of shares of L&A International Holding Limited, or L&A. As Asian Development is currently in default of the loan due to a sharp decline in the share price of L&A, the lender is entitled to foreclose the pledged L&A shares. If the market value of the pledged shares cannot cover the total outstanding amount owed by Asian Development to the lender, the lender may also make a claim against Asian Development for any outstanding amounts of the loan. As of the date of this annual report, we had not received any claims from the lender against Asian Development. In addition, we failed to repay the Convertible Notes upon the maturity date and later entered into a deed of settlement with Splendid Days, the holder of the Convertible Notes, in March 2019, and subsequently entered into several amendments to the deed of settlement in relation to the repayment schedule for the overdue Convertible Notes. Pursuant to the Convertible Notes, the deed of settlement and its amendments and negotiation with Splendid Days, the outstanding amount of the Convertible Notes bore an interest rate of 12% per annum from the original maturity date to February 21, 2020. In February 2020, we completed the sale of the equity interests in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the previously mortgaged properties of Zhangjiang Micro-eletronic Port Block #3, or Previously Mortgaged Properties, in accordance with the deed of settlement and its amendments. Pursuant to the deed of settlement and its amendments, US$6.6 million of the outstanding amount of the Convertible Notes continues to bear an interest rate of 14% per annum commencing from February 22, 2020. As of the date of this annual report, we have repaid approximately US$4.8 million to Splendid Days and the outstanding balance of the Convertible Notes amounted to US$55.5 million, which we plan to repay using the consideration received from the sale of the equity interests in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties. Our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations. Incurrence of additional indebtedness could also result in operating and financing covenants restricting our business operations. In addition, we cannot assure you that any such future financing will be available to us in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we fail to obtain sufficient financing to fund our capital needs, our business, financial condition and results or operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Our joint venture with F&F may have an adverse effect on our financial results, business prospects and reputation.

In March 2019, we entered into a joint venture agreement with F&F. The immediate objective of this joint venture is to exclusively manufacture and distribute certain electric car model designed and developed by F&F in China. Even though our joint venture business did not develop as we anticipated, our agreements with F&F still constitute our legal obligations as of the date of this annual report and therefore we are obligated to provide substantial amount of capital contribution to the joint venture. See “—We and F&F are obligated to provide contribution to the joint venture pursuant to the joint venture agreement. If F&F or we fail to fulfill the contribution requirements, the joint venture may not succeed or we may be removed from the joint venture.” Any failure of the joint venture with F&F would materially and adversely affect our business prospects. Moreover, any material disputes with F&F may also require us to allocate significant corporate and other resources. If we are in dispute with F&F, legal proceedings may be initiated. The process of legal proceedings may be lengthy and costly and may divert the attention of our management. If we cannot obtain a judgment in favor of us, we may incur additional costs or damages and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. In addition, Mr. Yueting Jia, the co-founder of F&F, is associated with debt problems in China and he and his affiliates are subject to various legal proceedings according to public information. In April 2019, China Securities Regulatory Committee also launched a formal investigation of Mr. Jia with allegations of violations of information disclosure regulations. Negative outcome of the investigation or legal proceedings and negative publicity of Mr. Jia may materially and adversely impact the reputation and business operations of F&F and may as a result potentially harm our business.

We and F&F are obligated to provide contribution to the joint venture pursuant to the joint venture agreement. If F&F or we fail to fulfill the contribution requirements, the joint venture may not succeed or we may be removed from the joint venture.

Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, F&F is obligated to make contributions to the joint venture including the use right in a piece of land in China for electric vehicles manufacturing and is obligated to grant the joint venture an exclusive license to manufacture, market, distribute and sell F&F’s certain car model and other potential selected car models in China. Pursuant to the joint venture agreement and amendments with F&F, we are obligated to make a capital contribution of US$600.0 million to the joint venture which is payable in three installments subject to certain pre-conditions. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Products and Services—Electric Vehicles” for more details. Pursuant to the joint venture agreement and its amendments, the first installment of US$200.0 million of the capital contribution is required to be made in accordance with the payment schedule of license fees to be agreed in the license agreement with F&F. As of the date of this annual report, we have not entered into a license agreement with F&F and have not fulfilled our first installment contribution obligation. There can be no assurance that we will raise sufficient funding to make any of the required capital contribution as set forth in the joint venture agreement. We may enter into amendments to our joint venture agreement with F&F to amend the capital contribution scheme and schedule. However, there can be no assurance that we will reach an agreement with F&F to amend the joint venture agreement on a timely basis, or at all. If we do not successfully raise the capital to contribute to the joint venture as agreed, or if F&F fails to contribute the land use right or does not enter into a license agreement with the joint venture on reasonable terms or at all the joint venture cannot proceed with its proposed objectives and the electric vehicle business will not succeed. In the event we cannot make the required capital contribution in accordance with the joint venture agreement, the total amount of capital contribution that has then been made by us will automatically convert into Class B ordinary shares in Smart King Limited, or Smart King, the holding company of F&F at a pre-agreed conversion price set forth in the joint venture agreement, and either party would have the right to terminate the joint venture agreement.

Since the electric vehicles industry is challenging and rapidly evolving and the joint venture cooperation between F&F and us is subject to a number of conditions and uncertainties, we cannot assure you that we will be able to implement the development plan as set out in accordance with the current joint venture agreement. We may enter into amendments to the current joint venture agreement with F&F from time to time to reflect the fast-changing market and industry conditions. If F&F or we fail to perform our respective obligation under the joint venture agreement in a timely manner, or at all, we would experience delays in establishing and developing our electric vehicles business. In addition, the joint venture may not succeed and may be terminated due to failure to establish a sustainable business. As a result, our business prospects, financial conditions and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

F&F may exercise its call option to buy our shares in the joint venture pursuant to the joint venture agreement.

Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, F&F was granted a call option to buy out our shares in the joint venture at a pre-agreed premium if there is an initial public offering of Smart King or a subsidiary of Smart King within four years of the joint venture’s inception, and F&F may elect to pay the purchase price in the form of either cash or shares of Smart King or its subsidiary that is the issuer in the initial public offering. There is no assurance whether the condition to such call option will occur or whether F&F will exercise such call option, which is dependent on factors beyond our control. In the event that F&F exercises such call option, we may be removed from the joint venture as a result and may not be able to share its future profits if F&F elects to pay the purchase price in the form of cash.

The Convertible Notes are subject to redemption rights by holders upon a change of control of our company or an event of default, and they contain covenants that may restrict our ability to declare dividends and our operational and financial flexibility.

In December 2015, we completed the issuance and sale of the Convertible Notes. Pursuant to the terms of the Convertible Notes, if we undergo a change of control, holders of the Convertible Notes will be entitled to require us to redeem all or part of the Convertible Notes, at a price payable in cash equal to 100% of the outstanding principal amount of the Convertible Notes, plus all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any. The Convertible Notes define a “change of control” to include: (1) our company’s consolidation with, or merger with or into, any other company, and vice versa; (2) our company disposing of all or substantially all of its assets; (3) the adoption of a plan relating to the liquidation or dissolution of our company; or (4) Mr. Jun Zhu, our chairman and chief executive officer, ceasing to directly or indirectly own 20% or more of the total outstanding and issued shares of our company on a fully-diluted and as-converted basis. In May 2019, Splendid Days provided us with a waiver letter and irrevocably agreed and confirmed that the occurrence of clause (4) mentioned above should not be deemed to be a “change of control” under the Convertible Notes and further waived any rights or claims arising out of or in connection with the occurrence of “change of control” under the Convertible Notes. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Convertible Notes, if there is a continuing event of default, the holders will be entitled to declare any of the Convertible Notes immediately due and payable, and request redemption by us at a price equal to the outstanding principal amount plus all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any. “Events of default” as defined in the Convertible Notes include, among other things, an event of default of any indebtedness of our company or our principal subsidiaries in the amount exceeding US$500,000. In March 2017, AP Fund provided us with a waiver agreement waiving its right to declare the Convertible Notes immediately due and payable and request redemption as a result of the default of Asian Development under the HK$92.3 million loan. We failed to repay the Convertible Notes upon the maturity date and later entered into a deed of settlement with Splendid Days, the holder of the Convertible Notes in March 2019, and subsequently entered into several amendments to the deed of settlement in relation to the repayment schedule for the overdue Convertible Notes. Pursuant to the Convertible Notes, deed of settlement and its amendments, the outstanding amount of the Convertible Notes bore an interest rate of 12% per annum from the original maturity date to February 21, 2020. In February 2020, we completed the sale of the equity interests in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties in accordance with the deed of settlement and its amendments. Pursuant to the deed of settlement and its amendments, US$6.6 million of the outstanding amount of the Convertible Notes continues to bear an interest rate of 14% per annum commencing from February 22, 2020. As of the date of this annual report, we have repaid approximately US$4.8 million to Splendid Days and the outstanding balance of the Convertible Notes amounted to US$55.5 million, which we plan to repay using the consideration received from the sale of the equity interests in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties. If we are not able to seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness, we may not meet our scheduled debt service obligations, which could cause a material and adverse impact on our operations and financial results. We cannot assure you that Splendid Days will not exercise its redemption rights if we fail to fulfill our obligations under the deed of settlement and its amendments. In the event that Splendid Days exercised its redemption rights, we will be obligated, among others, to redeem the Convertible Notes, in whole or in part, at a price payable in cash equal to 100% of the outstanding principal amount plus all accrued and unpaid interest. See “—We may not be able to obtain additional financing to support our business and operations, and our equity or debt financings may have an adverse effect on our business operations and share price.

In addition, the Convertible Notes contains covenants that may limit our financial and operating flexibility. The covenants restrict our ability to, among other things, (1) make dividend or other distribution to our shareholders, and (2) sell or dispose of certain assets, if such action would result in an event of default under the Convertible Notes. As a result of the covenants, our ability to pay dividends or other distributions on our ordinary shares, including those represented by ADSs, may be limited. These covenants could also restrict our ability to raise additional capital in the future through bank borrowings and debt and equity issuances and may restrict our ability to engage in some transactions that we expect to be of benefit to us.

Our gaming business is intensely competitive and “hit” driven. If we do not deliver new “hit” products to the market, or if consumers prefer our competitors’ products or services over those we provide, our operating results will suffer.

The gaming industry is a highly competitive and dynamic market, and, if we still commit to gaming business, our future success depends not only on the popularity of our existing online games but also, in a large part, on our ability to develop and introduce new games that are attractive to our customers. To achieve this, we need to anticipate and effectively adapt to rapidly changing consumer tastes and preferences and technological advances. The development of new games and the procurement of licenses from third-party developers can be very difficult and requires high levels of innovation and significant investments. We currently focus on and have made significant investment in developing our own proprietary games, primarily mobile games. However, we do not have a proven track record of developing such games or other online games. While new products are regularly introduced, only a small number of “hit” titles account for a significant portion of total revenues in our industry. We may decide to cease to operate or develop any game that is no longer profitable. For example, we ceased to operate Knight Forever and Q Jiang San Guo in 2019. There is no assurance that any new game, proprietary, licensed or otherwise, to be introduced by us from time to time, including those named in “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Products and Services,” could become “hit” products and be widely accepted by the customers and the market. We may continue to incur losses, and experience net cash outflow from operating activities, decrease in cash and cash equivalents balance and net current liabilities if we fail to introduce “hit” games or products which gain substantial market acceptance. In addition, “hit” products offered by our competitors may take a larger share of the market than we anticipate, which could cause revenues generated by our products to fall below expectations. Our competitors may develop more successful products, or offer similar products at lower price points or pursuant to payment models viewed as offering a better value than we do. Any such negative development may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We currently depend on a limited number of games, and we may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategies.

We currently depend on a limited number of games for substantially all of our revenues. In addition, we currently focus on developing a number of proprietary games and obtaining licenses to games to grow our business. We have invested significant time and resources in developing our proprietary online games, including a new mobile game that we are developing based on the intellectual property relating to CrossFire, or the CrossFire New Mobile Game. In addition, our subsidiary Asian Way Development Limited obtained a right from T3 Entertainment Co., Ltd., or T3 Entertainment, to develop a mobile game based on the intellectual property relating to a game called Audition and has sub-licensed all of its rights and obligations with respect to the development, marketing, distribution and publishing of the game to a third-party entity. However, there is no assurance that we can successfully develop the games we invest in, that we may successfully launch the games as expected on a timely basis, or at all, or any newly launched games such as CrossFire New Mobile Game would be widely accepted by game players. In particular, the development and operation of a game usually involves significant investments and dedication of time and resources, but the resulting game product may not yield the financial return that we anticipate. Our business strategies may also involve the development and marketing of new products and services for which there are no established markets in China or in which we lack experience and expertise. If any of our games encounters any adverse development or if we are unable to develop, purchase or license additional games that are attractive to users, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. We cannot assure you that we will be able to launch new games or continue operating existing games on a commercially viable basis or in a timely manner, or at all, or that we will be able to implement our other growth strategies. If any of these occur, our competitiveness may be harmed and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Illegal game servers, unauthorized character enhancements and other infringements of our intellectual property rights, as well as theft of in-game goods, could harm our business and reputation and materially and adversely affect our results of operation.

With the increase in the number of online game players in China, we face the risks of illegal game servers, unauthorized character enhancements and other infringements of our intellectual property rights as well as the risk of theft of in-game goods purchased by our customers. Although we have adopted a number of measures to address illegal server usage, misappropriation of our game server installation software and the establishment of illegal game servers could harm our business and reputation and materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

From time to time, we have detected a number of players who have gained an unfair advantage by installing tools that fraudulently facilitate character progression. We have installed software patches designed to prevent unauthorized modifications to our execution files. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to identify and eliminate new illegal game servers, unauthorized character enhancements or other infringements of our intellectual property rights in a timely manner, or at all. The deletion of unauthorized character enhancements requires the affected players to restart with a new character from the starting level, and this may cause some of these players to cease playing the game altogether. If we are unable to eliminate illegal servers, unauthorized character enhancements or suffer other infringement of our intellectual property rights, our players’ perception of the reliability of our games may be negatively impacted, which may reduce the number of players using our games, shorten the lifespan of our games and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our business may be adversely affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 in China.

Since the beginning of 2020, outbreaks of COVID-19 have resulted in the temporary closure of many corporate offices, retail stores, and manufacturing facilities across China. Substantially all of our employees are located in Shanghai. Our employees in Shanghai were unable to go to our offices for an extended period. Normal economic life throughout China was sharply curtailed. The population in most of the major cities was locked down to a greater or lesser extent and opportunities for discretionary consumption were extremely limited. While many of the restrictions on movement within China have been relaxed as of the date of this annual report, there is great uncertainty as to the future progress of the disease. Currently, there is no vaccine or specific anti-viral treatment for COVID-19. Relaxation of restrictions on economic and social life may lead to new cases which may lead to the re-imposition of restrictions.

The quarantining requirements and work-from-home situation may materially and adversely disrupt our game development capabilities and cause delay in the launch time for licensed games. If we fail to timely complete the game development due to such disruptions, our business may be materially and adversely affected. The global spread of COVID-19 pandemic in a significant number of countries around the world has resulted in, and may intensify, global economic distress, and the extent to which it may affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flow will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by the downturn in the global or Chinese economy.

COVID-19 had a severe and negative impact on the Chinese and the global economy in the first quarter of 2020. Whether this will lead to a prolonged downturn in the economy is still unknown. Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, the global macroeconomic environment was facing numerous challenges. The growth rate of the Chinese economy had already been slowing since 2010, and the impact of COVID-19 on the Chinese economy in 2020 is likely to be severe. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies which had been adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China, even before 2020. Unrest, terrorist threats and the potential for war in the Middle East and elsewhere may increase market volatility across the globe. There have also been concerns about the relationship between China and other countries, including the surrounding Asian countries, which may potentially have economic effects. In particular, there is significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and China with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. Any severe or prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We face the risks of changing consumer preferences and uncertainty about market acceptance of our new products.

The online game industry is constantly evolving in China. Customer demand for and market acceptance of our online games is subject to a high degree of uncertainty. Our future operating results will depend on numerous factors beyond our control. These factors include, among others:

Our ability to plan for product development and distribution and promotional activities will be significantly affected by our ability to anticipate and adapt to relatively rapid changes in consumer tastes and preferences. Currently, we primarily offer and develop mobile games. A decline in the popularity of the types of games we offer or develop could adversely affect our business and prospects.

We may not be able to recover our market share and profitability as we operate in a highly competitive industry with numerous competitors.

There are numerous online game operators in China. Given the relatively low entry barriers, an increasing number of companies have entered the online game industry in China and a wider range of online games have been introduced to the Chinese market, and we expect this trend to continue. Our competitors vary in size and include large companies, many of which have significantly greater financial, marketing and game development resources and name recognition than we have, such as Tencent Holdings Limited, NetEase, Inc., Happy-elements Inc., Giant Interactive Group Inc., Changyou.com Limited and Perfect World Co., Ltd. As a result, we may not be able to devote the same degree of resources as our competitors do to designing, developing, licensing or acquiring new games, undertaking extensive marketing campaigns, adopting aggressive pricing policies, paying high compensation to game developers or compensating independent game developers. Our competitors may introduce new business methods, technologies or gaming platforms from time to time. If these new business methods, technologies or gaming platforms are more attractive to customers than what we offer, our customers may switch to our competitors’ games, and we may lose market share. We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully against new or existing competitors, or against new business methods, technologies or gaming platforms implemented by them. In addition, the increasing competition we experience in the online game industry may also reduce the number of our users or the growth rate of our user base or reduce the game points spending for in-game premiums. All of these competitive factors could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and prevent us from recovering market share and profitability.

If we or our joint ventures fail to renew or acquire new online game licenses on favorable terms or at all, our future results of operations and profitability may be materially impacted.

In addition to developing and offering our own proprietary games, we and our joint ventures also seek to offer games licensed from game licensors. Historically, we have operated a number of games licensed from game licensors, most of which already expired or terminated. There is no assurance that we or our joint ventures will be able to acquire new online game licenses or favorable terms or at all, or that we or our joint ventures will be able to renew the game licenses upon their expiration.

We and our joint ventures need to renew existing licenses and may need to obtain new online game licenses, and any failure to do so on favorable terms or at all may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Online game developers may not grant or continue to grant licenses to us or our joint ventures due to commercial or other reasons. For example, our exclusive license from Smilegate Entertainment Inc., or Smilegate, to publish and operate CrossFire 2 in China was terminated in 2017 due to the slowdown of massively multiplayer online game market. If we or our joint ventures are unable to maintain a satisfactory relationship with the online game developers that have licensed games to us or our joint ventures, resulting in licenses not being renewed or licenses being prematurely terminated, or should any of these game developers either establish similar or more favorable relationships with our competitors in violation of their contractual arrangements with us or our joint ventures, or otherwise, our operating results and our business would be harmed. We cannot assure you that online game developers will renew their license agreements with us or our joint ventures, or grant us or our joint ventures a license for any new online games that they will develop or make available to us or our joint ventures expansion packs for existing games. Any failure to obtain or renew online game licenses from online game operators could harm our future results of operations or the growth of our business.

If we are unable to successfully launch and operate CrossFire New Mobile Game in China, our future results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We have invested a significant amount of financial and personnel resources in development of our proprietary CrossFire New Mobile Game. In July 2019, we entered in an amendment to the amended and restated license agreement dated October 31, 2017 with Smilegate and other parties thereto to extend the license period for game development till October 31, 2020. We expect to launch CrossFire New Mobile Game in the second half of 2020. However, in the event that we cannot meet such launch time, we may seek to further extend the license term. In November 2017, we entered into an exclusive publishing agreement with a third-party company, pursuant to which this third-party company was granted with an exclusive right to publish the CrossFire New Mobile Game in China. There is no assurance that CrossFire New Mobile Game can be successfully developed, tested and launched, or that once CrossFire New Mobile Game is launched, we will be able to continue to operate the game at a profit or at all. The relevant Chinese governmental authorities may delay or deny the granting of the approvals required for the open beta test, commercial launch or operation of CrossFire New Mobile Game due to the content of the game or other factors. Furthermore, there is no assurance that CrossFire New Mobile Game will attract sufficient users and be commercially successful.

We may not be able to get approval for renewing our current foreign games, or for licensing new foreign games, if the PRC regulatory authorities promote a policy of domestic online or mobile game development and tighten approval criteria for online or mobile game imports.

We licensed and operated foreign games and may still do so in the near future. In the past, such foreign games mainly included massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) or casual games. With mobile social gaming being one of our new businesses, we also license foreign mobile games. Since 2004, relevant government authorities have promulgated several circulars, according to which the development of domestically developed online games, including mobile games, will be strategically supported by the PRC government. For example, in July 2005, MIIT and the Ministry of Culture issued the Opinion on Development and Management of Online Games, or the Opinion. The Opinion provided that domestic software development companies, network service providers and content providers will be encouraged, guided and supported to develop and promote self-developed and self-owned online games so that such games can take up a leading position in the domestic market and expand into the international market.

The government will also encourage the development of derivative products to domestic online games. In support of this policy, GAPPRFT may tighten approval criteria for online game imports in an effort to protect the development of domestic online game enterprises, as well as to limit the influence of foreign culture on Chinese youth. If GAPPRFT implements such rules and policies, we may not be able to get approval for renewing our current foreign game licenses or for licensing new foreign games, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Failure to obtain or renew approvals or filings for online games and mobile games we operate may adversely affect our operations or subject us to penalties.

The Ministry of Culture has promulgated laws and regulations that require, among other things, (i) the review and prior approval of all new online games licensed from foreign game developers and related license agreements, (ii) the review of patches and updates with substantial changes of games which have already been approved, and (iii) the filing of domestically developed online games. Furthermore, online games, regardless of whether imported or domestic, will be subject to content review and approval by GAPPRFT prior to the commencement of games operations in China. Failure to obtain or renew approvals or complete filings for online games, including mobile games, may materially delay or otherwise affect a game operator’s plan to launch new games, and the operator may be subject to fines, the restriction or suspension of operations of the related games or revocation of licenses in the event that the relevant governmental authority believes that the violation is severe.

We cannot assure you that we are able to obtain and maintain requisite approvals or fulfill other requisite registration or filing procedures required by the relevant PRC governmental authorities in a timely manner, or at all. From time to time, we also rely on certain third-party licensors of domestically developed online games to obtain approvals and complete filings with the PRC regulatory authorities. If we or any such third-party licensors fail to obtain the required approvals or complete the filings, we may not be able to continue the operation of such games. If any such negative event occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. 

Future acquisitions may have an adverse effect on our ability to manage our business and our results of operations.

Pursuing selective acquisitions was a part of our strategy to expand our business in the past. Although we currently may not have the necessary capital to conduct future acquisitions given the significant net loss and negative operating cash flow we have been experiencing, we may opportunistically acquire or invest in assets, businesses or companies that we believe would be beneficial for our company. Any acquisition or investment that we make may divert the attention of our management away from our ordinary course of business and any difficulties encountered in the integration process could have an adverse effect on our ability to manage our business. For example, in June 2019, we and our wholly-owned subsidiary entered into a share purchase agreement with Comtec Windpark Renewable (Holdings) Co., Ltd, or Comtec, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Comtec Solar Systems Group Limited (SEHK: 00712), or Comtec Group. Pursuant to the share purchase agreement, we issued 3,444,882 Class A ordinary shares to purchase 9.9% equity interest in Zhenjiang Kexin Power System Design and Research Company, or Kexin, a lithium battery management system and power storage system supplier. In addition, our ability to grow through future acquisitions, investments or organic means will also depend on the availability of suitable acquisitions and investment targets at an acceptable cost as well as our ability to compete effectively to attract these candidates. We may face significant competition in acquiring new businesses or companies, which may hinder the execution of our growth strategy. Future acquisitions or investments could result in a potential dilutive issuance of equity securities or the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, impairment losses or amortization expenses related to goodwill and other intangible assets, each of which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. The benefits of an acquisition or investment may also take considerable time to develop and we cannot be certain that any particular acquisition or investment will produce its intended benefits. Future acquisitions would also expose us to potential risks, including risks associated with the assimilation of new operations, technologies and personnel, unforeseen or hidden liabilities, the diversion of resources from our existing businesses, sites and technologies, the inability to generate sufficient revenue to offset the costs and expenses of acquisitions, and potential loss of, or harm to, our relationships with employees, customers, licensors and other suppliers as a result of the integration of new businesses.

Our equity investments or establishment of joint ventures and any material disputes with our investment or joint venture partners may have an adverse effect on our financial results, business prospects and our ability to manage our business.

From time to time, subject to the availability of the necessary financial resources, we make equity investments into selected targets, such as online game developers, operators or application platforms, or establish joint venture with business partners, to seek business growth opportunities. For example, in August 2014, we formed a joint venture company, System Link, with Qihoo 360, for publishing and operating Firefall, a massive multiplayer online first person shooting game, or MMOFPS, in China. In the same month, System Link licensed Firefall from our subsidiary Red 5 Singapore Pte. Ltd., or Red 5 Singapore, for a term of five years. In March 2019, we entered into a joint venture agreement with F&F. The immediate objective of this joint venture is to exclusively manufacture and distribute certain electric car model designed and developed by F&F in China. In addition, in May 2019, we entered into a joint venture agreement with EN+, to establish a joint venture to engage in sales of electric vehicle charging equipment, investment, construction and operation of charging stations, and provision of operational services relating to charging equipment and platforms for electric vehicles. Currently, we do not expect to pursue such joint venture opportunity with EN+.

We may have limited power to direct or otherwise participate in the management of operations and strategies of the companies in which we invest or the joint ventures we establish. The diversion of our management’s attention away from our business and any difficulties encountered in managing our interests in the respective investees or joint ventures could have an adverse effect on our ability to manage our business. Any material disputes with our investment or joint venture partners and existing shareholders may also require us to allocate significant corporate and other resources. For example, Red 5 and its affiliates previously had been in dispute with Qihoo 360 and its affiliates regarding System Link and Firefall. Various legal proceedings have been initiated in connection with such dispute, including a litigation proceeding in Shanghai and an arbitration proceeding in Hong Kong. In May 2019, we entered into a mediation agreement with Qihoo 360 to settle the disputes in principle and then withdrew all the litigation claims against Qihoo 360 in Shanghai. As of the date of this annual report, we and Qihoo 360 are implementing the mediation agreement to settle the arbitration proceeding in Hong Kong.

Our investments may also be subject to market conditions and therefore are uncertain whether our resources and expenses devoted are able to be converted into revenue. For example, the license to publish and operate CrossFire 2 was terminated in 2017 due to the slowdown of massively multiplayer online game market. In addition, we may not recover our equity investments if the companies in which we invest do not perform well and equity investments could result in the incurrence of operating or impairment losses, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Undetected programming errors or flaws in our games could harm our reputation or decrease market acceptance of our games, which would materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our games may contain errors or flaws, which may only be discovered after their release, particularly as we launch new games or introduce new features to existing games under tight time constraints. If our games contain programming errors or other flaws, our customers may be less inclined to continue playing our games or to recommend our games to other potential customers, and may switch to our competitors’ games. Undetected programming errors and game defects can disrupt our operations, adversely affect the gaming experience of our users, harm our reputation, cause our customers to stop playing our games, divert our resources and delay market acceptance of our games, any of which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

We may not be able to prevent others from infringing upon our intellectual property rights, which may harm our business and expose us to litigation.

We regard our proprietary software, domain names, trade names, trademarks and similar intellectual properties as critical to our business. Intellectual property rights and confidentiality protection in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other countries. Monitoring and preventing the unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive. The steps we have taken may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our proprietary technology. Any misappropriation could have a negative effect on our business and operating results. We may need to resort to court proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights in the future. Litigation relating to our intellectual property might result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention away from our business. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

Any delay or failure by the online game platforms or distributors to successfully market or sell our products and services could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We primarily rely on game platforms and distributors to distribute, promote, market and sell our games in China. End users can purchase our virtual currencies and prepaid cards through such game platforms and distributors. A substantial portion of our sales are carried out via such game platforms and distributors. We do not have long-term agreements with any online game platforms or distributors. A delay or failure by the online game platforms or distributors to successfully market or sell our prepaid cards or products may adversely affect our business and results of operations. We cannot assure you that we will continue to maintain favorable relationships with the online game platforms and distributors, and any failure to do so could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We rely on services and licenses from third parties to carry out our businesses, and if there is any negative development in these services or licenses, our end users may cease to use our products and services.

We rely on third parties for certain services and licenses for our business, including game platforms and distributors for the distribution of our games, and other services and licenses for our operations. For example, we rely on third-party licenses for some of the software underlying our technology platform, and on China Telecom’s Internet data centers for hosting our servers. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Pricing, Distribution and Marketing.”

Any interruption or any other negative development in our ability to rely on these services and licenses, such as material deterioration of quality of the third-party services or the loss of intellectual property relating to licenses held by our licensors, could have a material and adverse impact on our business operations. In particular, our game licensors may be subject to intellectual property rights claims with respect to the games or software licensed to us. If such licensors cannot prevail on the legal proceedings brought against them, we could lose the right to use the licensed games or software. Furthermore, if our arrangements with any of these third parties are terminated or modified against our interest, we may not be able to find alternative solutions on a timely basis or on terms favorable to us. If any of these events occur, our end users may cease using our products and services, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to obtain proper licenses or requisite approval to operate the joint venture, the joint venture may not succeed.

Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, F&F will enter into a license agreement with the joint venture, under which it grants the joint venture an exclusive license to manufacture, market, distribute and sell FF V9 MPV. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to enter into such license agreement with F&F in a timely manner, or at all. In the event that we fail to reach an agreement with F&F and obtain license to manufacture, market, distribute and sell F&F’s car models, our joint venture would not succeed.

In addition, the regulatory framework in China for our joint venture business is rapidly evolving. We are subject to certain approval requirements and procedures to proceed with our electric business in China. For example, our vehicles need to be added to the Announcement of Vehicle Manufacturers and Products, or the Manufacturers and Products Announcement, issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (formerly known as Ministry of Information Industry), or MIIT, which is a procedure that is required in order for our vehicles to be approved for manufacture and sale in China. In order to obtain such approval, our vehicles must meet the applicable requirements set forth in relevant laws and regulations. Such relevant laws and regulations include, among others, the Administrative Rules on the Admission of New Energy Vehicle Manufacturers and Products, or the MIIT Admission Rules, which became effective on July 1, 2017, and the Administrative Rules on the Admission of Passenger Vehicles Manufacturer and Products, which became effective on January 1, 2012, and pass the review by the MIIT. We cannot assure you that we are able to obtain such approval or other requisite approvals from applicable governmental authorities in a timely manner, or at all. If we fail to obtain such regulatory approvals, the business of our joint venture may not be in compliance with the regulatory framework and may be subject to fines, penalties or restrictions imposed by applicable governmental authorities. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We are subject to risks and may experience in the future, delays or other complications in the design and manufacture of our electric vehicles, which could harm our brand, business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

We are subject to risks and may experience launch, manufacturing, production and delivery risks, delays or other complications in connection with our electric vehicles. There may be unanticipated challenges, including but not limited to difficulties in the design of the vehicles and technology barriers, at the design stage.

We may enter into arrangements with certain suppliers and manufacturers to manufacture the electric vehicles designed by F&F. Such collaboration with third parties is subject to various risks with respect to operations that are outside our control. We may be subject to risks and experience delays in various aspects, including:

We may also experience delays if our partners cannot meet pre-determined timelines due to various issues such as mechanical failures, utility shortage or stoppages, fail to provide necessary supplies due to supply chain constraints or fail to provide products that meet our quality standards. We may have disputes with our partners and both our partners and us may be subject to negative publicity whether or not such publicity is related to our collaboration. There can be no assurance that we will not switch partners. We may be unable to enter into new agreements or extend existing agreements with third-party manufacturing partners on terms and conditions acceptable to us and therefore may need to contract with other third parties or significantly add to our own production capacity. There can be no assurance that in such event, we would be able to partner with other third parties, establish or expand our own production capacity to meet our needs on acceptable terms or at all. In the event that we switch to new partners, we may incur additional expenses to assure that vehicles manufactured by new partners comply with our quality standards and requirements. In addition, although we aim to be involved in each step of the supply chain and manufacturing process, given that we may also rely on our partners to meet our quality standards, there can be no assurance that we will successfully maintain quality standards.

If we encounter delays in any of the matters in relation to the design and manufacturing, we may consequently delay the launch, production and delivery of our electric vehicles, which will result in adverse effects in realizing our projected timelines and cost and volume targets. We have limited experience in developing and manufacturing electric vehicles, if we are unable to realize our plans, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operation could be materially and adversely affected.

The unavailability, reduction or elimination of government and economic incentives or government policies which are favorable for electric vehicles and domestically produced vehicles could have a material adverse effect on our new electric vehicles business.

Our new electric vehicles business depends significantly on the availability and amounts of government subsidies, economic incentives and government policies that support the growth of new energy vehicles generally and electric vehicles specifically. For example, each qualified purchaser of the electric vehicles is entitled to receive subsidies from China’s central government. In addition, in certain cities, quotas that limit the number of internal combustion engine, or ICE, vehicles do not apply to electric vehicles, making it easier for customers to purchase electric vehicles.

China’s central government provides subsidies for purchasers of certain new energy passengers vehicles, or the NEVs, until the end of 2022 and reviews and adjusts the subsidy standard on an annual basis. The current subsidy standard is provided for in the Circular on Further Improving the Subsidy Policies for the Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles, which was jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Finance, or the MOF, the Ministry of Science and Technology, or the MOST, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (which was previously known as the Ministry of Information Industry), or MIIT, and the National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC, on April 23, 2020. The current subsidy standard imposes a gradually declining scale in terms of subsidy amount to be provided each year until the end of 2022. Furthermore, China’s central government provides certain local governments with funds and subsidies to support the roll-out of a charging infrastructure. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Favorable Government Policies Relating to New Energy Vehicles in the PRC.” These policies are subject to change and beyond our control. We cannot assure you that any changes would be favorable to our business. Furthermore, any reduction, elimination or discriminatory application of government subsidies and economic incentives because of policy changes, the reduced need for such subsidies and incentives due to the perceived success of electric vehicles, fiscal tightening or other factors may result in the diminished competitiveness of the alternative fuel vehicle industry generally or our new electric vehicles business in particular. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our potential electric vehicles business.

If we fail to recruit or retain experienced management team and qualified key personnel to operate the joint venture, the joint venture may not succeed.

As we will control the business operations of the joint venture, its success depends on the continued services of the management team and qualified key personnel. We intend to provide different incentives and attractive compensation to the management team and qualified key personnel of the joint venture. However, considering the intense market demand and competition for such qualified and skilled personnel, we may not be able to hire or retain these personnel at compensation levels consistent with our proposed compensation and salary structure. Some of the companies with which we compete for qualified and skilled personnel have greater resources than we have and may be able to offer more attractive terms of employment.

If we are unable to retain the services of the management team or qualified key personnel for the joint venture, we may not be able to find suitable replacements or may incur significant expenses in finding such replacements, thus our future growth may be constrained, our electric vehicle business may be severely disrupted and our joint venture may not succeed. In addition, in the event that any dispute arises between us, on one hand, and any of our management team and qualified key personnel, on the other hand, we may have to incur substantial costs and expenses in order to enforce such agreements in China or we may be unable to enforce them at all.

The electric vehicles market is highly competitive, and we may not be successful in competing in this industry and scaling our electric vehicles business.

The electric vehicles market is highly competitive and we expect that it will become even more competitive in the future. As a potential entrant in this market, we face challenges from a growing number of established and new automobile manufactures, as well as other companies, have entered or have plans to enter the electric vehicles. Some of them have already put their electric vehicles into production and achieve good feedbacks from the market. Most of the potential competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, manufacturing, marketing, sales resources and networks than we do and may be able to devote greater resources to their products. Increased competition may lead to lower vehicle unit sales and increased inventory, which may result in downward price pressure and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects.

In addition, the technology and regulatory framework for the electric vehicles market is rapidly evolving. We may not be able to keep up with the unforeseeable changes, and as a result, the technology and car models we developed may be obsolete more quickly than expected, potentially reducing our return on investment. Therefore, our ability to compete successfully in this market in fundamental to our success. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so and we may fail to scale our electric vehicles business as a result.

Unexpected network interruptions caused by system failures or other internal or external factors may lead to user attrition, revenue reductions and may harm our reputation.

Any failure to maintain satisfactory performances, reliability, security and availability of our network infrastructure may cause significant harm to our reputation and our ability to attract and maintain users. The system hardware for our operations is located in several cities in China. We maintain our backup system hardware and operate our back-end infrastructure in Shanghai. Server interruptions, breakdowns or system failures in the cities where we maintain our servers and system hardware, including failures that may be attributable to sustained power shutdowns, or other events within or outside our control that could result in a sustained shutdown of all or a material portion of our services, could adversely impact our ability to service our users.

Our network systems are also vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, fire, flood, earthquake, power loss, telecommunications failures, computer hacking and similar events. We maintain property insurance policies covering our servers, but do not have business interruption insurance.

Our business may be harmed if our technology becomes obsolete or if our system infrastructure fails to operate effectively.

The online game industry is subject to rapid technological change. We need to anticipate the emergence of new technologies and games, assess their acceptance and make appropriate investments. If we are unable to do so, new technologies in online game programming or operations could render our games obsolete or unattractive. In addition, our business may be harmed if we are unable to upgrade our systems fast enough to accommodate fluctuations in future traffic levels, avoid obsolescence or successfully integrate any newly developed or acquired technology with our existing systems. Capacity constraints could cause unanticipated system disruptions and slower response times, affecting data transmission and game play. These factors could, among other things, cause us to lose existing or potential customers and existing or potential game development partners.

We have been and may be subject to future intellectual property rights claims or other claims, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of our financial and management resources away from our business.

There is no assurance that our online games, including our mobile games, or other content posted on our websites, whether proprietary or licensed from third parties, do not or will not infringe upon patents, valid copyrights or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We may be subject to legal proceedings and claims from time to time relating to the intellectual property of others.

Some of our employees were previously employed at other companies, including our current and potential competitors. We also intend to hire additional personnel to expand our product development and technical support teams. To the extent these employees have been involved in research at our company similar to research in which they had been involved at their former employers, we may become subject to claims that such employees have used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers. In addition, our competitors may file lawsuits against us in order to gain an unfair competitive advantage over us.

If any such claim arises in the future, litigation or other dispute resolution proceedings may be necessary to retain our ability to offer our current and future games, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of our financial and management resources. Furthermore, if we are found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be enjoined from using such intellectual property, incur additional costs to license or develop alternative games and be forced to pay fines and damages, each of which may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our operating results may fluctuate due to various factors, and therefore may not be indicative of our future results.

Our operating results have experienced fluctuations from time to time and will likely continue to fluctuate in the future. These fluctuations in operating results depend on a variety of factors, including the timing of new game launches, the expiration or termination of existing game licenses, and acquisition or disposal of subsidiaries. Other factors include the demand for our products and the products of our competitors, the level of usage of illegal game servers, the level of usage of the Internet, the size and rate of growth of the online game market and development and promotional expenses related to the introduction of new products. In addition, because our game software is susceptible to unauthorized character enhancements, we may periodically delete characters that are enhanced with unauthorized modifications. This has caused some affected customers to stop playing the respective game, which, in the aggregate, may cause our operating results to fluctuate.

To a significant degree, our operating expenses are based on planned expenditures and our expectations regarding prospective customer usage. Failure to meet our expectations could disproportionately and adversely affect our operating results in any given period. As a result, our historical operating results may not necessarily be indicative of our future results.

Our business depends substantially on the continuing efforts of our senior executives, and our business may be severely disrupted if we lose their services.

Our business and prospect depend heavily upon the continued services of our senior executives. We rely on their expertise in business operations, technology support and sales and marketing and on their relationships with our shareholders and distributors. We do not maintain key-man life insurance for any of our key executives. If one or more of our key executives are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be able to replace them easily or at all. As a result, our business may be severely disrupted, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected, and we may incur additional expense to recruit and train personnel.

Each of our executive officers has entered into an employment agreement with us, which contains confidentiality and non-competition provisions. If any disputes arise between our executive officers and us, we cannot assure you the extent to which any of these agreements could be enforced in China, where these executive officers reside and hold most of their assets, in light of uncertainties with the PRC legal system. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

If we are unable to attract, train and retain key individuals and highly skilled employees, our business may be adversely affected.

Our business relies on our ability to hire and retain additional qualified employees, including skilled and experienced online game developers. Since our industry is characterized by high demand and intense competition for talent, we may need to offer higher compensation and other benefits in order to retain key personnel in the future. We cannot assure you that we will be able to attract or retain the qualified game developers or other key personnel that we will need to achieve our business objectives.

PRC laws and regulations restrict foreign ownership of Internet content provision, Internet culture operation and Internet publishing licenses, and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the application and implementation of PRC laws and regulations.

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and, as such, we are classified as a foreign enterprise under PRC laws. Various regulations in China currently restrict foreign or foreign-owned entities from holding certain licenses required in China to provide online game operation services over the Internet, including Internet content provision, or ICP, Internet culture operation and Internet publishing licenses. In light of such restrictions, we primarily rely on Shanghai IT, one of our affiliated PRC entities, to hold and maintain the licenses necessary for the operation of our online games in China.

In July 2006, the MIIT issued a notice entitled “Notice on Strengthening Management of Foreign Investment in Operating Value-Added Telecommunication Services,” or the MII Notice, which prohibits ICP license holders from leasing, transferring or selling a telecommunications business operating license to foreign investors in any form, or providing resources, sites or facilities to any foreign investors for their illegal operation of a telecommunications business in China. The notice also requires that ICP license holders and their shareholders directly own the domain names and trademarks used by such ICP license holders in their daily operations. The notice further requires each ICP license holder to have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license. In addition, all value-added telecommunication service providers are required to maintain network and information security in accordance with the standards set forth under relevant PRC regulations. The local authorities in charge of telecommunications services are required to ensure that existing ICP license holders conduct a self-assessment of their compliance with the MII Notice and submit status reports to MIIT before November 1, 2006. Since the MII Notice was issued, we have transferred to Shanghai IT all of the domain names used in our daily operations and certain trademarks used in our daily operations, as required under the MII Notice. All relevant transfers have been completed and relevant approvals have been obtained.

In September 2009, the General Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television, or GAPPRFT (formerly known as the General Administration of Press and Publication, or GAPP), promulgated the Circular Regarding the Implementation of the Department Reorganization Regulation by State Council and Relevant Interpretation by State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform to Further Strengthen the Administration of Pre-approval on Online Games and Approval on Import Online Games, or the GAPP Circular, which provides that foreign investors shall not control or participate in PRC online game operation businesses indirectly or in a disguised manner by establishing joint venture companies or entering into relevant agreements with, or by providing technical supports to, such PRC online game operation companies, or by inputting the users’ registration, account management or game card consumption directly into the interconnected gaming platform or fighting platform controlled or owned by the foreign investor. In addition, on February 4, 2016, the GAPPRFT and the MIIT jointly issued the Administrative Measures on Network Publication, or the Network Publication Measures, which took effect in March 2016. Pursuant to the Network Publication Measures, wholly foreign-owned enterprises, Sino-foreign equity joint ventures and Sino-foreign cooperative enterprises shall not engage in the provision of web publishing services, including online game services. Project cooperation involving internet publishing services between an internet publishing service provider and a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, Sino-foreign equity joint venture, or Sino-foreign cooperative enterprise within China or an overseas organization or individual shall be subject to prior examination and approval by the GAPPRFT. It is unclear whether the authorities will deem our VIE structure as a kind of such “manners of cooperation” by foreign investors to gain control over or participate in domestic online game operators, and it is not clear whether GAPPRFT and MIIT have regulatory authority over the ownership structures of online game companies based in China and online game operation in China.

Subject to the interpretation and implementation of the GAPP Circular and the Network Publication Measures, the ownership structure and the business operation models of our PRC subsidiaries and affiliated PRC entities comply with all applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and no consent, approval or license is required under any of the existing laws and regulations of China for their ownership structure and business operation models except for those which we have already obtained or which would not have a material adverse effect on our business or operations as a whole. There are, however, substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that PRC government authorities will ultimately take a view that is consistent with the opinion of our PRC legal counsel.

For example, the Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, promulgated the Rules of Ministry of Commerce on Implementation of Security Review System of Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors in August 2011, or the MOFCOM Security Review Rules, to implement the Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Establishing the Security Review System for Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors promulgated on February 3, 2011, or Circular No. 6. According to these circulars and rules, a security review is required for mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors having “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions by which foreign investors may acquire the “de facto control” of domestic enterprises having “national security” concerns. In addition, when deciding whether a specific merger or acquisition of a domestic enterprise by foreign investors is subject to the security review, MOFCOM will look into the substance and actual impact of the transaction. The MOFCOM Security Review Rules further prohibit foreign investors from bypassing the security review requirement by structuring transactions through proxies, trusts, indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual arrangements or offshore transactions. There is no explicit provision or official interpretation stating that our online game operation services falls into the scope subject to the security review, and there is no requirement for foreign investors in those merger and acquisition transactions already completed prior to the promulgation of Circular No. 6 to submit such transactions to MOFCOM for security review. As we have already obtained the “de facto control” over our affiliated PRC entities prior to the effectiveness of these circulars and rules, we do not believe we are required to submit our existing contractual arrangement to MOFCOM for security review. However, we are advised by our PRC legal counsel that, as there is a lack of clear statutory interpretation on the implementation of these circulars and rules, there is no assurance that MOFCOM will have the same view as we do when applying these national security review-related circulars and rules.

We have been further advised by our PRC counsel, Grandall Law Firm, that if we, any of our PRC subsidiaries or affiliated PRC entities are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, including the MII Notice, the GAPP Circular and the Network Publication Measures, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities, would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including:

The imposition of any of these penalties could result in a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business and on our results of operations. If any of these penalties results in our inability to direct the activities of Shanghai IT that most significantly impact its economic performance, and/or our failure to receive the economic benefits from Shanghai IT, we may not be able to consolidate Shanghai IT in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

We rely on contractual arrangements for our operations and operating licenses in China, which may not be as effective in providing operational control as direct ownership.

Because the PRC government restricts our ownership of ICP, Internet culture operation and Internet publishing businesses in China, we primarily depend on Shanghai IT, in which we have no ownership interest, to operate our online game business and other ICP related businesses, and hold and maintain the requisite licenses. We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements to obtain effective control over Shanghai IT. Such contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over Shanghai IT. From the legal perspective, if Shanghai IT fails to perform its obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and spend other resources to enforce such arrangements, and rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief and claiming damages. For example, if the shareholders of Shanghai IT were to refuse to transfer their equity interests in Shanghai IT to us or our designee when we exercise the call option pursuant to the Call Option Agreement, or if such shareholders otherwise act in bad faith toward us, we may have to take legal action to compel it to fulfill their contractual obligations, which could be time consuming and costly.

These contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC. The legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. We have historically derived significant revenues from Shanghai IT. For the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Shanghai IT contributed 25.8%, 92.2% and 53.5%, respectively, of our total revenues. In the event we are unable to enforce the contractual arrangements, we may not be able to have the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of Shanghai IT, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected, and we may not be able to consolidate the financial results of Shanghai IT into our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

We believe that our option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in Shanghai IT, when and to the extent permitted by PRC law, or request any existing shareholder of Shanghai IT to transfer all or part of the equity interest in Shanghai IT to another PRC person or entity designated by us at any time in our discretion, and the rights under the Shareholder Voting Proxy Agreement that the shareholders of Shanghai IT have granted to us, effectively enable us to have the ability to cause the related contractual arrangements to be renewed when needed. However, if we are not able to effectively enforce these agreements or otherwise renew the relevant agreements when they expire, our ability to receive the economic benefits of Shanghai IT may be adversely affected.

Our ability to enforce the Equity Pledge Agreements between us and the shareholders of Shanghai IT may be subject to limitations based on PRC laws and regulations.

Pursuant to the Equity Pledge Agreements with the shareholders of Shanghai IT, such shareholders agreed to pledge their equity interests in Shanghai IT to secure their performance under the relevant contractual arrangements. The equity pledges of Shanghai IT under these Equity Pledge Agreements have been registered with the relevant local administration for market regulation pursuant to the PRC Property Rights Law. According to the PRC Property Rights Law and PRC Guarantee Law, the pledgee and the pledgor are prohibited from making an agreement prior to the expiration of the debt performance period to transfer the ownership of the pledged equity to the pledgee when the obligor fails to pay the debt due. However, under the PRC Property Rights Law, when an obligor fails to pay its debt when due, the pledgee may choose to either conclude an agreement with the pledgor to obtain the pledged equity or seek payments from the proceeds of the auction or sell-off of the pledged equity. If Shanghai IT or its shareholders fail to perform their obligations secured by the pledges under the Equity Pledge Agreements, one remedy in the event of default under the agreements is to require the pledgors to sell the equity interests of Shanghai IT in an auction or private sale and remit the proceeds to our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China, net of related taxes and expenses. Such an auction or private sale may not result in our receipt of the full value of the equity interests in Shanghai IT. We consider it very unlikely that the public auction process would be undertaken since, in an event of default, our preferred approach is to ask Hui Ling Computer Technology Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Hui Ling, our PRC wholly-owned subsidiary and a party to the Call Option Agreement, to replace or designate another PRC person or entity to replace the existing shareholders of Shanghai IT pursuant to the direct transfer option we have under the option agreement.

In addition, in the registration forms of the local branch of State Administration for Market Regulation (formerly known as the State Administration for Industry and Commerce) for the pledges over the equity interests under the Equity Pledge Agreements, the amount of registered equity interests in Shanghai IT pledged to us was stated as RMB23.0 million, which represent 100% of the registered capital of Shanghai IT. The Equity Pledge Agreements with the shareholders of Shanghai IT provide that the pledged equity interest shall constitute continuing security for any and all of the indebtedness, obligations and liabilities under all of the contractual arrangements and the scope of pledge shall not be limited by the amount of the registered capital of Shanghai IT. However, it is possible that a PRC court may take the position that the amount listed on the equity pledge registration forms represents the full amount of the collateral that has been registered and perfected. If this is the case, the obligations that are supposed to be secured under the Equity Pledge Agreements in excess of the amount listed on the equity pledge registration forms could be determined by the PRC court as unsecured debt, which takes last priority among creditors and often does not have to be paid back at all. We do not have agreements that pledge the assets of Shanghai IT for the benefit of us.

Our contractual arrangements with our affiliated entities may result in adverse tax consequences to us.

We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that our contractual arrangements with Shanghai IT and our other affiliated entities were not made on reasonable or arm’s length commercial terms or otherwise. If this were to occur, they may adjust our income and expenses for PRC tax purposes in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could result in a reduction, for PRC tax purposes, of costs and expenses recorded by our affiliated entities, which could adversely affect us by: (i) increasing the tax liability of our affiliated entities without reducing our other PRC subsidiaries’ tax liability, which could further result in late payment fees and other penalties to our affiliated entities for underpaid taxes; or (ii) limiting the abilities of our affiliated entities to maintain preferential tax treatments and other financial incentives.

The principal shareholders of our affiliated PRC entities have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may adversely affect our business.

Zhimin Lin and Wei Ji, two of our employees, are the principal shareholders of Shanghai IT, one of our affiliated entities. Thus, there may be conflicts of interest between their respective duties to our company as employees and their respective shareholder interests in these affiliated PRC entities. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, these persons will act in our best interests or that conflicts of interests will be resolved in our favor. These persons could violate their legal duties, including duties under their non-competition or employment agreements with us, by engaging in activities that are not in the best interest in our company, such as diverting business opportunities from us. In any such event, we would have to rely on the PRC legal system to enforce these agreements. Any legal proceeding could result in the disruption of our business, diversion of our resources and the incurrence of substantial costs. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

Our subsidiaries in China are subject to restrictions on paying dividends or making other payments.

We may rely on dividends paid by our subsidiaries in China to fund our operations, such as paying dividends to our shareholders or meeting obligations under any indebtedness incurred by us or our overseas subsidiaries. Current PRC regulations restrict our subsidiaries in China from paying dividends in the following two principal aspects: (i) our subsidiaries in China are only permitted to pay dividends out of their respective after-tax profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations, and (ii) these entities are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund statutory reserve funds until the cumulative total of the allocated reserves reaches 50% of registered capital, and a portion of their respective after-tax profits to their staff welfare and bonus reserve funds as determined by their respective boards of directors or shareholders. These reserves are not distributable as dividends. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Government Regulations.” Further, if these entities incur debt on their behalf in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments. Our inability to receive dividends or other payments from our PRC subsidiaries may adversely affect our ability to continue to grow our business and make cash or other distributions to the holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs. In addition, failure to comply with relevant State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, regulations may restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to make dividend payments to us. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident shareholders or us to penalties and fines, and limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital, distribute profits to us, or otherwise adversely affect us.”

We could be liable for breaches of security of third-party online payment channels, which may have a material adverse effect on our reputation and business.

Currently, a portion of our online game operation revenues are generated from sales through third-party online payment platforms. In such transactions, secured transmission of confidential information, such as customers’ credit card numbers and expiration dates, personal information and billing addresses, over public networks, in some cases including our website, is essential to maintain consumer confidence. While we have not experienced any material breach of our security measures to date, we cannot assure you that our current security measures are adequate. We do not have control over the security measures of our third-party online payment vendors and we cannot assure you that these vendors’ security measures are adequate or will be adequate with the expected increased usage of online payment systems. Security breaches of the online payment systems that we use could expose us to litigation and possible liability for failing to secure confidential customer information and could harm our reputation, ability to attract customers and ability to encourage customers to purchase in-game items.

The PRC income tax laws may increase our tax burden or the tax burden on the holders of our shares or ADSs, and tax benefits available to us may be reduced or repealed, causing the value of your investment in us to decrease.

Our subsidiaries and affiliated entities in the PRC are subject to enterprise income tax, or EIT, on the taxable income as reported in their respective statutory financial statements adjusted in accordance with the Enterprise Income Tax Law of the PRC, or EIT Law, which was approved by the National People’s Congress on March 16, 2007. The EIT Law went into effect as of January 1, 2008 and was amended on February 24, 2017 and December 29, 2018, which unified the tax rate generally applicable to both domestic and foreign-invested enterprises in the PRC. Our subsidiaries and affiliated entities in the PRC are generally subject to EIT at a statutory rate of 25%. Shanghai IT, our affiliated entity which holds a High and New Technology Enterprise, or HNTE, qualification is entitled to enjoy a 15% preferential EIT rate till November 23, 2020. However, we cannot assure you that Shanghai IT will meet these criteria and continue to be qualified as an HNTE if we apply to the tax authorities in the future.

Moreover, unlike the tax regulations effective before 2008, which specifically exempted withholding taxes on dividends payable to non-PRC investors from foreign-invested enterprises in the PRC, the EIT Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding income tax rate of 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and the governments of other countries or regions. While the Tax Agreement between the PRC and Hong Kong provides dividends paid by a foreign-invested enterprise in the PRC to its corporate shareholder, which is considered a Hong Kong tax resident, will be subject to withholding tax at the rate of 5% of total dividends, this is limited to instances where the corporate shareholder directly holds at least 25% of the shares of the company that is to pay dividends for at least twelve consecutive months immediately prior to receiving the dividends and meets certain other criteria prescribed by the relevant regulations. Under the Administrative Measures for Non-Resident Taxpayer to Enjoy Treatments under Tax Treaties, which became effective in January 2020, non-resident taxpayers shall determine whether they are eligible for treaty benefits and file a relevant report and materials with the tax authorities. Meanwhile, the reduced withholding tax rate also applies if the conditions stipulated by other tax rules and regulations are met.

In February 2018, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Relating to “Beneficial Owner” in Tax Treaties on issues relating to “beneficial owner” in tax treaties, or Circular No. 9, which took effect on April 1, 2018. Circular No. 9 provides detailed guidance to determine whether the applicant engages in substantive business activities to constitute a “beneficial owner”. When determining the applicant’s status of the “beneficial owner” regarding tax treatments in connection with dividends, interests or royalties in the tax treaties, several factors, including without limitation, whether the applicant is obligated to pay more than 50% of his or her income in the past twelve months to residents in third country or region, whether the business operated by the applicant constitutes the actual business activities, and whether the other country or region to the tax treaties does not levy any tax or grant tax exemption on relevant incomes at all or levy tax at an extremely low rate, will be taken into account, and it will be analyzed according to the actual circumstances of the specific cases. If the non-resident taxpayer does not apply to the withholding agent for the tax treaty benefits, or such taxpayer does not satisfy the criteria to be entitled to tax treaty benefits, the withholding agent should withhold tax pursuant to the provisions of PRC tax laws. We cannot assure you that any dividends to be distributed by our subsidiaries to us or by us to our non-PRC shareholders and ADS holders, whose jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China providing a different withholding arrangement, will be entitled to the benefits under the relevant withholding arrangement.

In addition, the EIT Law deems an enterprise established offshore but having its management organ in the PRC as a “resident enterprise” that will be subject to PRC tax at the rate of 25% of its global income. Under the Implementation Rules of the EIT Law, the term “management organ” is defined as “an organ which has substantial and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operation, personnel, accounting, properties and other factors.” On April 22, 2009, the SAT further issued a notice regarding recognizing an offshore-established enterprise controlled by PRC shareholders as a resident enterprise according to its management organ, or Circular 82. According to Circular 82, a foreign enterprise controlled by a PRC company or a PRC company group shall be deemed a PRC resident enterprise, if (i) the senior management and the core management departments in charge of its daily operations are mainly located and function in the PRC; (ii) its financial decisions and human resource decisions are subject to the determination or approval of persons or institutions located in the PRC; (iii) its major assets, accounting books, company seals, minutes and files of board meetings and shareholders’ meetings are located or kept in the PRC; and (iv) more than half of the directors or senior management with voting rights reside in the PRC. On July 27, 2011, SAT issued the Administrative Measures of Enterprise Income Tax of Chinese-Controlled Offshore Incorporated Resident Enterprises (Trial), or SAT Bulletin 45, which was amended in April 2015, June 2016 and June 2018. SAT Bulletin 45 further clarified the detailed procedures for determining resident status under Circular 82, competent tax authorities in charge and post-determination administration of such resident enterprises. Although our offshore companies are not controlled by any PRC company or PRC company group, we cannot assure you that we will not be deemed to be a “resident enterprise” under the EIT Law and thus be subject to PRC EIT on our global income.

According to the EIT Law and its implementation rules, dividends are exempted from income tax if such dividends are received by a resident enterprise on equity interests it directly owns in another resident enterprise. However, foreign corporate holders of our shares or ADSs may be subject to taxation at a rate of 10% on any dividends received from us or any gains realized from the transfer of our shares or ADSs if we are deemed to be a resident enterprise or if such income is otherwise regarded as income from “sources within the PRC.” The EIT Law empowers the PRC State Council to enact appropriate implementing rules and measures and there is no guarantee that we or our subsidiaries will be entitled to any of the preferential tax treatments. Nor can we assure you that the tax authorities will not, in the future, discontinue any of our preferential tax treatments, potentially with retroactive effect. Any significant increase in the EIT rate under the EIT Law applicable to our PRC subsidiaries and affiliated entities, or the imposition of withholding taxes on dividends payable by our subsidiaries to us, or an EIT levy on us or any of our subsidiaries or affiliated entities registered outside the PRC, or dividends or capital gains received by our shareholders due to shares or ADSs held in us will have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial conditions and the value of investments in us.

We are required to pay value added tax as a result of tax reforms in various regions in China and we may be subject to similar tax treatments elsewhere in China.

On March 23, 2016, the Ministry of Finance and the SAT jointly issued the Circular on the Pilot Program for Overall Implementation of the Collection of Value Added Tax Instead of Business Tax, or Circular 36, which took effect on May 1, 2016. Pursuant to Circular 36, all companies operating in construction, real estate, finance, modern service or other sectors which were required to pay business tax are required to pay value added tax, or VAT, in lieu of business tax. As a result of Circular 36, the services provided by Shanghai IT, Shanghai Hui Ling, China The9 Interactive (Shanghai) Limited, or C9I Shanghai, China The9 Interactive (Beijing) Limited, or C9I Beijing, Wuxi QuDong, Shanghai Kaie and The9 Computer, as general VAT payers are subject to VAT at the rate of 6%, and the services provided by our other PRC subsidiaries and affiliated PRC entities as small-scale VAT payers are subject to VAT at the rate of 3%. While as general VAT payers may reduce their VAT payable amount by the VAT which they paid in connection with their purchasing activities, or the Input VAT, those companies as small-scale VAT payers may not reduce their VAT payable amount by their Input VAT. As a result, some of our subsidiaries and affiliated PRC entities may be subject to more unfavorable tax treatment as a result of the tax reform, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Strengthened scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on our acquisition strategy.

In connection with the EIT Law, the SAT issued, on February 3, 2015, the Notice on Several Issues regarding Enterprise Income Tax for Indirect Property Transfer by Non-resident Enterprises, or SAT Circular 7, which further specifies the criteria for judging reasonable commercial purpose, and the legal requirements for the voluntary reporting procedures and filing materials in the case of indirect property transfer. SAT Circular 7 has listed several factors to be taken into consideration by tax authorities in determining whether an indirect transfer has a reasonable commercial purpose. However, despite these factors, an indirect transfer satisfying all the following criteria shall be deemed to lack reasonable commercial purpose and be taxable under the PRC laws: (i) 75% or more of the equity value of the intermediary enterprise being transferred is derived directly or indirectly from the PRC taxable properties; (ii) at any time during the one year period before the indirect transfer, 90% or more of the asset value of the intermediary enterprise (excluding cash) is comprised directly or indirectly of investments in the PRC, or 90% or more of its income is derived directly or indirectly from the PRC; (iii) the functions performed and risks assumed by the intermediary enterprise and any of its subsidiaries that directly or indirectly hold the PRC taxable properties are limited and are insufficient to prove their economic substance; and (iv) the foreign tax payable on the gains derived from the indirect transfer of the PRC taxable properties is lower than the potential PRC tax on the direct transfer of such assets. Nevertheless, the indirect transfer falling into the scope of the safe harbor under SAT Circular 7 may not be subject to PRC tax and such safe harbor includes qualified group restructuring, public market trading and tax treaty exemptions. According to SAT Circular 7, where the payer fails to withhold tax in a sufficient amount, the transferor can declare and pay such tax to the tax authority by itself within the statutory time period. Late payment of applicable tax will subject the transferor to default interest.

On October 17, 2017, the SAT released the Public Notice Regarding Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Public Notice 37, which further elaborates the relevant implementation rules regarding the calculation, reporting and payment obligations of the withholding tax by the non-resident enterprises.

Under SAT Circular 7 and SAT Public Notice 37, the entities or individuals obligated to pay the transfer price to the transferor shall be the withholding agent and shall withhold the PRC tax from the transfer price. If the withholding agent fails to do so, the transferor shall report to and pay the PRC tax to the PRC tax authorities. In case neither the withholding agent nor the transferor complies with the obligations under SAT Circular 7 and SAT Public Notice 37, other than imposing penalties such as late payment interest on the transferors, the tax authority may also hold the withholding agent liable and impose a penalty of 50% to 300% of the unpaid tax on the withholding agent, provided that such penalty imposed on the withholding agent may be reduced or waived if the withholding agent has submitted the relevant materials in connection with the indirect transfer to the PRC tax authorities in accordance with SAT Circular 7 and SAT Public Notice 37.

Since we may pursue acquisition as one of our growth strategies, and have conducted and may conduct acquisitions involving complex corporate structures, the PRC tax authorities may, at their discretion, adjust the capital gains and impose tax return filing obligations on us or request us to submit additional documentation for their review in connection with any of our acquisitions, thus causing us to incur additional acquisition costs.

We have limited business insurance coverage in China.

The insurance industry in China is still at an early stage of development. Insurance companies in China offer limited business insurance products. As a result, we do not have any business liability or disruption insurance coverage for our operations in China. Any business disruption, litigation or natural disaster might result in our incurring substantial costs and the diversion of our resources.

Some of our subsidiaries, affiliated entities and joint ventures in China engaged in certain business activities beyond the authorized scope of their respective licenses, and if they are subject to administrative penalties or fines, our operating results may be adversely affected.

Some of our subsidiaries, affiliated entities and joint ventures in China engaged in business activities that were not within the authorized scope of their respective licenses in the past. The relevant PRC authorities may impose administrative fines or other penalties for the non-compliance with the authorized scope of the business licenses, which may in turn adversely affect our operating results.

Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and the trading price of our ADSs.

We are subject to reporting obligations under the U.S. securities laws. The Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, has adopted rules requiring public companies to include a report of management in its annual report that contains management’s assessment of the effectiveness of such company’s internal controls over financial reporting.

Our management has concluded that our internal controls over financial reporting were effective as of December 31, 2019. We, however, were not subject to the requirement to provide an attestation report on our management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting as we were not an accelerated filer or a large accelerated filer (as defined in § 240.12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act) as of December 31, 2019.

If we fail to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting in the future, our management and, if applicable, our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to conclude that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting at a reasonable assurance level. This could result in a loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial reporting which in turn could negatively impact the trading price of our ADSs and result in lawsuits being filed against us by our shareholders or otherwise harm our reputation. Furthermore, we have incurred and anticipate that we will continue to incur considerable costs and use significant management time and other resources in an effort to comply with Section 404 and other requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Changes in accounting standards may adversely affect our financial statements

A change in accounting standards or practices may have a significant effect on our results of operations and may affect our reporting of transactions completed before the change is effective. New accounting pronouncements and varying interpretations of accounting pronouncements have occurred and may occur in the future. Changes to existing rules or the application thereof and changes to current practices may adversely affect our reported financial results or the way we conduct our business. For example, Accounting Standards Codification 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” or ASC 606, became effective on January 1, 2018. We adopted ASC 606 on January 1, 2018. Effective from January 1, 2019, we adopted ASC 842, a new accounting standard on the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities issued by FASB, and have applied this accounting standard on a modified retrospective basis and have elected not to restate comparative periods. As a result, we recorded operating lease right-of-assets of RMB9.3 million (US$1.3 million), current portion of operating lease liabilities of RMB3.4 million (US$0.5 million) and non-current portion of operating lease liabilities of RMB6.3 million (US$0.9 million) as of December 31, 2019. There may be other standards that become effective in the future that may have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and will result in a significant gross up of both our assets and liabilities.

The audit report for the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 is prepared by auditors who are not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

As an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and as an audit firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, our independent registered public accounting firm is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB. As our auditor is located in the PRC, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the PRC authorities, our auditor, like other independent registered public accounting firms operating in the PRC, is not currently inspected by the PCAOB. On May 24, 2013, the PCAOB announced that it had entered into a memorandum of understanding on enforcement and cooperation with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance, or the MOF, which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations in the United States and China. However, direct PCAOB inspections of independent registered accounting firms in China are still not permitted by Chinese authorities. On December 7, 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. The joint statement reflects a heightened interest in an issue that has vexed U.S. regulators in recent years. However, it remains unclear what further actions the SEC and PCAOB will take to address the problem. On April 21, 2020, the SEC and the PCAOB issued another joint statement reiterating the greater risk that disclosures will be insufficient in many emerging markets, including China, compared to those made by U.S. domestic companies. In discussing the specific issues related to the greater risk, the statement again highlights the PCAOB's inability to inspect audit work paper and practices of accounting firms in China, with respect to their audit work of U.S. reporting companies.

The lack of direct PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating audit documentation located in China and its related quality control procedures. As a result, our investors may be deprived of the benefits of the PCAOB’s oversight of our auditors through such inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of our auditors’ work papers in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may consequently lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.

On December 3, 2012, the SEC issued an order instituting administrative proceedings against five of the largest global public accounting firms relating to work performed in the PRC and such firms’ failure to provide audit work papers to the SEC in this regard. Our independent registered public accounting firm is not one of the accounting firms referenced in the order. On January 22, 2014, an initial administrative law decision was issued, censuring the five accounting firms and suspending four of the five firms from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. On February 12, 2014, four of these PRC-based accounting firms appealed to the SEC against this decision. In February 2015, each of the four PRC-based accounting firms agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC. The settlement requires the firms to follow detailed procedures to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms’ audit documents via the CSRC. If the firms do not follow these procedures, the SEC could impose penalties such as suspensions, or it could restart the administrative proceedings.

In the event that the SEC restarts the administrative proceedings, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the United States with significant PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in the PRC, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, including possible delisting. Moreover, any negative news about the proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based, United States-listed companies and the market price of our shares may be adversely affected.

If our independent registered public accounting firm was denied, temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to the delisting of our ordinary shares from Nasdaq or deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

As part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China’s, in June 2019, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress that would require the SEC to maintain a list of issuers for which PCAOB is not able to inspect or investigate an auditor report issued by a foreign public accounting firm. The Ensuring Quality Information and Transparency for Abroad-Based Listings on our Exchanges (EQUITABLE) Act prescribes increased disclosure requirements for these issuers and, beginning in 2025, the delisting from U.S. national securities exchanges such as the Nasdaq Capital Market of issuers included on the SEC’s list for three consecutive years. Enactment of this legislation or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of our ADSs could be adversely affected. It is unclear if this proposed legislation would be enacted. Furthermore, there has been recent media reports on deliberations within the U.S. government regarding potentially limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. If any such deliberations were to materialize, the resulting legislation may have material and adverse impact on the stock performance of China-based issuers listed in the U.S.

We face risks related to natural disasters and health epidemics.

In addition to the impact of COVID-19, our business could be materially and adversely affected by natural disasters, other health epidemics or other public safety concerns affecting the PRC, and particularly Shanghai. Natural disasters may give rise to server interruptions, breakdowns, system failures, technology platform failures or internet failures, which could cause the loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware as well as adversely affect our ability to operate our platforms and provide services and solutions. Our business could also be adversely affected if our employees are affected by health epidemics. In addition, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent that any health epidemic harms the Chinese economy in general. Our headquarters are located in Shanghai, where most of our directors and management and the majority of our employees currently reside. Most of our system hardware and back-up systems are hosted in facilities located in Shanghai. Consequently, if any natural disasters, health epidemics or other public safety concerns were to affect Shanghai, our operation may experience material disruptions, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Our business may be adversely affected by public opinion and government policies in China.

Currently, most of our recurring users are young males, including students. Due to the recent population and higher degree of user loyalty to mobile games, easy access to personal computers and mobile devices, and lack of more appealing forms of entertainment in China, many teenagers frequently play online games. This may result in these teenagers spending less time on, or refraining from, other activities, including education and sports. In April 2007, various governmental authorities, including GAPP, MIIT, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, and other relevant authorities jointly issued a circular concerning the mandatory implementation of an “anti-fatigue system” in online games, which aims to protect the physical and psychological health of minors. This circular required all online games to incorporate an “anti-fatigue system” and an identity verification system, both of which have limited the amount of time that a minor or other user may continuously spend playing an online game. We have implemented such “anti-fatigue” and identification systems on all of our online games as required. Since March 2011, various governmental authorities, including MIIT, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, and other relevant authorities have jointly launched the “Online Game Parents Guardianship Project for Minors,” which allows parents to require online game operators to take relevant measures to limit the time spent by the minors playing online games and the minors’ access to their online game accounts. On February 5, 2013, the Ministry of Culture, MIIT, GAPP and various other governmental authorities, jointly issued the Working Plan on the Comprehensive Prevention Scheme on Online Game Addiction of Minors, which further strengthens the administration of Internet cafés, reinstates the importance of the “anti-fatigue system” and “Online Game Parents Guardianship Project for Minors” as prevention measures against the online game addiction of minors and orders all relevant governmental authorities to take all necessary actions in implementing such measures. In addition, on December 1, 2016, the Ministry of Culture (currently known as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) issued the Circular on Regulating Online Game Operations and Strengthening Interim and Ex Post Regulation, or the MOC Online Games Regulation, which became effective on May 1, 2017. Pursuant to the MOC Online Games Regulation, an enterprise engaged in online game operations shall strictly comply with the provisions of the “Online Game Parents Guardianship Project for Minors,” and online game operators are encouraged to set upper limits on the consumption by users who are minors, limit the amount of time that such users are allowed to spend on online games, and take technical measures to block scenes and functions, among other things, that are not suitable for users who are minors. In October 2019, GAPPRFT issued the Notice by the General Administration of Press and Publication of Preventing Minors from Indulging in Online Games, or Anti-indulgence Notice, which imposed an array of restrictive measures to prevent underage users to indulge in online games. For example, game operators are not allowed to provide underage users with any form of access to online games during the period from 22:00 p.m. each day to 8:00 a.m. of the next day and the total length of time for game operators to provide underage users with access to online games cannot exceed three hours a day during statutory holidays or 1.5 hours a day on days other than statutory holidays. In addition, online transactions are capped monthly at RMB200 or RMB400, depending on a minor's age. Further strengthening of these systems, or enactment by the PRC government of any additional laws to further tighten its administration over the Internet and online games may result in less time spent by customers or fewer customers playing our online games, which may materially and adversely affect our business results and prospects for future growth.

Adverse changes in economic and political policies of the PRC government could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China, which could adversely affect our business.

We conduct substantially all of our business operations in China. As the gaming industry is highly sensitive to business and personal discretionary spending, it tends to decline during general economic downturns. Accordingly, our results of operations, financial condition and prospects are subject to a significant degree to economic, political and legal developments in China. China’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth in the past twenty years, growth has slowed down since 2012 and has been uneven across different regions and among various economic sectors of China. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic development and guide the allocation of resources. While some of these measures benefit the overall PRC economy, they may also have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us. As the PRC economy is increasingly intricately linked to the global economy, it is affected in various respects by downturns and recessions of major economies around the world. The various economic and policy measures the PRC government enacts to forestall economic downturns or shore up the PRC economy could affect our business.

Although the PRC government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China are still owned by the PRC government. In addition, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through the allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. These actions, as well as future actions and policies of the PRC government, could materially affect our liquidity and access to capital and our ability to operate our business.

The laws and regulations governing the online game industry in China are developing and subject to future changes. If we fail to obtain or maintain all applicable permits and approvals, our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected.

The online game industry in China is highly regulated by the PRC government. Various regulatory authorities of the PRC central government, such as the State Council, MIIT, GAPPRFT, the Ministry of Culture and the Tourism (formerly known as the Ministry of Culture), or MCT, the Ministry of Public Security, are empowered to issue and implement regulations governing various aspects of the online games industry.

We are required to obtain applicable permits or approvals from different regulatory authorities in order to provide online games to our customers. For example, an Internet content provider must obtain a value-added telecommunications business operating license for ICP, or ICP License, in order to engage in any commercial ICP operations within China. In addition, an online games operator must also obtain a license from the MCT and a license from GAPPRFT in order to distribute games through the Internet. Furthermore, an online game operator is required to obtain approval from the MCT in order to distribute virtual currencies for online games such as prepaid value cards, prepaid money or game points. If we fail to obtain or maintain any of the required filings, permits or approvals in the future, we may be subject to various penalties, including fines and the discontinuation or restriction of our operations. Any such disruption in our business operations would materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

As the online game industry is at an early stage of development in China, new laws and regulations may be adopted from time to time to require additional licenses and permits other than those we currently have, and may address new issues that arise from time to time. As a result, substantial uncertainties exist regarding the interpretation and implementation of current and any future PRC laws and regulations applicable to the online gaming industry. We cannot assure you that we will be able to timely obtain any new license required in the future, or at all. While we believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect, we cannot assure you that we will not be found in violation of any current or future PRC laws and regulations.

Regulation and censorship of information disseminated over the Internet in China may adversely affect our business, and we may be liable for information displayed on, retrieved from, or linked to our Internet websites.

The PRC government has adopted certain regulations governing Internet access and the distribution of news and other information over the Internet. Under these regulations, Internet content providers and Internet publishers are prohibited from posting or displaying over the Internet content that, among other things, violates PRC laws and regulations, impairs the national dignity of China, or is obscene, superstitious, fraudulent or defamatory. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in the revocation of ICP and other required licenses and the closure of the concerned websites. The website operator may also be held liable for such prohibited information displayed on, retrieved from or linked to such website.

MCT has promulgated laws and regulations that reiterate the government’s policies to prohibit the distribution of games with violence, cruelty or other elements that are believed to have the potential effect of instigating crimes, and to prevent the influx of harmful cultural products from overseas.

MCT has promulgated laws and regulations that require, among other things, (i) the review and prior approval of all new online games licensed from foreign game developers and related license agreements, (ii) the review of patches and updates with substantial changes of games which have already been approved, and (iii) the filing of domestically developed online games. Furthermore, online games, regardless of whether imported or domestic, will be subject to content review and approval by GAPPRFT prior to the commencement of games operations in China. Failure to obtain or renew approvals or to complete filings for online games, including mobile games, may materially delay or otherwise affect game operator’s plans to launch new games, and the operator may be subject to fines, restriction or suspension of operations of the related games or revocation of licenses in the event that the relevant governmental authority believes that the violation is severe. We obtained the necessary approvals from and completed necessary filings with the Ministry of Culture and GAPP for operations of our games as applicable. Consistent with the general practice of the mobile and TV game industry in China, we have not yet completed filings with the Ministry of Culture and GAPPRFT for our mobile and TV games before we commenced our operations. If any such negative event occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, MIIT has published regulations that subject website operators to potential liability for content included on their websites and the actions of users and others using their websites, including liability for violations of PRC laws prohibiting the dissemination of content deemed to be socially destabilizing. The Ministry of Public Security has the authority to order any local Internet service provider to block any Internet website maintained outside China at its sole discretion. Periodically, the Ministry of Public Security has stopped the dissemination over the Internet of information which it believes to be socially destabilizing. The State Secrecy Bureau, which is directly responsible for the protection of State secrets of the PRC government, is authorized to block any website it deems to be leaking state secrets or failing to meet the relevant regulations relating to the protection of state secrets in the dissemination of online information.

As these regulations are subject to interpretation by the relevant authorities, it may not be possible for us to determine in all cases the type of content that could result in liability for us as a website operator. In addition, we may not be able to control or restrict the content of other Internet content providers linked to or accessible through our websites, or content generated or placed on our websites by our users, despite our attempt to monitor such content. To the extent that regulatory authorities find any portion of our content objectionable, they may require us to limit or eliminate the dissemination of such information or otherwise curtail the nature of such content on our websites, which may reduce our user traffic and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may be subject to significant penalties for violations of those regulations arising from information displayed on, retrieved from or linked to our websites, including a suspension or shutdown of our operations.

Future movements in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the RMB may adversely affect the value of our ADSs.

The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. We cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Any significant appreciation or depreciation of Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our ADSs in U.S. dollars. Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.

Restrictions on currency exchange in China limit our ability to utilize our revenues effectively, make dividend payments and meet our foreign currency denominated obligations.

Currently, a significant portion of our revenues are denominated in RMB. Restrictions on currency exchange in China limit our ability to utilize revenues generated in RMB to fund our business activities outside China, make dividend payments in U.S. dollars, or obtain and remit sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our foreign currency-denominated obligations, such as paying license fees and royalty payments. The principal regulation governing foreign currency exchange in China is the Foreign Exchange Administration Rules (1996), as amended. Under such rules, the RMB is generally freely convertible for trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not for direct investment, loans or investment in securities outside China unless the prior approval of SAFE or designated banks is obtained. Although the PRC government regulations now allow greater convertibility of RMB for current account transactions, significant restrictions still remain. For example, foreign exchange transactions under our PRC subsidiaries’ capital account, including principal payments in respect of foreign currency-denominated obligations, remain subject to significant foreign exchange controls and the approval and filing procedures of SAFE or authorized banks, as applicable. These limitations could affect our ability to obtain foreign exchange for capital expenditures. We cannot be certain that the PRC regulatory authorities will not impose more stringent restrictions on the convertibility of the RMB, especially with respect to foreign exchange transactions.

PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident shareholders or us to penalties and fines, and limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital, distribute profits to us, or otherwise adversely affect us.

On July 4, 2014, SAFE issued the Circular on Several Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration of Domestic Residents Engaging in Overseas Investment, Financing and Round-Trip Investment via Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37. SAFE Circular 37 and its detailed guidelines require PRC residents to register with the local branch of SAFE before contributing their legally owned onshore or offshore assets or equity interest into any special purpose vehicle, or SPV, directly established, or indirectly controlled, by them for the purpose of investment or financing. SAFE Circular 37 further requires that when there is (a) any change to the basic information of the SPV, such as any change relating to its individual PRC resident shareholders, name or operation period or (b) any material change, such as increase or decrease in the share capital held by its individual PRC resident shareholders, a share transfer or exchange of the shares in the SPV, or a merger or split of the SPV, the PRC resident must register such changes with the local branch of SAFE on a timely basis.

We have requested all of our shareholders who, based on our knowledge, are PRC residents or whose ultimate beneficial owners are PRC residents to comply with all applicable SAFE registration requirements. However, we have no control over our shareholders. We cannot assure you that the PRC beneficial owners of our company and our subsidiaries have completed the required SAFE registrations or complied with other related requirements. Nor can we assure you that they will be in full compliance with the SAFE registration in the future. Any non-compliance by the PRC beneficial owners of our company and our subsidiaries may subject us or such PRC resident shareholders to fines and other penalties. It may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries and our subsidiaries’ ability to distribute profits or make other payments to us.

PRC regulation of direct investment and loans by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or limit us from using offshore assets, including the proceeds of our initial public offering and other offering, to make additional capital contributions or loans to our PRC subsidiary.

We are an offshore holding company conducting our operations in China through our PRC subsidiaries, variable interest entity and its subsidiaries. We may make loans to our PRC subsidiary, variable interest entity and its subsidiaries, subject to the approval from governmental authorities and limitation of amount, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary.

Any loans to our PRC subsidiaries in China, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC laws, are subject to foreign exchange loan registrations. In addition, a foreign-invested enterprises shall use its capital pursuant to the principle of authenticity and self-use within its business scope. The capital of an foreign invested enterprise shall not be used for the following purposes: (i) direct or indirect payment beyond the business scope of the enterprises or the payment prohibited by relevant laws and regulations; (ii) direct or indirect investment in securities or investments other than banks’ principal-secured products unless otherwise provided by relevant laws and regulations; (iii) the granting of loans to non-affiliated enterprises, except where it is expressly permitted in the business license; and (iv) paying the expenses related to the purchase of real estate that is not for self-use (except for the foreign-invested real estate enterprises).In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary registration or obtain the necessary approval on a timely basis, or at all. If we fail to complete the necessary registration or obtain the necessary approval, our ability to make loans or equity contributions to our PRC subsidiary may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our PRC subsidiary’s liquidity and its ability to fund its working capital and expansion projects and meet its obligations and commitments.

Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on the Relevant Issues Concerning the Administration of Foreign Exchange for Domestic Individuals’ Participation in Equity Incentive Programs of Overseas Listed Companies, or Circular 7. Under Circular 7, PRC residents who participate in stock incentive plan in an overseas publicly-listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branches and complete certain other procedures. Participants of a stock incentive plan who are PRC residents must retain a qualified PRC agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas publicly listed company or another qualified institution selected by such PRC subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures with respect to the stock incentive plan on behalf of its participants. Such participants must also retain an overseas entrusted institution to handle matters in connection with their exercise of stock options, the purchase and sale of corresponding stocks or interests and fund transfers. In addition, the PRC agent is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock incentive plan if there is any material change to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or the overseas entrusted institution or other material changes. We and our PRC employees who have been granted stock incentive awards are be subject to these regulations. However, neither our PRC plan participants nor we have completed such requisite registration and other procedures. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the relevant registration for new employees who participate in such stock incentive plan in the future in a timely manner or at all. Failure of our PRC plan participants to complete their SAFE registrations may subject these PRC residents or us to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to distribute dividends to us, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors and employees under PRC law.

Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.

We conduct our business primarily through our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities incorporated in China. Our PRC subsidiaries are generally subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China and, in particular, laws applicable to wholly-foreign-owned enterprises. We entered into a series of contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities in PRC to exercise effective control over these entities. Almost all of the agreements under those contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and disputes arising out of these agreements are expected to be decided by arbitration in China. The PRC legal system is based on written statutes. Prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. PRC legislation and regulations have significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China for the past decades. However, since the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties, which may limit legal protections available to us. In addition, any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

Our current corporate structure and business operations may be affected by the Foreign Investment Law

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress promulgated the Foreign Investment Law, or the FIL, which took effect on January 1, 2020 and replace the existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Law, the Sino-Foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Law and the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law, or Existing FIE Laws, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The FIL embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Government Regulations—Regulation on Foreign Investment.”

Uncertainties still exist in relation to interpretation and implementation of the FIL, especially in regard to, including, among other things, the nature of variable interest entities contractual arrangements and specific rules regulating the organization form of foreign-invested enterprises within the five-year transition period. While FIL does not define contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment explicitly, we cannot assure you that future laws and regulations will not provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment. Therefore, there can be no assurance that our control over our affiliated PRC entities through contractual arrangements will not be deemed as foreign investment in the future. The Special Administrative Measures on Access of Foreign Investment (Negative List) (Edition 2019), or the 2019 Negative List, was jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOC, and the National Development and Reform Commission, or the NDRC, on June 30, 2019. The 2019 Negative List stipulates the special administrative measures on access of foreign investment. Industries not listed in the 2019 Negative List are generally deemed as falling into categories of “encouraged” or “permitted” unless specifically restricted by other PRC laws. Our current business operations in China falls in the “prohibited” industry for foreign investment. However, even though FIL does not define contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment explicitly, there can be no assurance that our contractual arrangements will be valid and legal at all times. In the event that any possible implementing regulations of the FIL, any other future laws, administrative regulations or provisions deem contractual arrangements as a way of foreign investment, our contractual arrangements may be deemed as invalid and illegal, we may be required to unwind the variable interest entity contractual arrangements and/or dispose of any affected business. Also, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions mandate further actions to be taken with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. Furthermore, under the FIL, foreign investors or the foreign investment enterprise should be imposed legal liabilities for failing to report investment information in accordance with the requirements. In addition, the FIL provides that foreign invested enterprises established according to the existing laws regulating foreign investment may maintain their structure and corporate governance within a five-year transition period, which means that we may be required to adjust the structure and corporate governance of certain of our PRC subsidiaries in such transition period. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with any of these or similar regulatory compliance challenges could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.

We may not be able to pursue growth through strategic acquisitions in China due to complicated procedures under PRC laws and regulations for foreign investors to acquire PRC companies.

In recent years, certain PRC laws and regulations have established procedures and requirements that are expected to make merger and acquisition activities in China by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex. These laws and regulations include, without limitation, the Rules on the Merger and Acquisition of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, and the Anti-Monopoly Law and the MOFCOM Security Review Rules. In some instances, MOFCOM needs to be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. The approval by MOFCOM may also need to be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire affiliated domestic companies. PRC laws and regulations also require certain merger and acquisition transactions to be subject to merger control review or security review. The MOFCOM Security Review Rules, effective from September 1, 2011, provide that, when deciding whether a specific merger or acquisition of a domestic enterprise by foreign investors shall be subject to the security review by MOFCOM, the principle of substance over form shall be applied. In particular, foreign investors are prohibited from bypassing the security review requirement by structuring transactions through proxies, trusts, indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual arrangements or offshore transactions.

If the business of any target company that we expect to acquire becomes subject to the security review, we may not be able to successfully complete the acquisition of such company, either by equity or asset acquisition, capital contribution or through any contractual arrangement. Complying with the requirements of the PRC laws and regulations to complete acquisition transactions could become more time-consuming and complex. Any required approval, such as approval by MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to grow our business or increase our market share. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether the M&A Rules, security review rules or the other PRC regulations regarding the acquisitions of PRC companies by foreign investors will be amended when the FIL becomes effective in the future.

The continued growth of China’s Internet market depends on the establishment of adequate telecommunications infrastructure.

Although private sector Internet service providers currently exist in China, almost all access to the Internet is maintained through state-owned telecommunication operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of China’s MIIT. In addition, the national networks in China connect to the Internet through government-controlled international gateways. These government-controlled international gateways are the only channel through which a domestic PRC user can connect to the international Internet network. We rely on this infrastructure to provide data communications capacity primarily through local telecommunications lines. Although the government has announced plans to aggressively develop the national information infrastructure, we cannot assure you that this infrastructure will be developed as planned or at all. In addition, we will have no access to alternative networks and services, on a timely basis if at all, in the event of any infrastructure disruption or failure. The Internet infrastructure in China may not support the demands necessary for the continued growth in Internet usage.

Risks Related to Our Shares and ADSs

Our ADSs may be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market as a result of our not meeting the Nasdaq Capital Market continued listing requirements.

Our ADSs are currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “NCTY.” We must continue to meet the requirements set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550 to remain listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The listing standards of the Nasdaq Capital Market provide that a company, in order to qualify for continued listing, must maintain a minimum ADS price of US$1.00 and satisfy standards relative to minimum shareholders’ equity, minimum market value of publicly held shares (MVPHS), minimum market value of listed securities (MVLS) and various additional requirements. On October 3, 2018, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq, pursuant to which Nasdaq informed us that due to our failure to regain compliance with the continued listing requirement of US$50 million minimum Market Value of Listed Securities (“MVLS”) for the Nasdaq Global Market as set in the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(2)(A), our ADSs would be delisted from the Nasdaq Global Market unless measures are taken prior to a certain timeline. We later transferred our listing venue to Nasdaq Capital Market with which we fully comply with the continued listing standards. On March 6, 2020, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq, notifying us that the minimum bid price per ADS, each representing three Class A ordinary shares of the Company, was below US$1.00 for a period of 30 consecutive business days and we did not meet the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Rule 5550(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Due to the tolling of compliance period through June 30, 2020, as determined by Nasdaq, we now have until November 16, 2020, to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement. On April 13, 2020, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq, notifying us that we no longer met the continued listing standards of MVLS for the Nasdaq Capital Market, as set forth in the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) because the market value of our securities listed on Nasdaq for the last 30 consecutive business days was below the minimum MVLS requirement of US$35.0 million. Pursuant to the Rule 5810(c)(3)(C) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules, we have a compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until October 12, 2020, to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum MVLS requirement. If we fail to satisfy Nasdaq Capital Market’s continued listing requirements and fail to regain compliance on a timely basis, our ADSs could be delisted from Nasdaq Capital Market.

However, there can be no assurance that our ADSs will be eligible for trading on any such alternative exchanges or markets in the United States. If Nasdaq determines to delist our ordinary shares, or if we fail to list our ADSs on other stock exchanges or find alternative trading venue for our ADSs, the market liquidity and the price of our ADSs and our ability to obtain financing for our operations could be materially and adversely affected.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from a number of rules under the U.S. securities laws and are permitted to file less information with the SEC than U.S. public companies.

We are a “foreign private issuer” as defined in the SEC rules and regulations and, consequently, we are not subject to all of the disclosure requirements applicable to companies organized within the United States. For example, we are exempt from certain rules under the Exchange Act that regulate disclosure obligations and procedural requirements related to the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations applicable to a security registered under the Exchange Act. In addition, our officers and directors are exempt from the reporting and “short-swing” profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and related rules with respect to their purchases and sales of our securities. Further, we are not required to comply with Regulation FD, which restricts the selective disclosure of material information. Moreover, we are not required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. public companies. Accordingly, there may be less publicly available information concerning our company than there is for U.S. public companies.

As a foreign private issuer, we file annual reports on Form 20-F within four months of the close of each fiscal year ended December 31 and reports on Form 6-K relating to certain material events promptly after we publicly announce these events. However, because of the above exemptions for foreign private issuers, our shareholders are not afforded the same protections or information generally available to investors holding shares in public companies organized in the United States.

While we are a foreign private issuer, we are not subject to certain Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. listed companies. We are entitled to rely on a provision in the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards that allows us to elect to follow Cayman Islands “home county” corporate law with regard to certain aspects of corporate governance. This allows us to follow certain corporate governance practices that differ in significant respects from the corporate governance requirements applicable to U.S. companies listed on the Nasdaq. For example, in each of November 2015 and August 2016, our board of directors approved an increase in the total number of ordinary shares reserved for issuance under our then effective stock option plan, for which we have followed “home country practice” in lieu of obtaining a shareholder approval pursuant to Nasdaq Market Rule 5635(c). We may also rely on other exemptions available to foreign private issuers in the future, and to the extent that we choose to do so in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

We believe we were a passive foreign investment company for our taxable year ended December 31, 2019, which could subject United States investors in the ADSs or ordinary shares to significant adverse United States income tax consequences.

A non-U.S. corporation will be a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, for any taxable year if either (1) at least 75% of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of passive income, or (2) at least 50% of the value of its assets (generally determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. We must make a separate determination after the close of each taxable year as to whether we were a PFIC for that year. Because the value of our assets for purposes of the PFIC test will generally be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs or ordinary shares, our PFIC status will depend in part on the market price of the ADSs or ordinary shares, which may fluctuate significantly, and the composition of our assets and liabilities.

Based on the market price of our ADSs and the composition of income and assets, we believe that we were a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ended December 31, 2019, and we will very likely be a PFIC for our current taxable year unless the market price of our ADSs increases, the portion of our gross income attributable to the passive types decreases, and/or we invest a substantial amount of the cash and other passive assets we hold in assets that produce or are held for the production of active income. Further, as previously disclosed, although not free from doubt, we believed that we were a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for prior years. In addition, it is possible that one or more of our subsidiaries were also PFICs for such year for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

If we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Taxation) holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, such U.S. Holders will generally be subject to reporting requirements and may incur significantly increased U.S. income tax on gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares and on the receipt of distributions on the ADSs or ordinary shares to the extent such gain or distribution is treated as an “excess distribution” under the U.S. federal income tax rules. Further, a U.S. Holder will generally be treated as holding an equity interest in a PFIC in the first taxable year of the U.S. Holder’s holding period in which we become classified as a PFIC and in subsequent taxable years even if we cease to be a PFIC in subsequent taxable years. See “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—U. S. Federal Income Taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company.”

You are strongly urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the impact of our being a PFIC in any taxable year on your investment in our ADSs and ordinary shares as well as the application of the PFIC rules.

Substantial future sales or the perception of sales of our ADSs or ordinary shares could adversely affect the price of our ADSs.

If our shareholders sell or are perceived by the market to sell substantial amounts of our ADSs, including those issued upon the exercise of outstanding options, in the public market, the market price of our ADSs could fall. Such sales also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate. If any existing shareholder or shareholders sell or are perceived by the market to sell a substantial amount of ordinary shares, the prevailing market price for our ADSs could be adversely affected. In December 2015, we issued and sold the Convertible Notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$40,050,000 to Splendid Days in three tranches at initial conversion prices of US$7.8, US$15.6 and US$23.4 per ADS, each representing three ordinary shares, respectively. In connection with the sale of Convertible Notes, we also issued the Warrants in an aggregate principal amount of US$9,950,000 to Splendid Days in four tranches at initial exercise prices of US$4.5, US$7.8, US$15.6 and US$23.4 per ADS, respectively. Among the four tranches Warrants, only the first tranche of the principal amount of US$5,000,000 with the initial exercise price of US$4.5 per ADS is still outstanding. In February 2020, we completed the sale of the equity interest in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties in accordance with the deed of settlement and its amendments. As of the date of this annual report, the outstanding balance of the Convertible Notes amounted to US$55.5 million, and the Warrants in a principal amount of US$5.0 were still outstanding. See “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Cash Flows and Working Capital.”

In addition, we may issue additional ordinary shares or ADSs for future acquisitions. If we pay for our future acquisitions in whole or in part with additionally issued ordinary shares or ADSs, your ownership interest in our company would be diluted and this, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on the price of our ADSs.

The market price for our ADSs may be volatile.

The market price for our ADSs is likely to be highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors including the following:

In addition, the securities market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our ADSs.

Our dual-class share structure with different voting rights will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

We have a dual-class share structure such that our ordinary shares consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares shall at all times vote together as one class on all resolutions submitted to a vote by our shareholders. Each Class A ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote on all matters subject to vote at our general meetings, and each Class B ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to fifty votes on all matters subject to vote at our general meetings. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B ordinary share by the holder of such Class B ordinary share to any person who is not an affiliate of such shareholder, such Class B ordinary share shall be automatically and immediately converted into one Class A ordinary share.

Mr. Jun Zhu, our chairman and chief executive officer, beneficially owns all of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares. As of February 29, 2020, Mr. Jun Zhu beneficially owned approximately 86.7% of the aggregate voting power of our company. As a result of the dual-class share structure and the concentration of ownership, holders of our Class B ordinary shares have considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. They may take actions that are not in the best interest of us or our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of our ADSs. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial. In addition, we may incur incremental compensation expenses to the holders of Class B ordinary shares as a result of their becoming entitled to high votes on each Class B ordinary share.

The dual-class structure of our ordinary shares may adversely affect the trading market for our ADSs.

S&P Dow Jones and FTSE Russell have changed their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices, including the S&P 500, to exclude companies with multiple classes of shares and companies whose public shareholders hold no more than 5% of total voting power from being added to such indices. In addition, several shareholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structures. As a result, the dual class structure of our ordinary shares may prevent the inclusion of our ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares in such indices and may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for our ADSs. Any actions or publications by shareholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of our ADSs.

Our shareholders may not have the same protections generally available to stockholders of other Nasdaq-listed companies because we are currently a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

Because Mr. Jun Zhu holds a majority of the total outstanding voting power in our company through Incsight Limited for the election of our board of directors, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5615(c). As a controlled company, we qualify for, and our board of directors, the composition of which is controlled by Incsight Limited and Mr. Jun Zhu, may rely upon, exemptions from several of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements, including requirements that:

Accordingly, to the extent that we may choose to rely on one or more of these exemptions, our shareholders would not be afforded the same protections generally as shareholders of other Nasdaq-listed companies for so long as Mr. Zhu is able to control the composition of our board through Incsight Limited and our board determines to rely upon one or more of such exemptions.

The rights of our shareholders may differ from the rights typically offered to shareholders of a U.S. corporation.

We are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares and, therefore, certain of the rights of holders of our ADSs, are governed by Cayman Islands law, including the provisions of the Companies Law (2020 Revision) and by our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association. These rights differ in certain respects from the rights of shareholders in typical U.S. corporations. See “Item 10. Additional Information—B. Memorandum and Articles of Association—Differences in Corporate Law” for a description of certain key differences between the provisions of the Companies Law (2020 Revision) applicable to us and, for example, the Delaware General Corporation Law relating to shareholders’ rights and protections.

Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs.

Our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. Our dual-class voting structure gives disproportionate voting power to the holders of our Class B ordinary shares. In addition, our board of directors will have the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our Class A ordinary shares, including Class A ordinary shares represented by ADS. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and our ability to protect our rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association and by the Companies Law (2020 Revision) and common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and provides significantly less protection to investors. Therefore, our public shareholders may have more difficulties protecting their interests in the face of actions by our management, directors or controlling shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States. In addition, shareholders of Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action before the federal courts of the United States. As a result, our shareholders may not be able to protect their interests if they are harmed in a manner that would otherwise enable them to sue in a United States federal court.

Your ability to bring an action against us or against our directors and officers, or to enforce a judgment against us or them, will be limited because we are incorporated in the Cayman Islands, because we conduct a substantial portion of our operations in China and because the majority of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States.

We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, substantially all of our assets are located in China and we conduct a substantial portion of our operations through our wholly-owned subsidiaries and affiliated entities in China. Most of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States and most of the assets of those persons are located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.

You may not be able to exercise your right to vote.

As a holder of ADSs, you will not have any direct right to attend general meetings of our shareholders or to cast any votes at such meetings. You may give voting instructions to the depositary of our ADSs to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. Otherwise, you will not be able to exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs unless you withdraw the shares and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. However, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of a shareholders’ meeting to enable you to withdraw the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs and become the registered holder of such shares to allow you to attend the general meeting and to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. Pursuant to our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, a shareholders’ meeting may be convened by us on seven business days’ notice. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out your voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out your voting instructions, if any such action or non-action is in good faith. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs are voted and you may have no legal remedy if the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or publish negative reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ADSs depends, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts or the content that they publish about us. If our financial performance fails to meet analyst estimates or one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our ADSs or change their opinion of our ADSs, our ADS price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our ADS price or trading volume to decline.

Your right to participate in any future rights offerings may be limited, which may cause dilution to your holdings.

We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. However, we cannot make rights available to you in the United States unless we register the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or an exemption from the registration requirements is available. Also, under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not make rights available to you unless the distribution to ADS holders of both the rights and any related securities are either registered under the Securities Act, or exempt from registration under the Securities Act. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective. Moreover, we may not be able to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, sell such undistributed rights to third parties in this situation. Accordingly, you may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in your holdings.

You may not receive distributions on ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to you.

The depositary of our ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. We have no obligation to register ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or other securities under U.S. securities laws. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of ADSs. This means that you may not receive the distribution we make on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you. These restrictions may have a material adverse effect on the value of your ADSs.

ADS holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable outcomes to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

The deposit agreement governing the ADSs provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws.

If we or the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable state and federal law. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver in connection with claims arising under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court. However, we believe that a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement. In determining whether to enforce a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision, courts will generally consider whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived the right to a jury trial. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. It is advisable that you consult legal counsel regarding the jury waiver provision before investing in the ADSs.

If you or any other ADS holders bring a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us and / or the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against us and/or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different outcomes than a trial by jury would have had, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiffs in any such action.

Nevertheless, if this jury trial waiver provision is not permitted by applicable law, an action could proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial.

No provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any ADS holder or by us or the depositary of compliance with any substantive provision of the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. 

We were incorporated in the Cayman Islands on December 22, 1999 under the name GameNow.net Limited as an exempted company limited by shares and were renamed The9 Limited in February 2004. We formed GameNow.net (Hong Kong) Limited, or GameNow, on January 17, 2000 in Hong Kong, as a wholly-owned subsidiary. We have historically conducted our operations in large part through The9 Computer Technology Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., or The9 Computer, previously a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of GameNow in China that we disposed in February 2020. We now conduct our operations through Hui Ling Computer Technology Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of GameNow in China.

Due to the current restrictions on foreign ownership of ICP and Internet culture operation in China, currently, we primarily rely on Shanghai IT, one of our affiliated PRC entities, in holding certain licenses and approvals necessary for our business online game operations through a series of contractual arrangements with Shanghai IT and its shareholders. See “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions—Arrangements with Affiliated PRC Entities” for details of the contractual arrangements with Shanghai IT and its shareholders. We do not hold any equity interest in Shanghai IT.

In July 2017, we completed a share exchange transaction with a Korean company IE Limited, or IE, whereby we exchanged 12,500,000 ordinary shares newly issued by us at a per share price of US$1.2 for approximately 14.6% equity interest of Smartposting Co., Ltd., or Smartposting, a wholly-owned subsidiary of IE, held by IE. We do not consolidate the results of Smartposting Co., Ltd. into our results of operations and treat it as an equity investee.

In January 2018, we completed a share exchange transaction with Red Ace Limited, or Red Ace, a British Virgin Islands company, whereby we exchanged 3,571,429 ordinary shares newly issued by us for approximately 29.0% equity interest of Maxline Holdings Limited, or Maxline, a Cayman Islands company engaged in the provision of information technology infrastructure solutions, website and mobile app design, held by Red Ace. We do not consolidate the results of Maxline into our results of operations and treat it as an equity investee.

Effective May 9, 2018, we effected a change of the ratio of the ADSs to ordinary shares from one ADS representing one ordinary share to three ordinary shares. Unless otherwise indicated, ADSs and per ADS amount in this annual report have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the changes in ratio for all periods presented.

In September 2018, we completed a share exchange transaction with Leading Choice Holding Limited, or Leading Choice, a company incorporated in Hong Kong, and the shareholder of Leading Choice for the issuance and sale of 21,000,000 ordinary shares of our company to Leading Choice in exchange for 20% equity interest in Leading Choice at that time as consideration.

In September 2018, we completed a share exchange transaction with Plutux Limited, or Plutux, a company incorporated in Gibraltar, and a shareholder of Plutux for the issuance and sale of 21,000,000 ordinary shares of our company to the participating shareholder of Plutux in exchange for 8% equity interest in Plutux at that time as consideration.

In March 2019, we signed a joint venture agreement with F&F to establish a joint venture to manufacture, market, distribute, and sell electric vehicles in China. We subsequently amended the joint venture agreement in June, July and September 2019, respectively. Pursuant to the joint venture agreement and the amendments with F&F, we are obligated to make a total of US$600.0 million in total capital contribution to the joint venture which are payable in three installments as follows: (i) the first installment in the amount of US$200.0 million shall be contributed in in accordance with the payment schedule of license fees to be agreed in the license agreement with F&F, (ii) the second installment in the amount of US$200.0 million shall be contributed within two months (subject to an extension for one month at our discretion) after the definitive arrangement relating to the use right in a piece of land in China, and (iii) the third installment in the amount of US$200.0 million shall be contributed within two months (subject to an extension for one month at our discretion) after the achievement of certain car model design milestone by F&F. As of the date of this annual report, we have not entered into a license agreement with F&F and have not fulfilled our first installment contribution obligation.

In March 2019, we borrowed an interest-free loan in a principal amount of US$5.0 million from Ark Pacific Associates Limited. In April 2019, the entire principal amount was paid out by Ark Pacific Associates Limited to F&F as non-refundable deposit, upon our request and on our behalf.

We failed to repay the Convertible Notes upon the maturity date and later entered into a deed of settlement with Splendid Days, the holder of the Convertible Notes in March 2019, and subsequently entered into several amendments to the deed of settlement in relation to the repayment schedule for the overdue Convertible Notes. Pursuant to the deed of settlement and its amendments, the outstanding amount of the Convertible Notes bore an interest rate of 12% per annum from the original maturity date to February 21, 2020. In February 2020, we completed the sale of the equity interest in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties in accordance with the deed of settlement and its amendments. Pursuant to the deed of settlement and its amendments, US$6.6 million of the outstanding amount of the Convertible Notes continues to bear an interest rate of 14% per annum commencing from February 22, 2020.

We undertook a corporate restructure to facilitate the sale of the equity interests in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties. In September 2019, we entered into a definitive agreement with Kapler Pte. Ltd, an indirect subsidiary of Keppel Corporation Limited, a multi-business company providing solutions for sustainable urbanization, pursuant to which 100% equity interest in several then subsidiaries of our company in China, namely China The9 Interactive (Shanghai) Ltd., The9 Computer Technology Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Kaie Information Technology Co., Ltd., that collectively own Zhangjiang Micro-electronic Port Block #3 were sold to Kapler Pte. Ltd in exchange for consideration of RMB493.0 million. Other assets and liabilities previously held by the subsidiaries sold were transferred to Shanghai Hui Ling. We terminated the contractual arrangements between The9 Computer and Shanghai IT, and Shanghai Hui Ling entered into new contractual arrangements with Shanghai IT, replacing The9 Computer. The share pledge over the equity interest in The9 Computer to secure the Convertible Notes was released and de-registered in May 2019. This transaction was completed in February 2020. As of the date of this annual report, we have repaid approximately US$4.8 million to Splendid Days and the outstanding balance of the Convertible Notes amounted to US$55.5 million, which we plan to repay using the consideration received from the sale of the equity interests in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties.

On May 6, 2019, we held an extraordinary general meeting at which our shareholders approved, among other things, to adjust our authorized share capital and to adopt a dual-class share structure, consisting of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote per share on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of our company. Each Class B ordinary share is entitled to fifty (50) votes per share on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of our company. The issued and outstanding ordinary shares then held by Incsight Limited, a British Virgin Islands business company, which is wholly owned by Mr. Jun Zhu, our chairman and chief executive officer, and the issued and outstanding ordinary shares then held by Mr. Jun Zhu himself, were re-designated and re-classified as Class B ordinary shares. All other ordinary shares then issued and outstanding were re-designated and re-classified as Class A ordinary shares. On the same date, we amended and restated our then effective Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association in their entirety and adopted our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association which reflect, among other things, the changes to our capital structure. As a result of such changes, Mr. Jun Zhu holds the majority of our outstanding voting power and we became a “controlled company” as defined under Nasdaq Stock Market Rules.

In May 2019, we entered into a joint venture agreement with EN+, to establish a joint venture to engage in sales of electric vehicle charging equipment, investment, construction and operation of charging stations, and provision of operational services relating to charging equipment and platforms for electric vehicles. Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, we will make a cash investment of RMB50.0 million in the joint venture in exchange for 80% equity interest in the joint venture, and EN+ will contribute its current and future proprietary electric vehicle charging technologies to the joint venture in exchange for 20% equity interest of the joint venture. Currently, we do not expect to pursue such joint venture opportunity with EN+.

In May 2019, we incorporated The9 EV Limited in Hong Kong, and The9 EV Limited holds 50% interest in FF The9 China Joint Venture Limited, the joint venture we established with F&F under the laws of Hong Kong in September 2019.

In June 2019, we and our wholly-owned subsidiary entered into a share purchase agreement with Comtec Windpark Renewable (Holdings) Co., Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Comtec Solar Systems Group Limited (SEHK: 00712). Pursuant to the share purchase agreement, we issued 3,444,882 Class A ordinary shares to purchase 9.9% equity interest in Zhenjiang Kexin Power System Design and Research Company, a lithium battery management system and power storage system supplier.

In July 2019, we entered into a convertible note purchase agreement with Jupiter Excel Limited, pursuant to which we agreed to sell and Jupiter agreed to purchase 12% convertible notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$30 million. The 2019 Convertible Notes would be funded in two tranches. The principal amount of tranche A and tranche B of the 2019 Convertible Notes would be US$10 million and US$20 million, respectively. The closing of the transaction was subject to certain closing conditions. Due to unfavorable market conditions and failure to satisfy the closing conditions, the proposed transaction was not closed and the convertible note purchase agreement was terminated in March 2020.

In July 2019, we entered in an amendment to the amended and restated license agreement dated October 31, 2017 with Smilegate and other parties thereto to extend the license period for game development till October 31, 2020. We expect to launch CrossFire New Mobile Game in the second half of 2020. However, in the event that we cannot meet such launch time, we may seek to further extend the license term.

In February 2020, we issued and sold (i) a one-year convertible note in a principal amount of US$500,000, (ii) 70,000 ADSs, and (iii) 3,300,000 Class A ordinary shares, for an aggregate consideration of US$500,000 to Iliad. The convertible note bears interest at a rate of 6.0% per year, compounded daily. Iliad has the right at any time after six months have elapsed since the purchase date until the outstanding balance has been paid in full, at its election, to convert all or any portion of the outstanding balance into ADSs of our company at an initial conversion price of US$1.05 per ADS, subject to adjustment. Beginning on the date that is six months from the note purchase date, Iliad has the right, exercisable at any time in its sole and absolute discretion, to redeem any portion of the convertible note up to US$150,000 per calendar month. Payment of the redemption amount could be in cash or our ADSs. In the event the principal amount and interest accrued for the convertible note issued to Iliad are fully repaid, we have the right to repurchase the remaining Class A ordinary shares held by Iliad that are unsold at US$0.0001 per share.

On March 6, 2020, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq, notifying us that the minimum bid price per ADS, each representing three Class A ordinary shares of the Company, was below US$1.00 for a period of 30 consecutive business days and we did not meet the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Rule 5550(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Due to the tolling of compliance period through June 30, 2020, as determined by Nasdaq, we now have until November 16, 2020, to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement.

On April 13, 2020, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq, notifying us that we no longer met the continued listing standards of MVLS for the Nasdaq Capital Market, as set forth in the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) because the market value of our securities listed on Nasdaq for the last 30 consecutive business days was below the minimum MVLS requirement of US$35.0 million. Pursuant to the Rule 5810(c)(3)(C) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules, we have a compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until October 12, 2020, to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum MVLS requirement.

Our principal executive office is located at 17 Floor, No. 130 Wu Song Road, Shanghai 200080, People’s Republic of China. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of CARD Corporate Services Ltd, c/o Collas Crill Corporate Services Limited, Floor 2, Willow House, Cricket Square, PO Box 709, Grand Cayman KY1-1107 Cayman Islands.

We primarily operate and develop proprietary and licensed online games. We are developing several proprietary mobile games, including CrossFire New Mobile Game and Audition.

We generate our online game service revenues primarily through an item-based revenue model, under which players play games for free, but they are charged for in-game items, such as performance-enhancing items, clothing and accessories. Our customers typically access our online games through personal computers, mobile devices or TVs.

Products and Services

Online Games

We operate and develop proprietary or licensed online games, primarily mobile games, and TV games.

As of the date of this annual report, we or our joint ventures own or have licenses to operate or develop the following online games in China and other countries:

We previously also operated “Knight Forever” mobile game and “Q Jiang San Guo” mobile game, both of which ceased operations in 2019.

In preparation for the commercial launch of a new game, we conduct “closed beta testing” of the game to resolve operational issues, which is followed by “limited commercial release” and “open beta testing.” In both limited commercial release and open beta testing, we allow our registered users to play without removing their in-game data to ensure the performance consistency and stability of our operating systems. While we limit the number of users allowed to play the game in limited commercial release, we do not set such a limit in open beta testing. We can choose to start charging users in limited commercial release or open beta testing or at a later stage at our discretion.

Our online games are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our users can access our online games from any location with an Internet connection. Substantially all of our users in China access the game servers either from cell phones, personal computers at home or at Internet cafés equipped with multiple personal computers that have Internet access.

Electric Vehicles

In March 2019, we entered into a joint venture agreement with F&F, to establish a joint venture and serve China with electric vehicles designed and developed by F&F. Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, we would be a 50% partner in the joint venture with control over business operations. The joint venture will serve the China market with manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of certain car model and other potential selected car models designed and developed by F&F, in each case subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, such as the establishment of the joint venture and funding arrangements. In May 2019, we incorporated The9 EV Limited in Hong Kong, and The9 EV Limited currently holds 50% interest in FF The9 China Joint Venture Limited, the joint venture we established with F&F under the laws of Hong Kong in September 2019.

Pursuant to our joint venture agreement and amendments with F&F, we are obligated to make a total of US$600.0 million in total capital contribution to the joint venture which are payable in three installments as follows: (i) the first installment in the amount of US$200.0 million shall be contributed in in accordance with the payment schedule of license fees to be agreed in the license agreement with F&F, (ii) the second installment in the amount of US$200.0 million shall be contributed within two months (subject to an extension for one month at our discretion) after the definitive arrangement relating to the use right in a piece of land in China, and (iii) the third installment in the amount of US$200.0 million shall be contributed within two months (subject to an extension for one month at our discretion) after the achievement of certain car model design milestone by F&F. Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, we paid non-refundable deposit of US$5.0 million with F&F in April 2019, which constituted part of our capital contribution.

Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, F&F is obligated to contribute to the joint venture the use right in a piece of land in China for manufacturing of electric vehicles within forty-five days after the joint venture receives the first installment of US$200.0 million. Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, F&F will enter into a license agreement with the joint venture, under which it shall grant to the joint venture an exclusive license to manufacture, market, distribute and sell FF V9 MPV. Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, the joint venture was also granted a right of first refusal to obtain an exclusive license to manufacture, market, sell and distribute the first new model that F&F designs and develops for manufacturing, marketing and distributing in China after the date of the joint venture agreement.

If we fail to provide capital contribution in accordance with the provisions under the joint venture agreement and the applicable cure period lapses, the total amount of the capital contribution that have then been made by us shall automatically be converted into consideration for the Class B ordinary shares in the holding company of F&F at the conversion price specified under the joint venture agreement. In addition, F&F may exercise its call option to buy out our shares in the joint venture at a pre-agreed premium if there is an initial public offering of F&F’s holding company within four years of the joint venture’s inception, and F&F may elect to pay the purchase price in the form of the Class B ordinary shares in its holding company.

Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, the board of directors of the joint venture consists of five directors, of whom three should be appointed by us and remaining two should be appointed by F&F. The directors can only be removed and replace by their respective appointing party. 

The joint venture agreement may be terminated (i) by the non-defaulting party if the other party commits material breach of the joint venture agreement or the license agreement (except for the failure to make capital or in-kind contributions) or other material misconducts, or (ii) by either party if we fail to make capital contributions, or either party becomes bankrupt, or both parties agree to the termination or any party no longer holds any shares in the joint venture, unless otherwise provided in the joint venture agreement. As of the date of this annual report, the joint venture agreement was still effective.

In June 2019, we and our wholly-owned subsidiary entered into a share purchase agreement with Comtec, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Comtec Group. Pursuant to the share purchase agreement, we issued 3,444,882 Class A ordinary shares to purchase 9.9% equity interest in Kexin. Kexin primarily engages in the research and development, design, integration and sales of lithium battery management systems for electric vehicles (including electric cars, electric motors and electric bicycles), lithium battery systems and power storage systems.

Purchase of In-game Items

A customer can access online games free of charge and buy in-game items online by charging a payment directly to Alipay, or by credit card or debit card.

Pricing, Distribution and Marketing

Pricing. We price our in-game virtual items near the end of the free testing period based on several factors, including the prices of other comparable games, the technological and other features of the game, and the targeted marketing position of the game. Our prepaid game cards are offered in a variety of denominations to provide users with maximum flexibility.

Distribution. We primarily rely on game platforms and distributors to distribute, promote, market and sell our games in China. End users can purchase our virtual currencies through such game platforms and distributors. A substantial portion of our sales are carried out via such game platforms and distributors. We do not have long-term agreements with any online game platforms or distributors. In addition, we also directly sell game points through our game players’ online accounts.

Marketing. Our overall marketing strategy is to rapidly attract new customers and increase revenues from recurring customers. The marketing programs and promotional activities that we employ to promote our games include:

Advertising and Online Promotion. We place advertisements in many game magazines and on online game sites, which are updated regularly.

Cross-Marketing. We have cross-marketing relationships with major consumer brands, technology companies and major telecom carriers. We believe that our cross-marketing relationships with well-known companies will increase the recognition of our online game brands.

On-Site Promotion. We distribute free game-related posters, promotional prepaid cards for beginners, game-related souvenirs such as watches, pens, mouse pads and calendars at trade shows, selected Internet cafés and computer stores.

In-Game Marketing. We conduct “in-game” marketing programs from time to time, including online adventures for grand prizes.

Game Development and Licensing

We believe that the online game industry in China will continue its pattern of developing increasingly sophisticated online games tailored to the local market. In order to remain competitive, we focus on continuing to develop new proprietary online games, primarily mobile games. Our product development team is responsible for game design, technical development and art design. We also plan to further enhance our game development capability and diversify our game portfolio and pipeline.

Our game licensing process begins with a preliminary screening, review and testing of a game, followed by a cost analysis, negotiations and ultimate licensing of a game, including all regulatory and approval processes. A team is then designated to conduct “closed beta testing” of the game to resolve operational matters, followed by “open beta testing” during which our registered users may play the game without removing their in-game data to ensure performance consistency and stability of our operation systems. Testing generally takes three to six months, during which time we commence other marketing activities.

Technology

We aim to build a reliable and secure technology infrastructure to fully support our operations, and we maintain separate technology networks for each of our games. Our current technology infrastructure consists of the following:

We have a network operation team responsible for the stability and security of our network. The team monitors our server and works to detect, record, analyze and solve problems that arise from out network. In addition, we frequently upgrade our game server software to ensure the stability of our operations and to reduce the risks of hacking.

Competition

Our major competitors include, but are not limited to, online game operators in China. These include Tencent Holdings Limited, NetEase, Inc., Happy-elements Inc., Giant Interactive Group Inc., Changyou.com Limited and Perfect World Co., Ltd..

Our existing and potential competitors may compete with us on marketing activities, quality of online games and sales and distribution networks. Some of our existing and potential competitors have greater financial and marketing resources than us. For a discussion of risks relating to competition, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Our Industry—We may not be able to recover our market share and profitability as we operate in a highly competitive industry with numerous competitors.”

Intellectual Property

Our intellectual property rights include trademarks and domain names associated with the name “The9” in China and copyright and other rights associated with our websites, technology platform, self-developed software and other aspects of our business. We regard our intellectual property rights as critical to our business. We rely on trademark and copyright law, trade secret protection, non-competition and confidentiality agreements with our employees, and license agreements with our partners, to protect our intellectual property rights. We require our employees to enter into agreements requiring them to keep confidential all information relating to our customers, methods, business and trade secrets during and after their employment with us and assign their inventions developed during their employment to us. Our employees are required to acknowledge and recognize that all inventions, trade secrets, works of authorship, developments and other processes made by them during their employment are our property.

We have registered our domain names with third-party domain registration entities, and have legal rights over these domain names through Shanghai IT, our affiliated PRC entity. We conduct our business under the “The9 Limited” brand name and “The9” logo.

Legal Proceedings

See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.”

Government Regulations

Regulations on Foreign Investment

Investment activities in the PRC by foreign investors were previously governed by the Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industry, or the Catalogue, repealed by the 2019 Negative List, and the Catalogue of Industries for Encouraging Foreign Investment (2019 Version), or the Encouraging Catalogue, which were promulgated by the National Development and Reform Commission, or the NDRC, and the Ministry of Commerce on June 30, 2019 and became effective on July 30, 2019.

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress promulgated the FIL, which came into effect on January 1, 2020 and replaced the previous FIE Laws. The FIL embodies an expected regulatory trend in PRC to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. The FIL, by means of legislation, establishes the basic framework for the access, promotion, protection and administration of foreign investment in view of investment protection and fair competition.

According to the FIL, foreign investment shall enjoy pre-entry national treatment, except for those foreign invested entities that operate in industries deemed to be either “restricted” or “prohibited” in the “negative list.” The FIL provides that foreign invested entities operating in foreign “restricted” or “prohibited” industries will require entry clearance and other approvals. In addition, the FIL does not comment on the concept of “de facto control” or contractual arrangements with variable interest entities, however, it has a catch-all provision under definition of “foreign investment” to include investments made by foreign investors in China through means stipulated by laws or administrative regulations or other methods prescribed by the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Our current corporate structure and business operations may be affected by the Foreign Investment Law.”

The FIL also provides several protective rules and principles for foreign investors and their investments in the PRC, including, among others, that local governments shall abide by their commitments to the foreign investors; foreign-invested enterprises are allowed to issue stocks and corporate bonds; except for special circumstances, in which case statutory procedures shall be followed and fair and reasonable compensation shall be made in a timely manner, expropriate or requisition the investment of foreign investors is prohibited; mandatory technology transfer is prohibited, allows foreign investors’ funds to be freely transferred out and into the territory of PRC, which run through the entire lifecycle from the entry to the exit of foreign investment, and provide an all-around and multi-angle system to guarantee fair competition of foreign-invested enterprises in the market economy. In addition, foreign investors or the foreign investment enterprise should be imposed legal liabilities for failing to report investment information in accordance with the requirements. Furthermore, the FIL provides that foreign invested enterprises established according to the existing laws regulating foreign investment may maintain their structure and corporate governance within five years after the implementing of the FIL, which means that foreign invested enterprises may be required to adjust the structure and corporate governance in accordance with the current PRC Company Law and other laws and regulations governing the corporate governance.

Current PRC laws and regulations impose substantial restrictions on foreign ownership of the online gaming and ICP businesses in China. As a result, we conduct our online gaming and ICP businesses in China through contractual arrangements with Shanghai IT, one of our affiliated PRC entities. Shanghai IT is owned by Zhimin Lin and Wei Ji, both of whom are PRC citizens.

In the opinion of our PRC counsel, Grandall Law Firm, subject to the interpretation and implementation of the GAPP Circular and the Network Publication Measures, the ownership structure and the business operation models of our PRC subsidiaries and our affiliated PRC entities comply with all applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and no consent, approval or license is required under any of the existing laws and regulations of China for their ownership structure and business operation models except for those which we have already obtained or which would not have a material adverse effect on our business or operations as a whole. There are, however, substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, it is uncertain that the PRC government authorities will ultimately take a view that is consistent with the opinion of our PRC counsel.

In the online game industry in China, new laws and regulations may be adopted from time to time to require additional licenses and permits other than those we currently have, and address new issues that arise from time to time. As a result, substantial uncertainties exist regarding the interpretation and implementation of current and any future PRC laws and regulations applicable to the online games industry. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The laws and regulations governing the online game industry in China are developing and subject to future changes. If we fail to obtain or maintain all applicable permits and approvals, our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected.”

Regulations on Internet Content Provision Service, Online Gaming and Internet Publishing

Our provision of online game-related content on our websites is subject to various PRC laws and regulations relating to the telecommunications industry, Internet and online gaming, and is regulated by various government authorities, including MIIT, the MCT, GAPPRFT and the State Administration for Market Regulation. The principal PRC regulations governing the ICP industry as well as the online gaming services in China include:

In July 2006, MIIT issued the MII Notice. The MII Notice prohibits ICP license holders from leasing, transferring or selling a telecommunications business operating license to any foreign investors in any form, or providing any resource, sites or facilities to any foreign investors for their illegal operation of telecommunications businesses in China. The notice also requires that ICP license holders and their shareholders directly own the domain names and trademarks used by such ICP license holders in their daily operations. The notice further requires each ICP license holder to have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license. In addition, all the value-added telecommunication service providers are required to maintain network and information security in accordance with the standards set forth under relevant PRC regulations. The local authorities in charge of telecommunications services are required to ensure that existing ICP license holders conduct a self-assessment of their compliance with the MII Notice and submit status reports to MIIT before November 1, 2006. For those which are not in compliance with the above requirements and further fail to rectify the situation, the relevant governmental authorities would have broad discretion in adopting one or more measures against them, including but not limited to revoking their operating licenses. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Our Industry—PRC laws and regulations restrict foreign ownership of Internet content provision, Internet culture operation and Internet publishing licenses, and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the application and implementation of PRC laws and regulations.”

Under these regulations, a foreign investor is currently prohibited from owning more than 50% of the equity interest in a PRC entity that provides value-added telecommunications services (except for e-commerce services). ICP services are classified as value-added telecommunications businesses, and a commercial operator of such services must obtain an ICP License from the appropriate telecommunications authorities in order to carry on any commercial ICP operations in China.

With respect to the online gaming industry in China, since online games fall into the definition of “Internet culture products” under The Tentative Measures for Administration of Internet Culture (2017), a commercial operator of online games must, in addition to obtaining the ICP License, obtain an Internet culture operation license from the appropriate culture administrative authorities for its operation of online games. Furthermore, according to The Tentative Measures for Administration of Internet Publication (2002), the provision of online games is deemed an Internet publication activity. Therefore, approval from the appropriate press and publication administrative authorities as an Internet publisher or cooperation with a licensed Internet publisher is required for an online game operator to carry on its online gaming businesses in China. In February 2016, the GAPPRFT and the MIIT jointly issued the Administrative Measures on Network Publication, which took effect in March 2016 and replaced the Tentative Administrative Measures on Internet Publication. The Administrative Measures on Network Publication further strengthen and expand the supervision and management on the network publication service, including online games service. Furthermore, online games, including mobile games, regardless of whether imported or domestic, shall be subject to a content review and approval by or a filing with the Ministry of Culture and GAPPRFT prior to commencement of operations in China.

GAPPRFT and MIIT jointly impose a license requirement for any company that intends to engage in network publishing, defined as any activity of providing network publications to the public through information networks. Network publications refer to the digitalized works with publishing features such as editing, producing and processing. Furthermore, the distribution of online game cards and CD-keys for online gaming programs is subject to a licensing requirement. Shanghai IT holds the license necessary to distribute electronic publications, which allows it to distribute prepaid cards and CD-Keys for the games we operate. We sell our prepaid cards and CD-Keys through third-party distributors, which are responsible for maintaining requisite licenses for distributing our prepaid cards and CD Keys in China.

On February 15, 2007, fourteen governmental authorities, including the Ministry of Culture, MIIT, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, and the People’s Bank of China, or the PBOC, jointly issued a circular entitled Circular for Further Strengthening the Administration of Internet Café and Online Games. This circular gave the PBOC administrative authority over virtual currencies issued by online game operators for use by players in online games to avoid the potential impact such virtual currencies may have on the real-world financial systems. According to this circular, the volume that may be issued and the purchase of such virtual currencies must be restricted, and virtual currency must not be used for the purchase of any physical products, refunded with a premium or otherwise illegally traded. The Notice of Strengthening the Management of Virtual Currency of Online Games promulgated by the Ministry of Culture and MOFCOM on June 4, 2009 imposes more restrictions and requirements on online game operators that issue virtual currencies. According to the above regulations, an online game operator which issues virtual currency used for online game services shall apply for approval from the Ministry of Culture. An online game operator shall further report detailed rules of issuance for virtual currencies, such as distribution scope, pricing, and terms for refunds and shall make certain periodic and supplementary filings as required by the relevant regulations. In addition, under these rules, online game operators are prohibited from assigning game tools or virtual currency to users by way of drawing lots, random samplings or other arbitrary means in exchange for users’ cash or virtual currency. These rules also require that service agreements entered into between online game operators and end users contain the general terms of a standard online game service agreement issued by the Ministry of Culture.

In September 2009, GAPP further promulgated the GAPP Circular, which provides that foreign investors are prohibited from making investment and engaging in online game operation services by setting up foreign-invested enterprises in China. Further, foreign investors shall not control and participate in PRC online game operation businesses indirectly or in a disguised manner by establishing joint venture companies or entering into agreements with or providing technical support to such PRC online game operation companies, or by inputting the users’ registration, account management, game cards consumption directly into the interconnected gaming platform or fighting platform controlled or owned by the foreign investor. In addition, on February 4, 2016, the GAPPRFT and the MIIT jointly issued the Administrative Measures on Network Publication, or the Network Publication Measures, which took effect in March 2016. Pursuant to the Network Publication Measures, wholly foreign-owned enterprises, Sino-foreign equity joint ventures and Sino-foreign cooperative enterprises shall not engage in the provision of web publishing services, including online game services. Project cooperation involving internet publishing services between an internet publishing service provider and a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, Sino-foreign equity joint venture, or Sino-foreign cooperative enterprise within China or an overseas organization or individual shall be subject to prior examination and approval by the GAPPRFT. It is not clear whether GAPPRFT and MIIT have regulatory authority over the ownership structures of online game companies based in China and online game operation in China. The relevant governmental authorities have broad discretion in adopting one or more of administrative measures against companies now in compliance with these measures, including revoking relevant licenses and relevant registration. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Our Industry—PRC laws and regulations restrict foreign ownership of Internet content provision, Internet culture operation and Internet publishing licenses, and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the application and implementation of PRC laws and regulations.”

On December 1, 2016, the MCT (formerly known as the Ministry of Culture) issued the MOC Online Games Regulation, which became effective on May 1, 2017. Pursuant to the MOC Online Games Regulation, MOC further clarified the scope of online game operations. Online game operations shall include technical testing of online games by means of, for example, making the online games available for user registration, opening the fee-charging system of the online games, and providing client-end software with direct server registration and login functions. In addition, enterprises that engage in providing user systems, fee-charging systems, program downloading, publicity and promotion and other services for online game products of other operating enterprises and that share revenue from online game operations shall be deemed as engaging in joint operations, and shall be subject to relevant obligations. In addition, this circular sets the regulatory standard for distributing virtual items, as follows:

In addition, enterprises engaged in online game operations shall require online game users to register their real names by using valid identity documents and shall limit the amount that an online game user may top up each time in each game. Such enterprises shall also send information that requires confirmation by users when they top up or engage in consumption, and shall display their contact details for handling matters relating to use rights protection in conspicuous locations within each online game.

On May 24, 2016, the GAPPRFT issued the Circular on the Administration over Mobile Game Publishing Services to further regulate the administration of mobile game publishing services. Pursuant to this circular, game publishing service entities shall be responsible for examining the contents of their games, applying for publication and applying for game publication numbers. Upgrades or new expansions of a mobile game that have been approved for publication shall be deemed as new works and the relevant publishing service entities shall go through relevant approval formalities again depending on the classification of the new works. Entities engaged in the joint operation of such new works must verify whether such games have gone through all the relevant approval formalities and whether the relevant information has been clearly displayed, or otherwise refrain from the joint operation. Mobile games without the required approval formalities shall be treated as illegal publications and the relevant entities shall be punished accordingly. The operation of SMS in China is classified as a value-added telecommunication business and SMS service providers shall obtain the relevant value-added telecommunication business permits.

Regulations on Internet Content

The PRC government has promulgated measures relating to Internet content through a number of ministries and agencies, including MIIT, MCT and GAPPRFT. These measures specifically prohibit Internet activities, including the operation of online games that result in the publication of any content which is found to, among other things, propagate obscenity, gambling or violence, instigate crimes, undermine public morality or the cultural traditions of the PRC, or compromise State security or secrets. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The laws and regulations governing the online game industry in China are developing and subject to future changes. If we fail to obtain or maintain all applicable permits and approvals, our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected.” If an ICP license holder violates these measures, the PRC government may revoke its ICP license and shut down its websites.

In April 2007, various governmental authorities, including GAPP, MIIT, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, and other relevant authorities jointly issued a circular concerning the mandatory implementation of an “anti-fatigue system” in online games, which was aimed at protecting the physical and psychological health of minors. This circular required all online games to incorporate an “anti-fatigue system” and an identity verification system, both of which have limited the amount of time that a minor or other user may continuously spend playing an online game. We have implemented such “anti-fatigue” and identification systems on all of our online games as required. Since March 2011, various governmental authorities, including the Ministry of Culture, MIIT, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, and other relevant authorities have jointly launched the “Online Game Parents Guardianship Project for Minors,” which allows parents to require online game operators to take relevant measures to limit the time spent by the minors on playing online games and the minors’ access to their online game accounts. On February 5, 2013, the Ministry of Culture, MIIT, GAPP and various other governmental authorities, jointly issued the Working Plan on the Comprehensive Prevention Scheme on Online Game Addiction of Minors, which further strengthened the administration of the Internet cafés, reinstated the importance of the “anti-fatigue system” and “Online Game Parents Guardianship Project for Minors” as prevention measures against the online game addiction of minors and ordered all relevant governmental authorities to take all necessary actions in implementing such measures. In addition, pursuant to the MOC Online Games Regulation, which was issued on December 1, 2016 by the MCT (formerly known as the Ministry of Culture), an enterprise engaged in online game operations shall strictly comply with the provisions of the “Online Game Parents Guardianship Project for Minors,” and online game operators are encouraged to set upper limits on the consumption by users who are minors, limit the amount of time that such users are allowed to spend on online games, and take technical measures to block scenes and functions, among other things, that are not suitable for users who are minors. Additional requirements for anti-fatigue and identification systems in our games, as well as the implementation of any other measures required by any new regulations the PRC government may enact to further tighten its administration of the Internet and online games, and its supervision of Internet cafés, may limit or slow down our prospects for growth, or may materially and adversely affect our business results. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Our business may be adversely affected by public opinion and government policies in China.”

Internet content in China is also regulated and restricted from a state security standpoint. The National People’s Congress, China’s national legislative body, has enacted a law that may subject to criminal punishment in China any effort to: (1) gain improper entry into a computer or system of strategic importance; (2) disseminate politically disruptive information; (3) leak state secrets; (4) spread false commercial information; or (5) infringe intellectual property rights.

The Ministry of Public Security has promulgated measures that prohibit the use of the Internet in ways which, among other things, results in a leakage of state secrets or a spread of socially destabilizing content. The Ministry of Public Security has supervision and inspection rights in this regard, and we may be subject to the jurisdiction of the local security bureaus. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Regulation and censorship of information disseminated over the Internet in China may adversely affect our business, and we may be liable for information displayed on, retrieved from, or linked to our Internet websites.” If an ICP license holder violates these measures, the PRC government may revoke its ICP license and shut down its websites.

On December 15, 2019, the Cyberspace Administration of China promulgated the Provisions on the Ecological Governance of Network Information Contents, or the Order No. 5, which came into effect on March 1, 2020. Pursuant to the Order No. 5, producers of network information contents shall abide by laws and regulations, follow public order and good morals, and shall not harm national interests, public interests and the legitimate rights and interests of others.  A network information content service platform shall establish a mechanism for ecological governance of network information contents, formulate detailed rules for ecological governance of network information contents of its own platform, and improve systems for user registration, account management, information release review, thread comment review, page ecological management, real-time inspection, emergency response, and disposal of network rumors and black industry chain information. Where any network information content service platform violates the regulations of the Order No. 5, the cyberspace administration shall, ex officio, have a talk with it, issue a warning and order it to take rectification measures within the required time limit; where the network information content service platform refuses to take rectification measures or the circumstances are serious, it shall be ordered to suspend updating the information and shall be punished in accordance with applicable laws and administrative regulations.

Regulations on Privacy Protection

PRC laws and regulations prohibit Internet content providers from collecting and analyzing personal information from their users without user’s prior consent. We require our users to accept a user agreement whereby they agree to provide certain personal information to us. In addition, PRC law prohibits Internet content providers from disclosing to any third parties any information transmitted by users through their networks unless otherwise permitted by law. If an Internet content provider violates these regulations, it may be liable for damages caused to its users and it may be subject to administrative penalties such as warnings, fines, confiscation of its unlawful income, revocation of licenses, cancellation of filings, shutdown of their websites or even criminal liabilities.

On November 7, 2016, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, or the SCNPC, promulgated the Cybersecurity Law of the PRC, or the Cybersecurity Law, which came into effect on June 1, 2017. Pursuant to the Cybersecurity Law, network operators shall perform their cybersecurity obligations according to the requirements of the classified protection system for cybersecurity, including: (a) formulating internal security management systems and operating instructions, determining the persons responsible for cybersecurity, and implementing the responsibility for cybersecurity protection; (b) taking technological measures to prevent computer viruses, network attacks, network intrusions and other actions endangering cybersecurity; (c) taking technological measures to monitor and record the network operation status and cybersecurity incidents; (d) taking measures such as data classification, and back-up and encryption of important data; and (e) other obligations stipulated by laws and administrative regulations. In addition, network operators shall comply with the principles of legitimacy to collect and use personal information and disclose their rules of data collection and use, clearly express the purposes, means and scope of collecting and using the information, and obtain the consent of the persons whose data is gathered.

Import Regulations

Our ability to obtain licenses for online games from abroad and import them into China is regulated in several ways. We are required to register with MOFCOM any license agreement with a foreign licensor that involves an import of technologies, including online game software into China. Without that registration, we may not remit licensing fees out of China to any foreign game licensor. In addition, MCT requires us to submit for its content review and/or approval any online games we want to license from overseas game developers or any patch or updates for such game if it contains substantial changes. If we license and operate games without that approval, MCT may impose penalties on us, including revoking the Internet culture operation license required for the operation of online games in China. Also, pursuant to a jointly issued notice in July 2004, GAPP and the State Copyright Bureau require us to obtain their approval for imported online game publications. Furthermore, the State Copyright Bureau requires us to register copyright license agreements relating to imported software. Without the State Copyright Bureau registration, we cannot remit licensing fees out of China to any foreign game licensor and we are not allowed to publish or reproduce the imported game software in China.

Regulations on Intellectual Property Rights

The State Council and the State Copyright Bureau have promulgated various regulations and rules relating to the protection of software in China. Under these regulations and rules, software owners, licensees and transferees may register their rights in software with the State Copyright Bureau or its local branches and obtain software copyright registration certificates. Although such registration is not mandatory under PRC law, software owners, licensees and transferees are encouraged to go through the registration process and registered software rights may receive better protection. We have registered most of our in-house developed online games with the State Copyright Bureau.

Regulations on Foreign Currency Exchange and Dividend Distribution

Foreign Currency Exchange. Foreign currency exchange regulation in China is primarily governed by the following rules:

Pursuant to the Foreign Exchange Administration Rules (1996), as amended in 1997 and 2008, the RMB is generally freely convertible for trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not for direct investment, loans, investment in securities, or other transactions through a capital account outside China unless the prior approval of SAFE or authorized banks is obtained. Furthermore, foreign investment enterprises in China in general may purchase foreign exchange without the approval of SAFE or authorized banks for trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions by providing commercial documents evidencing these transactions. Foreign investment enterprises that need foreign exchange for the distribution of profits to their shareholders may effect payment from their foreign exchange account or purchase and pay foreign exchange at the designated foreign exchange banks to their foreign shareholders by producing board resolutions for such profit distribution. Under the Administration Rules of the Settlement, Sale and Payment of Foreign Exchange (1996), based on their needs, foreign investment enterprises are permitted to open foreign exchange settlement accounts for current account receipts and payments of foreign exchange along with specialized accounts for capital account receipts and payments of foreign exchange at certain designated foreign exchange banks.

On November 19, 2012, SAFE promulgated the Circular of Further Improving and Adjusting Foreign Exchange Administration Policies on Foreign Direct Investment, or SAFE Circular 59, which became effective on December 17, 2012 and was amended on May 4, 2015 and October 10, 2018 and was partly repealed on December 30, 2019. The major developments under SAFE Circular 59 were that the opening of various special purpose foreign exchange accounts (e.g. pre-establishment expenses account, foreign exchange capital account, guarantee account) no longer required the approval of SAFE. Furthermore, multiple capital accounts for the same entity may be opened in different provinces, which was not possible before the issuance of SAFE Circular 59. Reinvestment of RMB proceeds by foreign investors in the PRC no longer required SAFE approval or verification, and remittance of foreign exchange profits and dividends by a foreign-invested enterprise to its foreign shareholders no longer required SAFE approval.

On May 10, 2013, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Printing and Distributing the Provisions on Foreign Exchange Administration over Domestic Direct Investment by Foreign Investors and the Supporting Documents, as amended on October 10, 2018 and partly repealed on December 30, 2019, which specifies that the administration by SAFE or its local branches over direct investment by foreign investors in the PRC shall be based on registration. Institutions and individuals shall register with SAFE and/or its branches for their direct investment in the PRC. Banks shall process foreign exchange business relating to the direct investment in the PRC based on the registration information provided by SAFE and its branches.

On February 13, 2015, SAFE issued the Circular on Further Simplifying and Improving the Foreign Exchange Administration Policies on Direct Investments, or SAFE Circular 13, which took effect on June 1, 2015, and was partly repealed on December 30, 2019. Pursuant to SAFE Circular 13, the administrative examination and approval procedures with SAFE or its local branches relating to the foreign exchange registration approval for domestic direct investments as well as overseas direct investments have been cancelled, and qualified banks are delegated the power to directly conduct such foreign exchange registrations under the supervision of SAFE or its local branches.

On April 26, 2016, SAFE issued the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Promoting Trade and Investment Facility and Improving the Examination and Verification of the Authenticity, pursuant to which when handling the remittance of profits exceeding the equivalent of US$50,000 abroad for a domestic institution, a bank should examine the authenticity of the transaction by reviewing related corporate approvals, tax filing record and other materials.

On June 9, 2016, SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in Circular 19, but changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to non-affiliated enterprises.

Dividend Distribution. The principal regulations governing distribution of dividends of foreign holding companies include:

Under these regulations, foreign investment enterprises in China may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, foreign investment enterprises in China are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the cumulative total of the allocated reserve funds reaches 50% of an enterprise’s registered capital and a portion of their respective after-tax profits to their staff welfare and bonus reserve funds as determined by their respective board of directors or shareholders. These reserves are not distributable as dividends.

Regulations on Foreign Exchange in Certain Onshore and Offshore Transactions

On July 4, 2014, SAFE issued SAFE Circular 37, which is the Circular on Several Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration of Domestic Residents Engaging in Overseas Investment, Financing and Round-Trip Investment via Special Purpose Vehicles. SAFE Circular 37 and its detailed guidelines require PRC residents to register with the local branch of SAFE before contributing their legally owned onshore or offshore assets or equity interest into any SPV directly established, or indirectly controlled, by them for the purpose of investment or financing. In addition, when there is (a) any change to the basic information of the SPV, such as any change relating to its individual PRC resident shareholders, name or operation period or (b) any material change, such as increase or decrease in the share capital held by its individual PRC resident shareholders, a share transfer or exchange of the shares in the SPV, or a merger or split of the SPV, the PRC resident must register such changes with the local branch of SAFE on a timely basis. According to the relevant SAFE rules, failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 may result in restrictions being imposed on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant onshore companies of SPVs, including the payment of dividends and other distributions to its offshore parent or affiliate and the capital inflow from such offshore entity, and may also subject the relevant PRC residents and onshore companies to penalties under PRC foreign exchange administration regulations. Further, failure to comply with various SAFE registration requirements described above would result in liability for foreign exchange evasion under PRC laws. On February 13, 2015, SAFE issued SAFE Circular 13, which is the Circular on Further Simplifying and Improving the Foreign Exchange Administration Policies on Direct Investments, which took effect on June 1, 2015 and was partly repealed on December 30, 2019. Under SAFE Circular 13, qualified banks are delegated the power to register all PRC residents’ investments in SPVs pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, saving for supplementary registration application made by PRC residents who failed to comply with SAFE Circular 37, which shall still fall into the jurisdiction of the local branch of SAFE.

As a result of the uncertainties relating to the interpretation and implementation of SAFE Circular 37 and other regulations of SAFE, we cannot predict how these regulations will affect our business operations or strategies. For example, our present or future PRC subsidiaries’ ability to conduct foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, may be subject to compliance with such SAFE registration requirements by relevant PRC residents, over whom we have no control. In addition, we cannot assure you that any such PRC residents will be able to complete the necessary approval and registration procedures required by the SAFE regulations. We have requested all of our shareholders who, based on our knowledge, are PRC residents or whose ultimate beneficial owners are PRC residents to comply with all applicable SAFE registration requirements, but we have no control over our shareholders. We cannot assure you that the PRC beneficial owners of our company and our subsidiaries have completed the required SAFE registrations. Nor can we assure you that they will be in full compliance with the SAFE registration in the future. Any non-compliance by the PRC beneficial owners of our company and our subsidiaries may subject us or such PRC resident shareholders to fines and other penalties. It may also limit our ability to contribute additional capitals to our PRC subsidiaries and our subsidiaries’ ability to distribute profits or make other payments to us.

Regulations on Electric Vehicles

In the event that our electric vehicle business further develops, we may be subject to the following regulations relating to several aspects of the electronic vehicle business:

Regulations and Approvals Relating to the Manufacturing of Pure Electric Passenger Vehicles

The NDRC promulgated the Provisions on Administration of Investment in Automobile Industry, or the Investment Provisions, which became effective on January 10, 2019. According to the Investment Provisions, enterprises are encouraged to, through equity investment and cooperation in production capacity, enter into strategic cooperation relationship, carry out joint research and development of products, organize manufacturing activities jointly and increase industrial concentration. The advantageous resources in production, high learning, research, application and other areas shall be integrated and core enterprises in automobile industry shall be propelled to form industrial alliance and industrial consortium.

According to the Regulations on the Administration of Newly Established Pure Electric Passenger Vehicle Enterprises, or the New Electric Passenger Vehicle Enterprise Regulations, which became effective on July 10, 2015, before our vehicles can be added to the Announcement of Vehicle Manufacturers and Products, or the Manufacturers and Products Announcement, issued by the MIIT, a procedure that is required in order for our vehicles to be approved for manufacture and sale in China, our vehicles must meet the applicable requirements set forth in relevant laws and regulations. Such relevant laws and regulations include, among others, the Administrative Rules on the Admission of New Energy Vehicle Manufacturers and Products, or the MIIT Admission Rules, which became effective on July 1, 2017, and the Administrative Rules on the Admission of Passenger Vehicles Manufacturer and Products, which became effective on January 1, 2012, and pass the review by the MIIT. Pure electric passenger vehicles that have entered into the Manufacturers and Products Announcement are required to undergo regular inspection every three years by the MIIT so that the MIIT may determine whether the vehicles remain qualified to stay in the Manufacturers and Products Announcement.

According to the MIIT Admission Rules, in order for our vehicles to enter into the Manufacturers and Products Announcement, our vehicles must satisfy certain conditions, including, among others, meeting certain standards set out therein, meeting other safety and technical requirements specified by the MIIT, and passing inspections conducted by a state-recognized testing institution. Once such conditions for vehicles are met and the application has been approved by the MIIT, the qualified vehicles are published in the Manufacturers and Products Announcement by the MIIT. Where any new energy vehicle manufacturer manufactures or sells any model of a new energy vehicle without the prior approval of the competent authorities, including being published in the Manufacturers and Products Announcement by the MIIT, it may be subject to penalties, including fines, forfeiture of any illegally manufactured and sold vehicles and spare parts and revocation of its business licenses.

Regulations on Compulsory Product Certification

Under the Administrative Regulations on Compulsory Product Certification which was promulgated by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, or the QSIQ, on July 3, 2009 and became effective on September 1, 2009 and the List of the First Batch of Products Subject to Compulsory Product Certification which was promulgated by the QSIQ in association with the State Certification and Accreditation Administration Committee on December 3, 2001 and became effective on May 1, 2002, the QSIQ is responsible for the regulation and quality certification of automobiles. Automobiles and parts and components must not be sold, exported or used in operating activities until they are certified by designated certification authorities of the PRC as qualified products and granted certification marks.

Regulations on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

Pursuant to the Guidance Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Accelerating the Promotion and Application of the New Energy Vehicles, which became effective on July 14, 2014, the Guidance Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Accelerating the Development of Charging Infrastructures of the Electric Vehicle, which became effective on September 29, 2015, and the Guidance on the Development of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (2015-2020), which became effective on October 9, 2015, the PRC government encourages the construction and development of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, such as charging stations and battery swap stations, and only centralized charging and battery replacement power stations are required to obtain approvals for construction, permits from the relevant authorities. The Circular on Accelerating the Development of Electrical Vehicle Charging Infrastructures in Residential Areas promulgated on July 25, 2016 further provides that the operators of electrical vehicle charging and battery swap infrastructure are required to be covered under liability insurance policies to protect the purchasers of electric vehicles, covering the safety of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Regulations on Automobile Sales

Pursuant to the Administrative Measures on Automobile Sales promulgated by the MOFCOM on April 5, 2017, which became effective on July 1, 2017, automobile suppliers and dealers are required to file with relevant authorities through the information system for the national automobile circulation operated by the competent commerce department within 90 days after the receipt of a business license. Where there is any change to the information concerned, automobile suppliers and dealers must update such information within 30 days after such change.

Regulations on the Recall of Defective Automobiles

On October 22, 2012, the State Council promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Defective Automotive Product Recalls, which became effective on January 1, 2013 and was amended on March 2, 2019. The product quality supervision department of the State Council is responsible for the supervision and administration of recalls of defective automotive products nationwide. Pursuant to the administrative provisions, manufacturers of automobile products are required to take measures to eliminate defects in products they sell. A manufacturer must recall all defective automobile products. Failure to recall such products may result in an order to recall the defective products from the quality supervisory authority of the State Council. If any operator conducting sales, leasing, or repair of vehicles discovers any defect in automobile products, it must cease to sell, lease or use the defective products and must assist manufacturers in the recall of those products. Manufacturers must recall their products through publicly available channels and publicly announce the defects. Manufacturers must take measures to eliminate or cure defects, including rectification, identification, modification, replacement or return of the products. Manufacturers that attempt to conceal defects or do not recall defective automobile products in accordance with relevant regulations will be subject to penalties, including fines, forfeiture of any income earned in violation of law and revocation of licenses.

Pursuant to the Implementation Rules on the Administrative Provisions on Defective Automotive Product Recalls, which was promulgated by the QSIQ on November 27, 2015 and became effective on January 1, 2016, if a manufacturer is aware of any potential defect in its automobiles, it must investigate in a timely manner and report the results of such investigation to the QSIQ. Where any defect is found during the investigations, the manufacturer must cease to manufacture, sell, or import the relevant automobile products and recall such products in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Regulations on Product Liability

Pursuant to the Product Quality Law of the PRC, promulgated on February 22, 1993 and amended on July 8, 2000, August 27, 2009 and December 29, 2018, a manufacturer is prohibited from producing or selling products that do not meet applicable standards and requirements for safeguarding human health and ensuring human and property safety. Products must be free from unreasonable dangers threatening human and property safety. Where a defective product causes physical injury to a person or property damage, the aggrieved party may make a claim for compensation from the producer or the seller of the product. Producers and sellers of non-compliant products may be ordered to cease the production or sale of the products and could be subject to confiscation of the products and/or fines. Earnings from sales in contravention of such standards or requirements may also be confiscated, and in severe cases, an offender’s business license may be revoked.

Favorable Government Policies Relating to New Energy Vehicles in the PRC

Government Subsidies for Purchasers of New Energy Vehicles

On April 22, 2015, the MOF, the MOST, the MIIT and the NDRC jointly issued the Circular on the Financial Support Policies on the Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles in 2016-2020, or the Financial Support Circular, which took effect on the same day. The Financial Support Circular provides that those who purchase new energy vehicles specified in the Catalogue of Recommended New Energy Vehicle Models for Promotion and Application by the MIIT, or the Recommended NEV Catalogue, may obtain subsidies from the PRC national government. Pursuant to the Financial Support Circular, a purchaser may purchase a new energy vehicle from a seller by paying the original price minus the subsidy amount, and the seller may obtain the subsidy amount from the government after such new energy vehicle is sold to the purchaser. The Financial Support Circular also provided a preliminary phase-out schedule for the provision of subsidies.

On December 29, 2016, the MOF, the MOST, the MIIT and the NDRC jointly issued the Circular on Adjusting the Subsidy Policy for the Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles, or the Circular on Adjusting the Subsidy Policy, which took effect on January 1, 2017, to adjust the existing subsidy standard for purchasers of new energy vehicles. The Circular on Adjusting the Subsidy Policy capped the local subsidies at 50% of the national subsidy amount, and further specified that national subsidies for purchasers purchasing certain new energy vehicles (except for fuel cell vehicles) from 2019 to 2020 will be reduced by 20% as compared to 2017 subsidy standards.

The subsidy standard is reviewed and updated on an annual basis. On April 23, 2020, the MOF, the MOST, the MIIT and the NDRC jointly promulgated a Circular on Further Improving the Subsidy Policies for the Promotions and Application of New Energy Vehicles, which provides that the subsidies for purchasers of certain new energy passengers vehicles will still be provided until the end of 2022, with a gradually declining scale.

Exemption of Vehicle Purchase Tax

On December 26, 2017, the MOF, the SAT, the MIIT and the MOST jointly issued the Announcement on Exemption of Vehicle Purchase Tax for New Energy Vehicle, or the Announcement on Exemption of Vehicle Purchase Tax, pursuant to which, from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020, the vehicle purchase tax which is applicable for ICE vehicles is not imposed on purchases of qualified new energy vehicles listed in the Catalogue of New Energy Vehicle Models Exempt from Vehicle Purchase Tax, or the NEV Catalogue, issued by the MIIT. Such announcement provides that the policy on exemption of vehicle purchase tax is also applicable to new energy vehicles added to the Catalogue prior to December 31, 2017.

Non-imposition of Vehicle and Vessel Tax

The Preferential Vehicle and Vessel Tax Policies for Energy-saving and New Energy Vehicles and Vessels, which was jointly promulgated by the MOF, the Ministry of Transport, the SAT and the MIIT on July 10, 2018, clarifies that pure electric passenger vehicles are not subject to vehicle and vessel tax.

New Energy Vehicle License Plate

In recent years, in order to control the number of motor vehicles on the road, certain local governments have issued restrictions on the issuance of vehicle license plates. These restrictions generally do not apply to the issuance of license plates for new energy vehicles, which makes it easier for purchasers of new energy vehicles to obtain automobile license plates. For example, pursuant to the Implementation Measures on Encouraging Purchase and Use of New Energy Vehicles in Shanghai, local authorities will issue new automobile license plates to qualified purchasers of new energy vehicles without requiring such qualified purchasers to go through certain license-plate bidding processes and to pay license-plate purchase fees as compared with purchasers of ICE vehicles.

Policies Relating to Incentives for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

On January 11, 2016, the MOF, the MOST, the MIIT, the NDRC and the National Energy Administration, or the NEA, jointly promulgated the Circular on Incentive Policies on the Charging Infrastructures of New Energy Vehicles and Strengthening the Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles during the 13th Five-year Plan Period, which became effective on January 1, 2016. Pursuant to such circular, the central finance department is expected to provide certain local governments with funds and subsidies for the construction and operation of charging facilities and other relevant charging infrastructure.

Certain local governments have also implemented incentive policies for the construction and operation of charging infrastructure. For example, pursuant to the Supporting Measures on Encouraging the Development of Charging Infrastructures of the Electric Vehicles in Shanghai, which took effect on May 5, 2016, builders of certain non-self-use charging infrastructure may be eligible for subsidies for up to 30% of their investment cost, and the operator of certain non-self-use charging infrastructure may be eligible for subsidies calculated based on electricity output.

All the above incentives are expected to facilitate acceleration of development of public charging infrastructure, which will consequently offer more accessible and convenient EV charging solutions to purchasers of electric vehicles.

Regulations on Land and the Development of Construction Projects

Regulations on Land Grants

Under the Interim Regulations on Assignment and Transfer of the Rights to the Use of the State-owned Urban Land, promulgated by the State Council on May 19, 1990, a system of assignment and transfer of the right to use state-owned land was adopted. A land user must pay land premiums to the state as consideration for the assignment of the right to use a land site within a certain term, and the land user who obtained the right to use the land may transfer, lease out, mortgage or otherwise commercially exploit the land within the term of use. Under the Interim Regulations on Assignment and Transfer of the Rights to the Use of the State-owned Urban Land and the Law of the PRC on Urban Real Estate Administration, the local land administration authority may enter into an assignment contract with the land user for the assignment of land use rights. The land user is required to pay the land premium as provided in the assignment contract. After the full payment of the land premium, the land user must register with the land administration authority and obtain a land use rights certificate which evidences the acquisition of land use rights.

Regulations on Planning of a Construction Project

Pursuant to the Regulations on Planning Administration regarding Assignment and Transfer of the Rights to Use of the State-Owned Land in Urban Area promulgated by the Ministry of Construction in December 1992 and amended in January 2011, a construction land planning permit shall be obtained from the municipal planning authority with respect to the planning and use of land. According to the Urban and Rural Planning Law of the PRC promulgated by the SCNPC on October 28, 2007 and amended on April 24, 2015 and April 23, 2019, a construction work planning permit must be obtained from the competent urban and rural planning government authority for the construction of any structure, fixture, road, pipeline or other engineering project within an urban or rural planning area.

After obtaining a construction work planning permit, subject to certain exceptions, a construction enterprise must apply for a construction work commencement permit from the construction authority under the local people’s government at the county level or above in accordance with the Administrative Provisions on Construction Permit of Construction Projects promulgated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, or the MOHURD, on June 25, 2014 and implemented on October 25, 2014 and amended on September 19, 2018.

Pursuant to the Administrative Measures for Reporting Details Regarding Acceptance Examination upon Completion of Buildings and Municipal Infrastructure promulgated by the Ministry of Construction on April 4, 2000 and amended on October 19, 2009 and the Provisions on Acceptance Examination upon Completion of Buildings and Municipal Infrastructure promulgated and implemented by the MOHURD on December 2, 2013, upon the completion of a construction project, the construction enterprise must submit an application to the competent department in the people’s government at or above county level where the project is located, for examination upon completion of building and for filing purpose; and to obtain the filing form for acceptance and examination upon completion of construction project.

Regulations on Environmental Protection and Work Safety

Regulations on Environmental Protection

Pursuant to the Environmental Protection Law of the PRC promulgated by the SCNPC, on December 26, 1989, amended on April 24, 2014 and effective on January 1, 2015, any entity which discharges or will discharge pollutants during the course of operations or other activities must implement effective environmental protection safeguards and procedures to control and properly treat waste gas, waste water, waste residue, dust, malodorous gases, radioactive substances, noise vibrations, electromagnetic radiation and other hazards produced during such activities.

Environmental protection authorities impose various administrative penalties on persons or enterprises in violation of the Environmental Protection Law. Such penalties include warnings, fines, orders to rectify within the prescribed period, orders to cease construction, orders to restrict or suspend production, orders to make recovery, orders to disclose relevant information or make an announcement, imposition of administrative action against relevant responsible persons, and orders to shut down enterprises. Any person or entity that pollutes the environment resulting in damage could also be held liable under the Tort Law of the PRC. In addition, environmental organizations may also bring lawsuits against any entity that discharges pollutants detrimental to the public welfare.

Regulations on Work Safety

Under relevant construction safety laws and regulations, including the Work Safety Law of the PRC which was promulgated by the SCNPC on June 29, 2002, amended on August 27, 2009, August 31, 2014, and effective as of December 1, 2014, production and operating business entities must establish objectives and measures for work safety and improve the working environment and conditions for workers in a planned and systematic way. A work safety protection scheme must also be set up to implement the work safety job responsibility system. In addition, production and operating business entities must arrange work safety training and provide the employees with protective equipment that meets the national standards or industrial standards. Automobile and components manufacturers are subject to the above-mentioned environment protection and work safety requirements.

Regulations on Fire Control

Pursuant to the Fire Safety Law of the PRC promulgated by the SCNPC on April 29, 1998, amended on October 28, 2008 and April 23, 2019 and the Provisions on Supervision and Administration of Fire Protection of Construction Projects promulgated by the Ministry of Public Security of the PRC on April 30, 2009, implemented on May 1, 2009 and later amended on July 17, 2012, which became effective on November 1, 2012, the construction entity of a large-scale crowded venue (including the construction of a manufacturing factory that is over 2,500 square meters) and other special construction projects must apply for fire prevention design review with fire control authorities, and complete fire assessment inspection and acceptance procedures after the construction project is completed. The construction entity of other construction projects must complete the filing for fire prevention design and the fire safety completion inspection and acceptance procedures within seven business days after obtaining the construction work permit and passing the construction completion inspection and acceptance. If the construction entity fails to pass the fire safety inspection before such venue is put into use, or fails to conform to the fire safety requirements after such inspection, it shall be subject to (i) orders to suspend the construction of projects, use of such projects or operation of relevant business; and (ii) a fine ranging between RMB30,000 and RMB300,000.

The following diagram illustrates our organizational structure, the place of formation, ownership interest of each of our significant subsidiaries and material affiliated entity as of the date of this annual report:

Note:

(1) As of the date of this annual report, The9 EV Limited and FF JV Holding LLC, an affiliate of F&F, owned 50% and 50% interests in FF The9 China Joint Venture Limited, respectively.

Our headquarters are located on premises comprising over 1,500 square meters in an office building in Shanghai, China. We lease all of our premises from unrelated third-parties. Our former headquarters were sold to Kapler Pte. Ltd., the consideration of which will be used to repay the Convertible Notes. In addition, we have subsidiaries located in the United States and Singapore and small branch offices in Beijing, China.

None.

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and their related notes included in this annual report. This report contains forward-looking statements. See “—G. Safe Harbor.” In evaluating our business, you should carefully consider the information provided under the caption “Risk Factors” in this annual report. We caution you that our businesses and financial performance are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties.

The major factors affecting our results of operations and financial conditions include:

Revenue Composition and Sources of Revenue. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, we generated substantially all of our revenues from online game services, and the remaining portion of our revenues from other services. The following table sets forth our revenues generated from providing online game services and other services, both in absolute amounts and as percentages of total revenues for the periods indicated.

Online Game Services. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, revenues from our online game services amounted to RMB71.6 million, RMB16.6 million and RMB0.3 million (US$0.04 million), respectively. We primarily generate our online game service revenues through item-based revenue models. Under an item-based revenue model, players of our games play the games for free, but are charged for purchases of in-game items, such as performance-enhancing items, clothing and accessories. Thus, we generate revenues through the sale of such in-game premium features that players use game points to purchase. The distribution of points to end users is typically made through sales of prepaid online points. Fees from prepaid online points are deferred when initially received. This revenue is recognized over the life of the premium features or as the premium features are consumed. Future usage patterns may differ from the historical usage patterns on which the virtual items and services consumption model is based. We will continue to monitor the operational statistics and usage patterns affecting our recognition of these revenues.

Before August 1, 2018, we recorded our IPTV revenue on a gross basis. As we became an agent in the operation of IPTV games since August 1, 2018, we started to record our IPTV revenues net of amounts we paid to third-party operators.

Other Revenues. Other revenues mainly included revenues from the provision of technical services to customers.

Cost of Revenue. Our cost of revenue consists of costs directly attributable to rendering our services, including online game royalties, payroll, revenue sharing to third-party game platform, telecom carries and other suppliers, depreciation and rental of Internet data center sites, depreciation and amortization of computer equipment and software and other overhead expenses directly attributable to the services we provide.

Before August 1, 2018, we recorded our IPTV revenue on a gross basis. As we became an agent in the operation of IPTV games since August 1, 2018, we started to record our IPTV revenues net of amounts we paid to third-party operators, and such amounts were no longer included in the cost of revenue.

Operating Expenses. Our operating expenses consist primarily of product development expenses, sales and marketing expenses, general and administrative expenses and gain on disposal of subsidiaries.

Product Development Expenses. Our product development expenses consist primarily of outsourced research and development, payroll, depreciation charges and other overhead for the development of our proprietary games. Other overhead product development costs include costs incurred by us to develop, maintain, monitor and manage our websites. Our product development expenses amounted to RMB45.1 million, RMB24.6 million and RMB13.1 million (US$1.9 million) for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Most of our proprietary online games have entered into their final stages of development and we have the ability to control the level of discretionary spending on product development in the near future.

Sales and Marketing Expenses. Our sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of advertising and promotional expenses, payroll and other overhead expenses incurred by our sales and marketing personnel. Our sales and marketing expenses amounted to RMB9.1 million, RMB2.3 million and RMB2.1 million (US$0.3 million) for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

General and Administrative Expenses. Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation and travel expenses for our administrative staff, depreciation of property and equipment, provision of allowance for doubtful accounts, entertainment expenses, administrative office expenses, as well as fees paid to professional service providers for auditing, legal services and equity transactions. General and administration expenses amounted to RMB108.8 million, RMB89.6 million and RMB113.9 million (US$16.4 million) for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Gain on disposal of subsidiaries. We had gain on disposal of subsidiaries of RMB1.2 million (US$0.2 million) for the year ended December 31, 2019. We had gain on disposal of subsidiaries of RMB10.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, including gain on disposal of The9 Education of RMB10.0 million. We had no gain on disposal of subsidiaries for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Holding Company Structure

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and rely primarily on dividends and other distributions from our subsidiaries and our affiliated entities in China for our cash requirements. Current PRC regulations restrict our affiliated entities and subsidiaries from paying dividends in the following two principal aspects: (i) our affiliated entities and subsidiaries in China are only permitted to pay dividends out of their respective accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations; and (ii) these entities are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain capital reserves until the cumulative total of the allocated reserves reach 50% of registered capital, and a portion of their respective after-tax profits to their staff welfare and bonus reserve funds as determined by their respective boards of directors. These reserves are not distributable as dividends. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Government Regulations.” In addition, failure to comply with relevant SAFE regulations may restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to make dividend payments to us. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident shareholders or us to penalties and fines, and limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital, distribute profits to us, or otherwise adversely affect us.”

Income and Sales Taxes

The National People’s Congress of the PRC adopted and promulgated the EIT Law on March 16, 2007. The EIT Law went into effect as of January 1, 2008 and revised on February 24, 2017 and December 29, 2018, and unified the tax rate generally applicable to both domestic and foreign-invested enterprises in the PRC. Our company’s subsidiaries and affiliated entities in the PRC are generally subject to EIT at a statutory rate of 25%. Our subsidiaries and affiliated entities in the PRC that hold a HNTE qualification are entitled to enjoy a 15% preferential EIT rate.

In addition, under the EIT Law, enterprises organized under the laws of their respective jurisdictions outside the PRC may be classified as either “non-resident enterprises” or “resident enterprises.” Non-resident enterprises are subject to withholding tax at the rate of 20% with respect to their PRC-sourced dividend income if they have no establishment or place of business in the PRC or if such income is not related to their establishment or place of business in the PRC, unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and the governments of other countries or regions. The State Council has reduced the withholding tax rate to 10% in the newly promulgated implementation rules of the EIT Law. As we are incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we may be regarded as a “non-resident enterprise.” We hold equity interests in certain PRC subsidiaries through subsidiaries in Hong Kong. According to the Tax Agreement between the PRC and Hong Kong, dividends paid by a foreign-invested enterprise in the PRC to its corporate shareholder in Hong Kong holding 25% or more of its equity interest may be subject to withholding tax at the maximum rate of 5% if certain criteria are met. Entitlement to such lower tax rate on dividends according to tax treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions is further subject to approval and filing procedures of relevant tax authority.

In February 2018, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Relating to “Beneficial Owner” in Tax Treaties on issues relating to “beneficial owner” in tax treaties, or Circular No. 9, which took effect on April 1, 2018. Circular No. 9 provides a more elastic guidance to determine whether the applicant engages in substantive business activities to constitute a “beneficial owner.” When determining the applicant’s status of the “beneficial owner” regarding tax treatments in connection with dividends, interests or royalties in the tax treaties, several factors, including without limitation, whether the applicant is obligated to pay more than 50% of his or her income in the past twelve months to residents in third country or region, whether the business operated by the applicant constitutes the actual business activities, and whether the other country or region to the tax treaties does not levy any tax or grant tax exemption on relevant incomes at all or levy tax at an extremely low rate, will be taken into account, and it will be analyzed according to the actual circumstances of the specific cases. This circular further provides that applicants who intend to prove his or her status of the “beneficial owner” shall submit the relevant documents to the relevant tax bureau according to the Administrative Measures for Non-Resident Enterprises to Enjoy Treatments under Tax Treaties, pursuant to which non-resident taxpayers which satisfy the criteria to be entitled to tax treaty benefits may, at the time of tax declaration or withholding declaration through a withholding agent, enjoy the tax treaty benefits, and be subject to follow-up administration by the tax authorities. If the non-resident taxpayer does not apply to the withholding agent for the tax treaty benefits, or such taxpayer does not satisfy the criteria to be entitled to tax treaty benefits, the withholding agent should withhold tax pursuant to the provisions of PRC tax laws. We cannot assure you that any dividends to be distributed by us or by our subsidiaries to our non-PRC shareholders and ADS holders whose jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China providing a different withholding arrangement will be entitled to the benefits under the relevant withholding arrangement.

The EIT law deems an enterprise established offshore but having its management organ in the PRC as a “resident enterprise” that will be subject to PRC tax at the rate of 25% of its global income. Under the Implementation Rules of the New Enterprise Income Tax Law, the term “management organ” is defined as “an organ which has substantial and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operation, personnel, accounting, properties and other factors.” On April 22, 2009, the SAT further issued Circular 82 which was partly repealed on December 29, 2017. According to Circular 82, a foreign enterprise controlled by a PRC company or a PRC company group shall be deemed a PRC resident enterprise, if (i) the senior management and the core management departments in charge of its daily operations are mainly located and function in the PRC; (ii) its financial decisions and human resource decisions are subject to the determination or approval of persons or institutions located in the PRC; (iii) its major assets, accounting books, company seals, minutes and files of board meetings and shareholders’ meetings are located or kept in the PRC; and (iv) more than half of the directors or senior management with voting rights reside in the PRC. On July 27, 2011, SAT issued SAT Bulletin 45, as amended on April 17, 2015, June 28, 2016 and June 15, 2018, which further clarified the detailed procedures for determination of the resident status provided in Circular 82, competent tax authorities in charge and post-determination administration of such resident enterprises. Although our offshore companies are not controlled by any PRC company or PRC company group, we cannot assure you that we will not be deemed to be a “resident enterprise” under the EIT Law and thus be subject to PRC EIT on our global income.

According to the EIT Law and its implementation rules, dividends are exempted from income tax if such dividends are received by a PRC resident enterprise on equity interests it directly owns in another PRC resident enterprise. However, foreign corporate holders of our shares or ADSs may be subject to taxation at a rate of 10% on any dividends received from us or any gains realized from the transfer of our shares or ADSs if we are deemed to be a resident enterprise or if such income is otherwise regarded as income “sourced within the PRC.” See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Our Industry—The PRC income tax laws may increase our tax burden or the tax burden on the holders of our shares or ADSs, and tax benefits available to us may be reduced or repealed, causing the value of your investment in us to decrease.”

With respect to sales taxes, before December 31, 2011, all the services provided by our PRC subsidiaries were subject to business taxes at the rate of 5%. On March 23, 2016, the Ministry of Finance and the SAT jointly issued the Circular on the Pilot Program for Overall Implementation of the Collection of Value Added Tax Instead of Business Tax, or Circular 36, which took effect on May 1, 2016 and was amended on July 11, 2017 and March 20, 2019. Pursuant to Circular 36, all companies operating in construction, real estate, finance, modern service or other sectors which were required to pay business tax are required to pay VAT in lieu of business tax As a result of Circular 36, the services provided by Shanghai IT, Shanghai Hui Ling, C9I Shanghai, C9I Beijing, Wuxi QuDong, Shanghai Kaie and The9 Computer as general VAT payers will be subject to VAT at the rate of 6%, and the services provided by our other PRC subsidiaries or affiliated PRC entities as small-scale VAT payers will be subject to VAT at the rate of 3%.

Our subsidiaries in the United States are registered in California and are subject to U.S. federal corporate marginal income tax at a rate of 21% for the taxable year ending December 31, 2019 and subsequent taxable years and state income tax at a rate of 8.84%, respectively.

Inflation

Since our inception, inflation in China has not materially affected our results of operations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for December 2017, 2018 and 2019 increases of 1.8%, 1.9% and 4.5%, respectively. Although we have not been materially affected by inflation, we may be affected if China experiences higher rates of inflation in the future.

Critical Accounting Policies

We prepare financial statements in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or U.S. GAAP, which requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities on the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the financial reporting period. We continually evaluate these estimates and assumptions based on the most recently available information, our own historical experience and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process, actual results could differ from those estimates. Some of our accounting policies require higher degrees of judgment than others in their application. We consider the policies discussed below to be critical to an understanding of our financial statements as their application assists management in making their business decisions.

Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities, or VIEs

PRC laws and regulations, including the GAPP Circular and the Network Publication Measures, currently prohibit or restrict foreign ownership of Internet-related businesses. We believe, consistent with the view of our PRC legal counsel, that our current structure complies with these foreign ownership restrictions, subject to the interpretation and implementation of the GAPP Circular and the Network Publication Measures. Specifically, we operate our business through Shanghai IT and have entered into a series of contractual arrangements with Shanghai IT and its equity owners. See the contractual arrangements set forth in “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions.” As a result of these contractual arrangements, we are entitled to receive service fees for services provided to Shanghai IT for an amount determined at our discretion, up to 90% of PRC entities’ profits. In addition, the equity owners of record for these entities have pledged all their equity interests in the VIEs to us as collateral for all of their payments due to the wholly-owned foreign enterprise, or WOFE, and to secure performance of all obligations of the VIEs and their shareholders under various agreements. In addition, the agreements provide that any dividend distributions made by the VIEs, if any, are required to be deposited in an escrow account over which we have exclusive control. Moreover, through the Call Option Agreements and Shareholder Voting Proxy Agreements, each shareholder of the VIEs granted WOFE or any third parties designated by the WOFE an irrevocable power of attorney to act on all matters pertaining to the VIEs. We believe that the terms of the Call Option Agreements are currently exercisable and legally enforceable under the PRC laws and regulations. We also believe that the minimum amount of consideration permitted by the applicable PRC law to exercise the options does not represent a financial barrier or disincentive for us to exercise our rights under the Call Option Agreements. A simple majority vote of our board of directors is required to pass a resolution to exercise our rights under the Call Option Agreements, for which consent of the shareholder of the VIEs is not required. As a result of the totality of these arrangements, we have both the power to direct activities that most significantly impact the VIEs economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses of or right to receive benefits from the VIEs that are significant to Shanghai IT. As a result, we concluded we are the primary beneficiary of Shanghai IT and as such Shanghai IT is consolidated VIE of our company.

The GAPP Circular reiterates and reinforces the long-standing prohibition of foreign ownership of Internet-related publication businesses via direct, indirect or disguised methods, and the Network Publication Measures provides that the manner of project cooperation shall be subject to prior examination and approval by the GAPPRFT. However, it is not clear whether GAPPRFT and MIIT have regulatory authority over the ownership structures of online game companies based in China and online game operation in China. In addition, the GAPP Circular and the Network Publication Measures do not specifically invalidate VIE agreements, and we are not aware of any online game companies adopting similar contractual arrangements as ours having been penalized or ordered to terminate such arrangements since the GAPP Circular first became effective. Therefore, we believe that our ability to direct the activities of Shanghai IT that most significantly impact our economic performance is not affected by the GAPP Circular. Any changes in PRC laws and regulations that affect our ability to control Shanghai IT might preclude us from consolidating Shanghai IT in the future. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Our Industry—PRC laws and regulations restrict foreign ownership of Internet content provision, Internet culture operation and Internet publishing licenses, and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the application and implementation of PRC laws and regulations.”

Use of estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported revenues and expenses during the reported periods. Significant accounting estimates reflected in our consolidated financial statements include the valuation of non-marketable equity investments and determination of other-than-temporary impairment, allowance for doubtful accounts, revenue recognition, assessment of impairment of other long-lived assets, assessment of impairment of advances to suppliers and other advances, incremental borrowing rates for lease assessment, fair value of redeemable noncontrolling interest, fair value of the warrants, share-based compensation expenses, consolidation of affiliated PRC entities, valuation allowances for deferred tax assets, and contingencies. Such accounting policies are affected significantly by judgments, assumptions and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, and actual results could differ materially from these estimates.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenues when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration expected to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. Depending on the terms of the contract and the laws that apply to the contract, control of the goods or services may be transferred over time or at a point in time. We do not believe that significant management judgments are involved in revenue recognition. We adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective transition approach method, reflecting the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard to revenue recognition as of January 1, 2018. We evaluated all revenue streams to assess the impact of implementing ASC 606 on revenue contracts. The adoption did not have an effect over the consolidated financial statements on the adoption date and no adjustment to prior year consolidated financial statements was required.

Online game services

We earn revenue from provision of online game operation services to players on the game servers and third-party platforms and overseas licensing of the online game to other operators. We grant operation right on authorized games, together with associated services which are rendered to the customers over time. We adopt virtual item / service consumption model for the online game services. Players can access certain games free of charge, but many of them purchase game points to acquire in-game premium features. We may act as principal or agent through the various transaction arrangements we entered into.

The determination on whether to record the revenue gross or net is based on an assessment of various factors, including but not limited to whether we (i) are the primary obligor in the arrangement; (ii) have general inventory risk; (iii) change the product or perform part of the services; (iv) have latitude in establishing the selling price; and (v) have involvement in the determination of product or service specifications. The assessment is performed for all of the licensed online games.

When acting as principal

Revenues from online game operation operated through telecom carriers and certain online games operators are recognized upon consumption of the in-game premium features based on the gross of revenue sharing-payments to third-party operators, but net of VAT. We obtain revenue from the sale of in-game virtual items. Revenues are recognized when the virtual items are consumed or over the estimated lives of the virtual items, which are estimated by considering the average period that active players and players’ behavior patterns derived from operating data. Accordingly, commission fees paid to third-party operators are recorded as cost of revenues.

When acting as agent 

With respect to games license arrangements we entered into with third-party operators, if the terms provide that (i) third-party operators are responsible for providing game desired by the game players; (ii) the hosting and maintenance of game servers for running the games are the responsibility of third-party operators; (iii) third-party operators have the right to review and approve the pricing of in-game virtual items and the specification, modification or update of the game made by us; and (iv) publishing, providing payment solution and market promotion services are the responsibilities of third-party operators and we are responsible to provide the license of intellectual property and subsequent technical services, then we consider ourselves as an agent of the third-party operators in such arrangement with game players. Accordingly, we record the game revenues from these licensed games, net of amounts paid to the third-party operators.

Licensing revenue 

We license our proprietary online games to other game operators and receive license fees and royalty income in connection with their operation of the games. License fee revenue is recognized evenly throughout the license period after commencement of the game, given that our intellectual property rights subject to the license are considered to be symbolic and the licensee has the right to access such intellectual property rights as they exist over time when the license is granted. Monthly revenue-based royalty payments are recognized when the relevant services are delivered, provided that collectability is reasonably assured. We view the third-party licensee operators as our customers and recognize revenues on a net basis, as we do not have the primary responsibility for fulfillment and acceptability of the game services.

Technical services

Technical services are blockchain-related consulting services where we provide designing, programming, drafting of white papers, and related services to customers.

These revenues are recognized when delivery of the service has occurred or when services have been rendered and the collection of the related fees is reasonably assured.

Contract balances 

Timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to customers. Accounts receivable represent amounts invoiced and revenue recognized prior to invoicing, when we satisfy its performance obligations and have the unconditional right to payment.

Deferred revenue relates to unsatisfied performance obligations at the end of the period and primarily consists of fees received from game players in the online game services and technical services. For deferred revenue, due to the generally short-term duration of the contracts, the majority of the performance obligations are satisfied in the following reporting period. The amount of revenue recognized that was included in deferred revenue balance at the beginning of the period was RMB0.2 million (US$0.02 million) for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Income Taxes

We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Deferred taxes are determined based upon the differences between the carrying value of assets and liabilities for financial reporting and tax purposes at currently enacted statutory tax rates for the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period of change.

A valuation allowance is provided on deferred tax assets to the extent that it is more likely than not that such deferred tax assets will not be realized. The total income tax provision includes current tax expenses under applicable tax regulations and the change in the balance of deferred tax assets and liabilities. Realization of the future tax benefits related to the deferred tax assets is dependent on many factors, including our ability to generate taxable income within the period during which the temporary differences reverse or our tax loss carry forwards expire, the outlook for the PRC economic environment, and the overall future industry outlook. We consider these factors in reaching our conclusion on the recoverability of the deferred tax assets and determine the valuation allowances necessary at each balance sheet date.

We recognize the impact of an uncertain income tax position at the largest amount that is more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon audit by the relevant tax authority. Income tax related interest is classified as interest expenses and penalties as income tax expense. As of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, we did not have any material liability for uncertain tax positions. Our policy is to recognize, if any, tax-related interest as interest expenses and penalties as income tax expenses. For the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, we did not have any material interest and penalties associated with tax positions.

Share-Based Compensation

We measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for stock-based compensation measured at the grant date fair value of the award. For the awards that are modified, we determine the incremental cost as the excess of the fair value of the modified award over the fair value of the original award immediately before its terms are modified, measured based on the share price and other pertinent factors at that date. We recognize the compensation costs, net of the estimated forfeiture, on a straight-line basis over the vesting period of the award, which generally ranges from one to four years. Forfeiture rates are estimated based on historical forfeiture patterns and adjusted to reflect future changes in circumstances and facts, if any. If actual forfeitures differ from those estimates, the estimates may be revised in subsequent periods. We use historical data to estimate pre-vesting option forfeitures and record stock-based compensation expense only for those awards that are expected to vest.

Determining the fair value of stock options requires significant judgment. We measure the fair value of the stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with assumptions made regarding expected term, volatility, risk-free interest rate, and dividend yield. The expected term represents the period of time that the awards granted are expected to be outstanding. The expected term is determined based on historical data on employee exercise and post-vesting employment termination behavior, or the “simplified” method for stock option awards with the characteristics of “plain vanilla” options for 2010 and 2011. Expected volatilities are based on historical volatilities of our ordinary shares. Risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. government bonds issued with maturity terms similar to the expected term of the stock-based awards. While we paid a discretionary cash dividend in January 2009, we do not anticipate paying any recurring cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

In addition, on December 8, 2010, we granted 1,500,000 ordinary shares to Jun Zhu, our chairman and chief executive officer, which will only be vested if our company achieves certain income targets and the shares are not entitled to receive dividends until they become vested. Of such shares, 500,000 ordinary shares were vested and issued to Incsight Limited, a company wholly-owned by Jun Zhu, on November 17, 2015. We considered the grant of ordinary shares as an incentive to retain Mr. Jun Zhu’s services with our company. The awarded non-vested shares would be valid for five years from December 8, 2010. The fair value of the granted non-vested shares is US$6.48 per share, the market price on the date of grant. We record share-based compensation expenses for these performance-based awards based upon our estimate of the probable outcome at the end of the performance period (i.e., the estimated performance against the performance targets). We periodically adjust the cumulative share-based compensation recorded when the probable outcome for these performance-based awards is updated based upon changes in actual and forecasted operating results. Our actual performance against the performance targets could differ materially from our estimates.

In May 2011, we granted 30,000 ordinary shares to each of our four non-executive directors, of which 10,000 ordinary shares vest for each director on July 1 of each year from 2011 to 2013 so long as such director continues his service as of such date. An aggregate of 40,000 ordinary shares vested in each of July 2011, July 2012 and July 2013, respectively. The fair value of the shares granted was US$6.03 per share, being the market price on the date of the grant.

In February 2006, Red 5 adopted a Stock Incentive Plan, or Red 5 Stock Incentive Plan, under which Red 5 may grant to its employees, director and consultants stock options to purchase common stocks or restricted stocks of Red 5. Red 5 granted options to purchase an aggregate of 28,963,258 shares of common stock under the Red 5 Stock Incentive Plan from April 6, 2010 to December 31, 2013. In September 2012, Red 5 granted an aggregate of 6,122,435 restricted common stocks to two directors of Red 5 including Mr. Zhu for their services to Red 5. We measure the share-based compensation based on the fair value of the award as of the grant date. We measure the fair value of the stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with assumptions made regarding the fair value of the common stock, expected term, volatility, risk-free interest rate, and dividend yield.

In January 2018, we granted 8,250,000 options to directors, officers and consultants, of which 5,750,000 shares would vest based on their services period with our company and 2,500,000 shares granted would vest subject to their performance condition. We measured the fair value of the options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. In September 2018, we canceled a total of 6,200,000 shares granted in January 2018.

Share-based compensation expenses of RMB38.0 million, RMB3.9 million and RMB21.3 million (US$3.1 million) were recognized for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, for options and restricted shares granted to our company’s and its subsidiaries’ employees and directors, including compensation cost due to the acceleration vesting and exercise of options in June 2017.

Allowance for doubtful accounts

Accounts receivable mainly consist of receivables from third-party game platforms, and other receivables, which are included in prepayments and other current assets, both of which are recorded net of allowance for doubtful accounts. We determine the allowances for doubtful accounts when facts and circumstances indicate that the receivable is unlikely to be collected. Allowances for doubtful accounts are charged to general and administrative expenses. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required. We provided an allowance for doubtful accounts of RMB0.05 million, RMB21.2 million and RMB0.2 million (US$0.01 million) for the years ended December 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Impairment Loss of Investments

We assess our equity investments for impairment on a periodic basis by considering factors including, but not limited to, current economic and market conditions, the operating performance of the investees including current earnings trends, the technological feasibility of the investee’s products and technologies, the general market conditions in the investee’s industry or geographic area, factors related to the investee’s ability to remain in business, such as the investee’s liquidity, debt ratios, and cash burn rate and other company-specific information including recent financing rounds. If it has been determined that the carrying amount of investment is higher than related fair value and that this decline is other-than-temporary, the carrying value of the investment is adjusted downward to reflect these declines in value. Impairment loss on investments of RMB9.1 million, RMB9.2 million and RMB8.5 million (US$1.2 million) was recognized in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

We review long-lived assets and intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. We assess the recoverability of long-lived assets and intangible assets (other than goodwill) by comparing the carrying amount to the estimated future undiscounted cash flow associated with the related assets. We recognize impairment of long-lived assets and intangible assets in the event that the net book value of such assets exceeds the estimated future undiscounted cash flow attributable to such assets. We use estimates and judgment in our impairment tests, and if different estimates or judgments had been utilized, the timing or the amount of the impairment charges could be different. Impairment charges relating to intangible assets and other assets amounting to nil, nil and RMB34.9 million (US$5.0 million) were recognized in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Refund of WoW Game Points

As a result of non-renewal of WoW license on June 7, 2009, we announced a refund plan in connection with inactivated WoW game point cards. According to the plan, inactivated WoW game point card holders are eligible to receive a cash refund from us. We recorded a liability in connection with both inactivated points cards and activated but unconsumed point cards of approximately RMB200.4 million, of which RMB4.0 million was refunded in 2009. Upon the loss of the WoW license, we concluded that the nature of the obligation substantively changed from deferred revenue, for which we had the ability to satisfy the underlying performance obligation, to an obligation to refund players for their unconsumed points. Thus, we have accounted for this refund liability by applying the relevant de-recognition guidance when determining the proper accounting treatment. In accordance with this guidance, the refund liability associated with these WoW game points, to the extent not refunded, will be recorded as other operating income after we are legally released from the obligation to refund amounts under the applicable laws. As we announced the refund plan on September 7, 2009, the statute of limitations of the creditors (in this case the game players with claims for refund of inactivated WoW game point cards) to assert their claims for refund is two years from such date under applicable laws and thus our legal liability relating to the inactivated WoW game point cards was extinguished on September 7, 2011 and the associated liability amounting to RMB26.0 million was recognized as other operating income for the year ended December 31, 2011. With respect to the remaining refund liability, based on current PRC laws, to the extent not refunded, we, in consultation with legal counsel, have determined that we will be legally released from this liability in 2029, which represents 20 years from the date of discontinuation of WoW in 2009. However, if management were to publicly announce a refund policy, we would be legally released from any remaining liability for these activated, but unconsumed points, sooner than 20 years. To date, we have determined not to publicly announce any refund policy with respect to this remaining liability, and no refunds have been claimed. The remaining refund liability relating to the activated, but unconsumed WoW game points was RMB170.0 million (US$24.4 million) as of December 31, 2019.

Convertible Notes and Beneficial Conversion Feature (“BCF”)

We have issued convertible notes and warrants in December 2015. We have evaluated whether the conversion feature of the notes is considered an embedded derivative instrument subject to bifurcation in accordance with ASC 815, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities. Based on our evaluation, the conversion feature is not considered an embedded derivative instrument subject to bifurcation as conversion option does not provide the holder of the notes with means to net settle the contracts. Convertible notes, for which the embedded conversion feature does not qualify for derivative treatment, are evaluated to determine if the effective rate of conversion pursuant to the terms of the convertible note agreement is below market value. In these instances, the value of the BCF is determined as the intrinsic value of the conversion feature, which is recorded as deduction to the carrying amount of the notes and credited to additional paid-in-capital. For convertible notes issued with detachable warrants, a portion of the note’s proceeds is allocated to the warrant based on the fair value of the warrants as of the date of issuance. The allocated fair values for the warrants and BCF are both recorded in the financial statements as debt discounts from the face amount of the notes, which are then accreted to interest expense over the life of the related debt using the effective interest method.

Warrants

We account for the detachable warrants issued in connection with convertible notes under the authoritative guidance on accounting for derivative financial instruments indexed to, and potentially settled in, a company’s own stock. We classify warrants in our consolidated balance sheet as a liability which is revalued at each balance sheet date subsequent to the initial issuance. We use the Black-Scholes pricing model to value the warrants. Determining the appropriate fair-value model and calculating the fair value of warrants requires considerable judgment. A small change in the estimates used may cause a relatively large change in the estimated valuation. The estimated volatility of our common stock at the date of issuance, and at each subsequent reporting period, is based on historic fluctuations in our stock price. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. government bonds with a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the warrants at the valuation date. The expected life of the warrants is based on the historical pattern of exercises of warrants.

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests

Redeemable non-controlling interests are equity interests of our consolidated subsidiary not attribute to us that have redemption features that are not solely within our control. These interests are classified as temporary equity because their redemption is considered probable. These interests are measured at the greater of estimated redemption value at the end of each reporting period or the initial carrying amount of the redeemable noncontrolling interests adjusted for cumulative earnings (loss) allocations.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

A list of recent accounting pronouncements that are relevant to us is included in note 2<32> to our consolidated financial statements, which are included in this annual report.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated statements of operations for the periods indicated.

Year 2019 Compared to Year 2018

Revenues. Our revenues decreased by 98.0%, from RMB17.5 million in 2018 to RMB0.3 million (US$0.05 million) in 2019, primarily due to the decrease in (i) IPTV revenue by RMB11.9 million (US$1.7 million), as the change of revenue recognition according to the renewed agreement since August 2018, and (ii) licensing revenue of Shanghai IT and GameNow Hong Kong by RMB2.6 million (US$0.4 million) because all authorized licensing contracts of Shanghai IT either expired or were terminated in 2018. There was only one licensing contract of GameNow Hong Kong, which generated revenue of RMB0.16 million (US$0.02 million) in 2019 until it expired in April 2019.

Online Game Services. Our revenues from our online game services decreased by 98.2%, from RMB16.6 million in 2018 to RMB0.3 million (US$0.04 million) in 2019. The decrease was primarily attributable to the decrease in (i) IPTV revenue by RMB11.9 million (US$1.7 million), and (ii) revenue generated from Song of Knight by RMB2.6 million (US$0.4 million) as Song of Knight ceased operations in 2018.

Our revenues from TV games decreased by 99.7% from RMB11.9 million in 2018 to RMB0.04 million (US$0.01 million) in 2019. The decrease was mainly attributable to the loss of revenue from TV games in 2019, which was attributable to the change of our role from principal to agent for TV games since August 1, 2018, which resulted in change of revenue recognition policy.

Other Revenues. Revenues generated from other products and services decreased from RMB0.9 million in 2018 to RMB0.04 million (US$0.01 million) in 2019, primarily due to a decrease in revenue generated by technical service.

Cost of Revenue. Cost of revenue decreased by 91.8% from RMB16.4 million in 2018 to RMB1.3 million (US$0.2 million) in 2019, primarily due to (i) the decrease in payroll as a result of the optimization of our organizational structure in 2019, and (ii) the change of revenue recognition policy of IPTV revenues since August 2018.

Operating Expenses. Operating expenses increased by 53.5% from RMB106.0 million in 2018 to RMB162.7 million (US$23.4 million) in 2019 primarily due to increase in general and administrative expenses and impairment on other long-lived assets.

Product Development Expenses. Product development expenses decreased by 46.7% from RMB24.6 million in 2018 to RMB13.1 million (US$1.9 million) in 2019. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in salaries for the product development personnel as the headcount of product development personnel decreased in 2019.

Sales and Marketing Expenses. Sales and marketing expenses decreased by 9.1% from RMB2.3 million in 2018 to RMB2.1 million (US$0.3 million) in 2019. The decrease in sales and marketing expenses was primarily due to a decrease in the salaries for the sales and marketing personnel and a decrease of marketing expenses.

General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by 27.1% from RMB89.6 million in 2018 to RMB113.9 million (US$16.4 million) in 2019. The increase was primarily due to an increase in share-based compensation expenses and consulting expenses.

Impairment of Other Long-lived Assets. We recorded impairment of other long-lived assets of RMB34.9 million (US$5.0 million) in 2019, which was mainly due to impairment on the prepaid initial deposit in the joint venture in 2019. We did not record any impairment of other long-lived assets in 2018.

Gain on Disposal of Subsidiaries. We had gain on disposal of subsidiaries of RMB1.2 million (US$0.2 million) in 2019, including gain on disposal of two immaterial subsidiaries that did not have significant business operations. We did not record any impairment of other long-lived assets in 2018.

Other Operating Income. We had an other operating income of RMB0.03 million (US$0.01 million) in 2019, including primarily office rental income. We had an other operating income of RMB0.2 million in 2018, including primarily office rental income.

Impairment on Equity Investments and Available-for-sale Investments. We recorded an impairment on equity investments and available-for-sale investments of RMB4.7 million (US$0.7 million) in 2019, primarily due to the decrease in the market value of our investments in Shanghai Big Data Cultures & Media Co., Ltd, or Big Data, and Maxline. We recorded an impairment on equity investments and available-for-sale investments of RMB1.4 million in 2018, primarily due to the decrease in the market value of our investments in Leading Choice.

Impairment on Other Advances. We recorded an impairment of other advances of RMB6.0 million (US$0.9 million) in 2019, primarily due to delay in the issuance of certain blockchain-related tokens to us and possible termination of such tokens subscription. We did not record any impairment of other advances in 2018.

Impairment on Other Investment. We recorded an impairment of other investment amounting of RMB3.8 million (US$0.5 million) in 2019, primarily due to the decrease in the market value of our investments in Zhenjiang Kexin and Smartposting. We recorded an impairment of other investment amounting of RMB7.8 million in 2018, primarily due to the decrease in the market value of our investments in Shanghai Ronglei, Plutux, Smartposting and Beijing Ti Knight.

Interest Income. Interest income decreased from RMB0.2 million in 2018 to RMB0.02 million (US$0.01 million) in 2019.

Interest Expenses. Interest expenses decreased from RMB104.8 million in 2018 to RMB34.5 million (US$5.0 million) in 2019, primarily due to different accounting treatment for the calculation of interest expenses before and after the due date on December 20, 2018. The interest expenses were recognized under effective interest rate with net carrying amount of Convertible Notes within contract term. While after Convertible Notes were due, interest expenses were recognized using nominal interest rate with principal amount.

Fair Value Change on Warrants Liability. We had a fair value change on convertible bonds and warrants liability of RMB1.3 million (US$0.2 million) in 2019, primarily due to a decrease in our share price as of December 31, 2019 compared to December 31, 2018.

Gain on Disposal of Equity Investee and Available-for-sale Investment. We had gain on disposal of equity investee and available-for-sale investment of RMB0.7 million (US$0.1 million) in 2019. We had no gain or loss on disposal of equity investee and available-for-sale investment in 2018.

Foreign Exchange Loss. We recorded foreign exchange loss of RMB5.5 million (US$0.8 million) in 2019, as compared to foreign exchange loss of RMB20.3 million in 2018, primarily due to the appreciation of U.S. dollar against Renminbi in 2019.

Other Income, Net. We recorded other income, net, of RMB9.4 million (US$1.3 million) in 2019, as compared to other net income of RMB1.6 million in 2018, primarily due to the receipt of litigation fee refund by the court for prepaid litigation fee originally paid in 2016 related to the litigation with Qihoo 360.

Share of Loss in Equity Method Investments. We recorded a share of loss in equity method investments of RMB2.8 million (US$0.4 million) in 2019, primarily due to the loss absorbed for the investment in Big Data. We recorded a share of loss in equity method investments of RMB4.3 million in 2018, primarily due to the loss absorbed for the investments in Big Data and Maxline.

Net Loss Attributable to Holders of Ordinary Shares. Primarily as a result of the cumulative effect of the above factors, net loss attributable to our holders of ordinary shares increased from RMB258.0 million in 2018 to RMB190.6 million (US$27.4 million) in 2019.

Year 2018 Compared to Year 2017

Revenues. Our revenues decreased by 76.1%, from RMB73.2 million in 2017 to RMB17.5 million in 2018, primarily due to the decreases in (i) Firefall license revenue from System Link by RMB37.9 million as Firefall ceased operations and all revenue had been recognized in 2017, (ii) IPTV revenue by RMB5.3 million in 2018 as we started to record revenues net of amounts we paid to third-party operators of IPTV games since August 1, 2018, and (iii) revenue from Song of Knight by RMB1.3 million as Song of Knight ceased operations in 2018.

Online Game Services. Our revenues from our online game services decreased by 76.8%, from RMB71.6 million in 2017 to RMB16.6 million in 2018. The decrease was primarily attributable to the decreases in (i) Firefall license revenue from System Link by RMB37.9 million as Firefall ceased operations and all revenue had been recognized in 2017, (ii) IPTV revenue by RMB5.3 million in 2018 as described below, and (iii) revenue generated from Song of Knight by RMB1.3 million as Song of Knight ceased operations in 2018.

Our revenues from TV games decreased by 30.8% from RMB17.2 million in 2017 to RMB11.9 million in 2018. The decrease was partly attributable to the change of the revenue recognition policy of the revenue from TV games. Previously, we recorded our IPTV revenue on a gross basis. As we became an agent in the operation of IPTV games since August 1, 2018, we started to record revenues net of amounts we paid to third-party operators, and such amount of fees were no longer included in our cost of revenue. As a result, we did not record any revenues from TV games after August 1, 2018.

Other Revenues. Revenues generated from other products and services decreased from RMB1.6 million in 2017 to RMB0.9 million in 2018, primarily due to a decrease in revenue generated by our education business conducted by The9 Education as we disposed The9 Education in January 2018.

Cost of Revenue. Cost of revenue decreased by 31.1% from RMB23.8 million in 2017 to RMB16.4 million in 2018, primarily due to (i) the decrease in payroll as a result of the optimization of our organizational structure in 2018, and (ii) the change of revenue recognition policy of IPTV revenues.

Operating Expenses. Operating expenses decreased by 35.0% from RMB163.0 million in 2017 to RMB106.0 million in 2018.

Product Development Expenses. Product development expenses decreased by 45.5% from RMB45.1 million in 2017 to RMB24.6 million in 2018. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in salaries for the product development personnel as the headcount of product development personnel decreased.

Sales and Marketing Expenses. Sales and marketing expenses decreased by 74.6% from RMB9.1 million in 2017 to RMB2.3 million in 2018. The decrease in sales and marketing expenses was primarily due to a decrease in the salaries for the sales and marketing personnel and a decrease of marketing expenses.

General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses decreased by 17.6% from RMB108.8 million in 2017 to RMB89.6 million in 2018. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in payroll-related expenses as a result of our cost control measures and a decrease in share-based compensation expenses.

Gain on Disposal of Subsidiaries. We recorded gain on disposal of subsidiaries of RMB10.5 million in 2018. The increase is mainly due to a gain from disposal of The9 Education completed in January 2018.

Other Operating Income. We had an other operating income of RMB0.2 million in 2018, including primarily office rental income. We had an other operating income of RMB0.3 million in 2017, including primarily office rental income.

Impairment on Other Investment. We recorded an impairment of other investment amounting of RMB7.8 million in 2018, primarily due to the decrease in the market value of our investments in Shanghai Ronglei, Plutux, Smartposting and Beijing Ti Knight. We recorded an impairment of other investment amounting to RMB9.1 million in 2017, primarily due to the decrease in the market value of our investment in Smartposting and Beijing Ti Knight.

Interest Income. Interest income increased from RMB0.03 million in 2017 to RMB0.2 million in 2018.

Interest Expenses. Interest expenses increased from RMB83.9 million in 2017 to RMB104.8 million in 2018, primarily due to the increase in accrued interest expenses on the Convertible Notes. The interest expenses of the Convertible Notes were calculated by using effective interest rate method.

Fair Value of Change on Warrants. We had a fair value of change on convertible bonds and warrants of RMB2.3 million in 2018, primarily due to a decrease in our share price as of December 31, 2018 compared to December 31, 2017.

Gain (loss) on disposal of equity investee and available-for-sale investment. We had no gain or loss on disposal of equity investee and available-for-sale investment in 2018. We recorded a gain on disposal of equity investee and available-for-sale investment of RMB0.1 million in 2017 in connection with the disposal our partial shareholding in L&A.

Foreign exchange gain (loss). We recorded foreign exchange loss of RMB20.3 million in 2018, as compared to foreign exchange gain of RMB19.2 million in 2017, primarily due to the appreciation of U.S. dollar against Renminbi in 2018.

Other Income, Net. We recorded other net income of RMB1.6 million in 2018, as compared to other net income of RMB4.7 million in 2017, primarily due to a decrease in government subsidies received in 2018.

Recovery of equity investment in excess of cost. We did not record any recovery of equity investment in excess of cost in 2018, while we recorded recovery of equity investment in excess of cost of RMB60.5 million in 2017, which was non-recurring in nature.

Net Loss Attributable to Holders of Ordinary Shares. Primarily as a result of the cumulative effect of the above factors, net loss attributable to our holders of ordinary shares increased from RMB175.3 million in 2017 to RMB258.0 million in 2018.

We are a holding company and conduct our operations primarily through our subsidiaries and affiliated PRC entities in China. As a result, our cash requirements and our ability to pay dividends principally depend upon dividends and other distributions from our subsidiaries, which in turn are derived principally from earnings generated by our affiliated PRC entities. Specifically, Shanghai Hui Ling, one of our subsidiaries in China, obtains funds from the PRC entities in the form of payments under the exclusive technical service agreements, pursuant to which Shanghai Hui Ling is entitled to determine the amount of payment.

We acknowledge that the PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies, and in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. However, under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Therefore, we are able to pay dividends in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE or designated banks. Approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities and authorized banks is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies.

Furthermore, if our subsidiaries or any newly formed subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf, the agreements governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China— Restrictions on currency exchange in China limit our ability to utilize our revenues effectively, make dividend payments and meet our foreign currency denominated obligations.”

Current PRC regulations restrict our affiliated entities and subsidiaries from paying dividends in the following two principal aspects: (i) our affiliated entities and subsidiaries in China are only permitted to pay dividends out of their respective accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations; and (ii) these entities are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain capital reserves until the cumulative total of the allocated reserves reaches 50% of registered capital, and a portion of their respective after-tax profits to their staff welfare and bonus reserve funds as determined by their respective boards of directors. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, companies may not distribute the reserve funds as cash dividends except upon a liquidation of these subsidiaries. In addition, dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries could be delayed as we may only distribute such dividends upon completion of annual statutory audits of the subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2019, such restricted portion was RMB7.7 million (US$1.1 million). We have not directed our PRC subsidiaries or affiliated entities to distribute any dividends to-date.

The aggregate net assets as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, as reflected on our statutory accounts, including registered capital and statutory reserves, were approximately RMB52.0 million, RMB42.4 million and RMB40.2 million (US$5.8 million) higher than the amounts determined under U.S. GAAP, respectively.

Cash Flows and Working Capital

We fund our operations primarily through our available cash in hand as well as cash generated from our operating, financing and investing activities. As of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, we had RMB142.6 million, RMB4.3 million and RMB10.1 million (US$1.5 million), respectively, in cash and cash equivalents. The increase in cash and cash equivalents from 2018 to 2019 was primarily due to the cash flows from the disposal of other investment and proceeds from transfer of tokens. The decrease in cash and cash equivalents from 2017 to 2018 was primarily due to the cash outflows from operating activities associated with our product development and sales and marketing efforts for our new games.

We have an accumulated deficit of approximately RMB3,410.9 million (US$489.9 million) and total current liabilities exceeded total assets by approximately RMB876.6 million (US$125.9 million) as of December 31, 2019. We also had a net loss of approximately RMB196.2 million (US$28.2 million) for the year ended December 31, 2019, and have not generated significant revenues or positive cash flows from operations since 2009. We expect to continue to incur product development and sales and marketing expenses for licensed and proprietary new games in order to achieve revenue growth. To meet our working capital needs, we are considering multiple alternatives, including but not limited to additional equity financings, settlement of Convertible Notes, launch of new games and new operation and cost controls, as discussed below. We may continue to incur losses, negative cash flows from operating activities and net current liabilities in the future. If we are not able to return to profitability or raise sufficient capital to cover our capital needs, we may not continue as a going concern. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Our Industry—We may continue to incur losses, negative cash flows from operating activities and net current liabilities in the future. If we are not able to return to profitability or raise sufficient capital to cover our capital needs, we may not continue as a going concern.”

Additional Equity Financing

We intend to obtain financial support from Mr. Jun Zhu, our chairman and chief executive officer, if needed, in 2020.

Settlement of Secured Convertible Notes

In December 2015, we issued and sold the Convertible Notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$40,050,000 to Splendid Days. Upon the maturity date, we failed to repay the Convertible Notes. We later entered into a deed of settlement with Splendid Days, the holder of the Convertible Notes, in March 2019, and subsequently entered into several amendments to the deed of settlement in relation to the repayment schedule for the overdue Convertible Notes. In February 2020, we completed the sale of the equity interests in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties. As of the date of this annual report, we have repaid approximately US$4.8 million to Splendid Days and the outstanding balance of the Convertible Notes amounted to US$55.5 million, which we plan to repay using the consideration received from the sale of the equity interests in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties.

Launch of New Games and New Operation

We have launched and plan to launch our proprietary mobile online games, including the CrossFire New Mobile Game, Audition, and Pop Fashion. In November 2017, we entered into an exclusive publishing agreement with a third-party company, pursuant to which this third-party company was granted an exclusive right to publish the CrossFire New Mobile Game in China. We have invested significant financial and personnel resources in development of our proprietary CrossFire New Mobile Game. In July 2019, we entered in an agreement with Smilegate to extend the license period for game development period till October 31, 2020, and we expect to launch this game in the second half of 2020. However, in the event that we cannot meet such launch time, we may seek to further extend the license term. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Our Industry—Failure to obtain or renew approvals or filings for online games and mobile games we operate may adversely affect our operations or subject us to penalties.”

In February 2018, we subscribed a total of 5,297,157 blockchain-related tokens to be issued by Telegram Inc. for a consideration of US$2.0 million with a third-party company and the tokens were expected to be issued in 2019. In October 2019, Telegram notified participants of the tokens offering that the SEC filed a lawsuit against Telegram in United States and that the expected launch date has been extended to April 2020. As of December 31, 2019, we provided a valuation allowance on these subscribed tokens. As of the date of this annual report, these subscribed tokens have not been issued. Telegram may further extend the launch date or may enter into a termination arrangement depending on the development of future events.

In March 2019, we entered into a joint venture agreement with Faraday&Future Inc., or F&F, and subsequently attempted to enter into electric vehicle business. However, our transition to electric vehicles business did not develop as we anticipated. As of the date of this annual report, we have not entered into a license agreement with F&F and have not fulfilled our first installment contribution obligation of US$200.0 million to F&F as set forth in the joint venture agreement and its amendments. Currently, we are still operating our gaming business and are in the process of identifying alternative business development focus for our company.

Cost Control

Currently, a significant portion of our cash requirements is attributable to administrative expenses. We have the ability to control the level of discretionary spending on administrative expenses by implementation of cost savings on non-essential expenses from the day-to-day business operations. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully conduct the cost control measures with results favorable to us, or at all.

If we are unable to obtain the necessary capital, we will need to license or sell our assets, seek to be acquired by another entity and/or cease operations. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Our Industry— We may not be able to obtain additional financing to support our business and operations, and our equity or debt financings may have an adverse effect on our business operations and share price.”

We believe that, upon the successful implementation of the foregoing potential sources of cash flow and potential cost control measures, we may have sufficient financial resources to meet our anticipated operating cash flow requirements, to meet our obligations and to pay off liabilities as and when they fall due for the 12 months following the date of this annual report.

Pursuant to the Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement dated November 24, 2015, on December 11, 2015, we issued and sold the Convertible Notes in the aggregate principal amount of US$40,050,000 to Splendid Days Limited, or Splendid Days. We received net proceeds of US$36,850,000 from the sale of the Convertible Notes. The Convertible Notes are divided into three tranches in principal amounts of US$22,250,000, US$13,350,000 and US$4,450,000, respectively, which will be convertible at the option of the holder at any time into our ADSs at initial conversion prices of US$7.8, US$15.6 and US$23.4 per ADS, each representing three ordinary shares, respectively, provided that at no time shall the holder convert any portion of the Convertible Notes if subsequent to such conversion such holder will hold more than 20% of the total outstanding and issued shares of our company. The Convertibles Notes bear interest at a rate of 12% per year, payable when the principal amount of the Convertible Notes becomes due, and have initial terms of three years, subject to an extension for two years at the discretion of the holder. The initial conversion prices are subject to adjustments for share splits, reverse splits, share dividends and distributions, and certain issuances (or deemed issuances) of ordinary shares or ADSs for consideration less than the conversion price then in effect. In addition, the holder of the Convertible Notes is entitled to any extraordinary cash dividend (to the extent that it exceeds the accrued interest amount per share) and dividend in kind that we distribute based on the number of shares into which the Convertible Notes are then convertible. Following a “change of control,” as such term is defined in the Convertible Notes, the holder of the Convertible Notes will be entitled to require us to redeem all or part of the Convertible Notes, at a price payable in cash equal to 100% of the outstanding principal amount of the Convertible Notes, plus all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Convertible Notes, if there is a continuing event of default, the holder will be entitled to declare any of the Convertible Notes immediately due and payable, and request redemption by us at a price equal to the outstanding principal amount plus all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any. “Events of default” as defined in the Convertible Notes include, among other things, an event of default under any indebtedness in the amount exceeding US$500,000.

Pursuant to the same agreement, on December 11, 2015, we issued to Splendid Days four tranches of warrants in an aggregate principal amount of US$9,950,000. The Warrants are divided into four tranches in principal amounts of US$5,000,000, US$2,750,000, US$1,650,000 and US$550,000, respectively, which will be exercisable for our ADSs at the option of the holder at any time at initial exercise prices of US$4.5, US$7.8, US$15.6 and US$23.4 per ADS, each representing three ordinary shares, respectively. The initial exercise prices are subject to adjustments for share splits, reverse splits, share dividends and distributions, distribution of assets, certain issuances (or deemed issuances) of ordinary shares or ADSs for consideration less than the exercise price then in effect, as applicable for each warrant. In addition, the holder of the Warrants with initial exercise prices of US$7.8, US$15.6 and US$23.4 per ADS, each representing three ordinary shares, is entitled to any cash dividend (to the extent that it exceeds the notional interest amount attributable to such Warrants) and dividend in kind that we distribute based on the number of shares into which the Warrants are then exercisable. The tranche of Warrants with an exercise price of US$4.5 per ADS, each representing three ordinary shares, has a term of five years, while the remaining three tranches have initial terms of three years. As of the date of this annual report, only the tranche of Warrants with an exercise price of US$4.5 was still outstanding. We entered into a deed of settlement with Splendid Days, the holder of the Convertible Notes, in March 2019 and subsequently several amendments to the deed of settlement in relation to the Convertible Notes repayment schedule. In September 2019, we entered into a definitive agreement with Kapler Pte. Ltd., an indirect subsidiary of Keppel Corporation Limited, pursuant to which 100% equity interest in several subsidiaries of our company in China, namely China The9 Interactive (Shanghai) Ltd., The9 Computer Technology Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Kaie Information Technology Co., Ltd., that collectively own Zhangjiang Micro-electronic Port Block #3 were sold to Kapler Pte. Ltd., in exchange for consideration of RMB493.0 million. The rest of assets and liabilities previously held by the subsidiaries sold were transferred to Shanghai Hui Ling. Pursuant to the deed of settlement and its amendments, the outstanding amount of the Convertible Notes bore an interest rate of 12% per annum from the original maturity date to February 21, 2020. In February 2020, we completed the sale of the equity interests in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties in accordance with the deed of settlement and its amendments. Pursuant to the deed of settlement and its amendments, US$6.6 million of the outstanding amount of the Convertible Notes continues to bear an interest rate of 14% per annum commencing from February 22, 2020. As of the date of this annual report, we have repaid approximately US$4.8 million to Splendid Days and the outstanding balance of the Convertible Notes amounted to US$55.5 million, which we plan to repay using the consideration received from the sale of the equity interests in certain subsidiaries that collectively held the Previously Mortgaged Properties, and the Warrants in a principal amount of US$5.0 million with the initial exercise of US$4.5 per ADS were still outstanding.

The following table sets forth the summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was RMB54.2 million (US$7.8 million) in 2019, compared to RMB101.2 million in 2018 and RMB86.7 million in 2017. The decrease of net cash used in operating activities in 2019 was mainly due to a decrease in cash outflow associated with blockchain business.

The net cash used in operating activities in 2019 primarily reflected a net loss of RMB196.2 million (US$28.2 million), partially offset by consulting fee paid by issuance of shares of RMB35.1 million (US$5.0 million), impairment on other long-lived assets of RMB34.9 million (US$5.0 million), interest expense on Convertible Notes of RMB33.2 million (US$4.8 million), share-based compensation expense of RMB21.8 million (US$3.1 million), and changes in accrued expenses and other current liabilities of RMB11.9 million (US$1.7 million).

The net cash used in operating activities in 2018 primarily reflected a net loss of RMB239.3 million, partially offset by the interest expense on Convertible Notes of RMB98.3 million, provision for doubtful other receivables of RMB21.0 million, impairment on equity and other investment of RMB9.2 million, depreciation and amortization of property, equipment and software and land use right of RMB5.6 million and adjustments for share-based compensation expense of RMB3.9 million.

The net cash used in operating activities in 2017 primarily reflected a net loss of RMB112.1 million, partially offset by the interest expense on convertible note of RMB77.0 million, recovery of equity investment in excess of cost of RMB60.5 million, adjustments for share-based compensation expense of RMB38.0 million, consulting fee paid by equity of RMB13.5 million, and depreciation and amortization of property, equipment and software and land use right of RMB7.2 million.

Investing Activities

Net cash provided by investing activities was RMB60.9 million (US$8.7 million) in 2019, which primarily included (i) proceeds from disposal of assets and liabilities classified as held for sale of RMB49.3 million (US$7.1 million), (ii) proceeds from disposal of other investments of RMB37.0 million (US$5.3 million), (iii) proceeds from transferred tokens of RMB6.9 million (US$1.0 million), and (iv) initial deposit payment of RMB34.9 million (US$5.0 million) to joint venture.

Net cash used in investing activities was RMB17.3 million in 2018, which primarily included (i) advance payment of US$2.0 million to subscribe tokens of a third party, (ii) purchase of other investments of RMB5.3 million, and (iii) proceeds from disposal of assets and liabilities held for sale of RMB2.8 million.

Net cash provided by investing activities was RMB161.9 million in 2017, which primarily included (i) the settlement payment of US$25.0 million from our investee in 2017, (ii) purchase of investment in Ti Knight Inc. of RMB4.0 million, (iii) loan receivable due from Zhongxing The9 Network Technology Co., Ltd., or ZTE9, one of our equity investees, of RMB4.0 million, and (iv) proceeds from disposal of other investment in Tandem Fund of RMB1.2 million.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities in 2019 was RMB40.9 million (US$5.9 million), primarily attributable to proceeds of other loans of RMB34.9 million (US$5.0 million) and loan from a related party of RMB16.1 million (US$2.3 million), partially offset by repayment of a loan from a related party of RMB10.0 million (US$1.4 million).

Net cash used in financing activities in 2018 was RMB18.4 million, primarily attributable to the repayment of RMB29.1 million of a loan from a related party, partially offset by a loan from a related party of RMB11.0 million.

Net cash provided by financing activities in 2017 was RMB44.1 million, primarily attributable to loans of RMB73.9 million, borrowed from related parties, contributions from noncontrolling interest of RMB20.0 million, partially offset by repayments on the bank loan of RMB25.5 million provided by Bank of Shanghai.

As a result of non-renewal of WoW license on June 7, 2009, we announced a refund plan in connection with inactivated WoW game point cards. According to the plan, inactivated WoW game point card holders are eligible to receive a cash refund from us. We recorded a liability in connection with both inactivated points cards and activated but unconsumed point cards of approximately RMB200.4 million, of which RMB4.0 million was refunded in 2009. Upon the loss of the WoW license, we concluded that the nature of the obligation substantively changed from deferred revenue, for which we had the ability to satisfy the underlying performance obligation, to an obligation to refund players for their unconsumed points. Thus, we have accounted for this refund liability by applying the relevant de-recognition guidance when determining the proper accounting treatment. In accordance with this guidance, the refund liability associated with these WoW game points, to the extent not refunded, will be recorded as other operating income after we are legally released from the obligation to refund amounts under the applicable laws. As we announced the refund plan on September 7, 2009, the statute of limitations of the creditors (in this case the game players with claims for refund of inactivated WoW game point cards) to assert their claims for refund is two years from such date under applicable laws and thus our legal liability relating to the inactivated WoW game point cards was extinguished on September 7, 2011 and the associated liability amounting to RMB26.0 million was recognized as other operating income for the year ended December 31, 2011. With respect to the remaining refund liability, based on current PRC laws, to the extent not refunded, we, in consultation with legal counsel, have determined that we will be legally released from this liability in 2029, which represents 20 years from the date of discontinuation of WoW in 2009. However, if management were to publicly announce a refund policy, we would be legally released from any remaining liability for these activated, but unconsumed points, sooner than 20 years. To date, we have determined not to publicly announce any refund policy with respect to this remaining liability, and no refunds have been claimed. The remaining refund liability relating to the activated, but unconsumed WoW game points was RMB170.0 million (US$24.4 million) as of December 31, 2019.

Capital Expenditures

We incurred capital expenditures of RMB0.5 million, RMB0.2 million and RMB0.8 million (US$0.1 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. The capital expenditures principally consisted of purchases of computers and other items related to our network infrastructure. If we license new games or enter into strategic joint ventures or acquisitions, we may require additional funds for necessary capital expenditures.

Our research and development efforts are primarily focused on the development of our proprietary online games and the maintenance of our websites. Our research and development expenses were RMB45.1 million, RMB24.6 million and RMB13.1 million (US$1.9 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Except as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events for the period from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our net sales or revenues, results of operations, profitability, liquidity or capital resources, or that would cause the reported financial information not necessarily to be indicative of future operating results or financial conditions.

We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third-parties. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet derivative instruments. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.

The following table sets forth our contractual obligations and other commitments under as of December 31, 2019:

Notes:

This annual report on Form 20-F contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” “is/are likely to,” “considers” or other and similar expressions. The accuracy of these statements may be impacted by a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:

These risks are not exhaustive. We operate in an emerging and evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is impossible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any specific factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

We would like to caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and you should read these statements in conjunction with the risk factors disclosed in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors.” We do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required under applicable law.

The following table sets forth information regarding our directors and executive officers as of the date of this annual report.

Notes:  

Biographical Information

Jun Zhu is one of our co-founders. He has served as the chairman of our board of directors and chief executive officer since our inception. Prior to founding our company, Mr. Zhu co-founded Flagholder New Technology Co. Ltd., an information technology company based in China, in 1997, and served as its director from 1997 to 1999. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Zhu worked at QJ (U.S.A.) Investment, Ltd., a trading company in the United States. Mr. Zhu attended an undergraduate program at Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Davin A. Mackenzie has served as our independent director since July 2005. Mr. Mackenzie is currently the General Manager of Greater China for Scape, a developer and operator of purpose-build student accommodation, and the Managing Director – Asia Pacific for the Madison Sports Group, the promoter of the Six Day series of track cycling events. Mr. Mackenzie was a consultant of Spencer Stuart Beijing Office, a renowned global executive search company, from 2012 to 2016. Currently, he serves as a director of Mountain Hazelnut Ventures, a private agricultural company. From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Mackenzie was the Beijing representative of Brocade Capital Limited, a private equity advisory firm that he founded in 2009. From 2008 to 2009, Mr. Mackenzie was the managing director and Beijing representative of Arctic Capital Limited, a pan-Asia private equity advisory firm. Between 2000 and 2008, Mr. Mackenzie held the same positions in Peak Capital LLC, another private equity investment and advisory firm that focuses on the China market. Prior to Peak Capital, Mr. Mackenzie worked with the International Finance Corporation, a private sector arm of The World Bank Group, for seven years, including four years as the resident representative for China and Mongolia. Mr. Mackenzie has also worked at Mercer Management Consultants in Washington, D.C., and at First National Bank of Boston in Taiwan. Mr. Mackenzie received a bachelor’s degree in Government from Dartmouth College. He received a master’s degree in international studies and an MBA degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Mackenzie has also completed the World Bank Executive Development Program at Harvard Business School.

Kwok Keung Chau has served as our independent director since October 2015. Currently, he serves as the authorized representative and the company secretary of Comtec Solar Systems Group Limited (SEHK: 00712), an independent non-executive director and the chairman of the audit committee of China Xinhua Education Group Limited (SEHK: 02779), an independent director of China Tobacco International (HK) Company Limited (SEHK: 06055) and an independent non-executive director and the chairman of the audit committee of Forward Fashion (International) Holdings Company Ltd. (SEHK: 02528) and an independent non-executive director of Bank of Zhangjiakou Co., Ltd. since April 2020. From November 2007 to January 2020, Mr. Chau was an executive director and the chief financial officer of Comtec Solar Systems Group Limited, responsible for corporate financial and general management. He acted as a member of supervisory board of RIB Software AG, a software company in Germany, which was listed in Frankfurt Stock Exchange, from May 2010 to June 2013. Prior to joining Comtec Solar in November 2007, Mr. Chau served in various positions at China.com Inc., (SEHK: 08006) from October 2005 to October 2007, including vice president of the finance department, chief financial officer, company secretary and authorized representative. Prior to joining China.com Inc., Mr. Chau served as the deputy group financial controller of China South City Holdings Limited (SEHK: 01668) from August 2003 to April 2005. Before that, he served as the financial controller of Shanghai Hawei New Material and Technology co., Ltd. from June 2002 to August 2003. Mr. Chau has been a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants since June 2002, a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants since July 2005 and a Chartered Financial Analyst of the CFA Institute since September 2003. Mr. Chau received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in May 1998.

Ka Keung Yeung has served as our independent director since July 2005. Mr. Yeung also serves as the director of Phoenix New Media Limited (NYSE: FENG). He is also the company secretary and qualified accountant. Mr. Yeung joined Phoenix in March 1996 and is in charge of all of Phoenix’s internal and external financial management and arrangements and also supervises administration and personnel matters. Mr. Yeung also serves as a director of Phoenix New Media, a subsidiary of Phoenix and a company listed on the NYSE. Mr. Yeung graduated from the University of Birmingham and is qualified as a chartered accountant. Upon returning to Hong Kong, he worked at Hutchison Telecommunications and STAR in the fields of finance and business development.

George Lai has served as our chief financial officer since July 2008 and our director since January 2016. Currently, he also serves as an independent non-executive director and the chairman of the compensation committee of Qingdao Port International Co., Ltd. (SEHK: 06198). Prior to joining us, Mr. Lai worked for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu since 2000. Mr. Lai worked in several different Deloitte offices, including Hong Kong, New York and Beijing. During his eight years at Deloitte, Mr. Lai played key roles in the audit function in a number of IPO projects in the United States and China. He also assisted public companies in the United States, Hong Kong and China with a wide range of accounting matters. Mr. Lai received his bachelor of business administration, with a focus in professional accountancy, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Mr. Lai holds various accounting professional qualifications, including from AICPA, FCCA and HKICPA.

Chris Shen has served as our vice president since January 2006. Mr. Shen joined us in August 2005 as our senior director of marketing and is in charge of our mobile social gaming platform and marketing and public relations activities. Prior to joining us, Mr. Shen served as the group account director and account director for several renowned advertising agencies in Shanghai and Taipei, mainly serving multinational companies in various industries, such as consumer goods, financial services and retail. During the past twelve years, Mr. Shen helped numerous local and international brands plan and executed various marketing initiatives. Mr. Shen received his bachelor’s degree in management science from the National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan.

Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers

In 2019, the aggregate cash compensation paid or payable to our executive officers and non-executive directors for their services in 2019 was approximately RMB4.0 million (US$0.6 million) and RMB1.0 million (US$0.1 million), respectively. No director or executive officer is entitled to any severance benefits upon termination of his or her employment with or appointment by our company. In addition, in September 2018, we issued 30,000,000 ordinary shares in the form of restricted shares to our directors, employees and consultant in accordance with our stock option plan. Simultaneous with the new grants, options to purchase 6,200,000 ordinary shares by certain grantees were cancelled. In January 2019, we forfeited and cancelled 15,000,000 ordinary shares in aggregate in the form of restricted shares held by relevant directors, employees and consultant. Those incentive shares are subject to a six-month lock-up period and will vest in installments upon the satisfaction of certain service period conditions of the grantees. No director or executive officer is entitled to any severance benefits upon termination of his or her employment with or appointment by our company.

Share Incentive Plan

Eighth Amended and Restated 2004 Stock Option Plan

Our board of directors and our shareholders have adopted and approved the 2004 Stock Option Plan, as amended and restated, or the Option Plan, in order to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility, to provide additional incentives to employees, directors and consultants and to promote the success of our business. The Option Plan was amended and restated in December 2006, November 2008, August 2010, November 2010, November 2015, August 2016, June 2017 and December 2018. By the amendment to the Option Plan in December 2018, we increased the total number of ordinary shares reserved under the Option Plan from 34,449,614 to 100,000,000. As of February 29, 2020, options to purchase 1,050,000 Class A ordinary shares under the Option Plan were outstanding and 15,000,000 restricted shares were issued. In September 2018 our board granted an aggregate amount of 30,000,000 restricted shares to our directors, officers and consultant. In exchange for such restricted shares grant, we forfeited and cancelled the stock options in the total amount of 6,200,000 shares previously granted to our directors in January 2018. In January 2019, our board of directors approved to forfeit and cancel 15,000,000 out of 30,000,000 restricted shares previously granted. The following table provides a summary of the options and restricted shares granted to our directors, executive officers and other individuals as a group under the Option Plan as of February 29, 2020 and that remained outstanding.

* Less than 1% of our total issued and outstanding shares.

The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of the Eighth Amended and Restated 2004 Stock Option Plan.

Types of Awards. The Option Plan permits the awards of options, stock purchase rights, restricted shares and restricted share units.

Administration. Our Option Plan is administered by our board of directors or an option administrative committee designated by our board of directors and constituted to comply with applicable laws. In each case, our board of directors or the committee it designates will determine the provisions, terms and conditions of each award grant, including, but not limited to, the option vesting schedule, repurchase provisions, forfeiture provisions, form of payment upon settlement of the award, payment contingencies and satisfaction of any performance criteria.

Award Agreement. Awards granted under our Option Plan are evidenced by an award agreement that contains, among other things, terms, conditions and limitations for each award, which may include the term of the award, the provisions concerning exercisability and forfeiture upon termination of employment or consulting arrangements, as determined by our board.

Eligibility. We may grant awards to our employees, directors and consultants of our company.

Vesting Schedule. In general, the plan administrator determines the vesting schedule, which is specified in the relevant award agreement.

Exercise of Options. The plan administrator determines the exercise price for each award, which is stated in the award agreement. The vested portion of option will expire if not exercised prior to the time as the plan administrator determines at the time of its grant.

Third-Party Acquisition. If a third party acquires us through the purchase of all or substantially all of our assets, a merger or other business combination, all outstanding awards will be assumed or equivalent options or share awards substituted by the successor corporation or parent or subsidiary of the successor corporation. In the event that the successor corporation refuses to assume or substitute for the options or share purchase rights, all options or share purchase rights will become fully vested and exercisable immediately prior to such transaction.

Changes in Capitalization and Other Adjustments. If we shall at any time increase or decrease the number of outstanding shares, or change in any way the rights and privileges of our outstanding shares, by means of a payment or a stock dividend or any other distribution upon such ordinary shares, or through a stock split, subdivision, consolidation, combination, reclassification or recapitalization involving such ordinary shares, then in relation to the ordinary shares that are covered by the awards granted or available under the plan and are affected by one or more of the above events, the number, rights and privileges shall be increased, decreased or changed in like manner as if such ordinary shares had been issued and outstanding, fully paid and non-assessable at the time of such occurrence.

Termination of Plan. Unless terminated earlier, our Option Plan will expire in 2038. Our board of directors has the authority to amend, alter, suspend or terminate our Option Plan. However, no such action may (i) impair the rights of any grantee unless agreed by the grantee and the stock option plan administrator, or (ii) affect the stock option plan administrator’s ability to exercise the powers granted to it under our Option Plan.

Board of Directors

Our board of directors consists of the following five directors: Jun Zhu, Kwok Keung Chau, Davin A. Mackenzie, Ka Keung Yeung and George Lai. A director is not required to hold any shares in our company by way of qualification. Any director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or proposed contract with our company must declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of our directors. A director may vote with respect to any contract, proposed contract or arrangement notwithstanding that he may be interested, and if he does so, his vote shall be counted and he may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of our directors at which any such contract or proposed contract or arrangement is considered and voted upon.. Our directors may exercise all the powers of our company to borrow money, and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital or any part thereof, and issue debentures, debenture stock or other securities whenever money is borrowed, or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of our company or of any third party.

Committees of the Board of Directors

Audit Committee. Our audit committee consists of Messrs. Kwok Keung Chau, Davin A. Mackenzie and Ka Keung Yeung, all of whom satisfy the “independence” definition under Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. Marketplace Rules, or the Nasdaq Rules, and the audit committee independence standard under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. All the members of our audit committee meet the “financial expert” definition of the Nasdaq Rules.

The audit committee oversees our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the financial statements of our company. The audit committee is responsible for, among other things:

Compensation Committee. Our compensation committee consists of Messrs. Kwok Keung Chau, Davin A. Mackenzie and Ka Keung Yeung, all of whom meet the “independence” standards for compensation committee members under the Nasdaq Rules. The compensation committee assists the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure of our executive officers, including all forms of compensation to be provided to our executive officers. The compensation committee will be responsible for, among other things:

Duties of Directors

Under Cayman Islands law, our directors owe to our company fiduciary duties, including a duty of loyalty, a duty to act honestly and a duty to act in what they consider in good faith to be in our best interests. Our directors must also exercise their powers only for a proper purpose. Our directors also owe to our company a duty to act with care and diligence that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances and a duty to exercise the skill they actually possess. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands. In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must ensure compliance with our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time. We have the right to seek damages if a duty owed by our directors is breached.

Terms of Directors

Our board of directors is currently divided into three classes with different terms. This provision would delay the replacement of a majority of our directors and would make changes to the board of directors more difficult than if such provision were not in place. Our independent directors, namely Kwok Keung Chau, Davin A. Mackenzie and Ka Keung Yeung, were re-elected (elected in the case of Kwok Keung Chau) at our 2018 annual general meeting and each of them is serving a three-year term until the 2021 annual general meeting or until his successor is duly elected and qualified, whichever is earlier. Jun Zhu, our chairman and chief executive officer, was re-elected as a director at our 2019 annual general meeting and is serving a three-year term until the 2022 annual general meeting or until his successor is duly elected and qualified, whichever is earlier. George Lai, our chief financial officer and director, was re-elected as a director at our 2018 annual general meeting and is serving a three-year term until the 2021 annual general meeting or until his successor is duly elected and qualified, whichever is earlier. Upon expiration of the term of office of each class, succeeding directors in each class will be elected for a term of three years. Directors may be removed from office by ordinary resolution of shareholders at any time before the expiration of his/her term. Pursuant to the natural expiration of the directorial terms, elections for directors would be held on the date of the annual general meeting of shareholders.

As of December 31, 2019, we had 61 employees, of which 59 were based in China, including 42 in management and administration, one in our customer service center, eight in game operations, sales and marketing, and eight in product development, including supplier management personnel and technical support personnel, and two were based in the United States. We had 236 and 105 employees as of December 31, 2017 and 2018, respectively. The decrease in the number of employees as of December 31, 2019 as compared to that of December 31, 2018 was primarily due to our business restructuring. We consider our relations with our employees to be good.

As of February 29, 2020, there were 125,271,675 ordinary shares outstanding, being the sum of 111,664,341 Class A ordinary shares (excluding 15,338,560 ordinary shares we reserved for issuance upon the exercise of options under our share incentive plan and for our treasury ADSs) and 13,607,334 Class B ordinary shares.

The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of February 29, 2020 by:

To our knowledge, as of February 29, 2020, 57,926,590 Class A ordinary shares (including 15,338,560 ordinary shares we reserved for issuance upon the exercise of options under our share incentive plan and for our treasury ADSs), were held by two record shareholders in the United States. The number of beneficial owners of our ADSs in the United States is likely to be much larger than the number of record holders of our ordinary shares in the United States.

We are currently not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company.

Please refer to “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—E. Share Ownership.”

Arrangements with Affiliated PRC Entities

Current PRC laws and regulations impose substantial restrictions on foreign ownership of entities involved in ICP, Internet culture operation and Internet publishing businesses, including online game operations, in China. Therefore, we conduct part of our activities through a series of agreements with Shanghai IT, our key affiliated PRC entity. Shanghai IT holds the requisite licenses and approvals for conducting ICP, Internet culture operation and Internet publishing businesses in China. Shanghai IT is owned by our employee Wei Ji, who acquired his equity interests in Shanghai IT from Jun Zhu in November 2011, and our employee Zhimin Lin, who acquired his equity interests in Shanghai IT from Yong Wang in April 2014.

We have obtained the exclusive right to benefit from Shanghai IT’s licenses and approvals. In addition, through a series of contractual arrangements with Shanghai IT and its shareholders, we are able to direct and control the operation and management of Shanghai IT. We believe that the individual shareholders of Shanghai IT will not receive material personal benefits from these agreements except as shareholders or employees of The9 Limited.

We do not believe we could have obtained these agreements, taken as a whole, from unrelated third parties. Because of the uncertainty relating to the legal and regulatory environment in China, the terms of most of the agreements were not defined unless terminated by the parties thereto. According to our PRC counsel, Grandall Law Firm, subject to the interpretation and implementation of the GAPP Circular and the Network Publication Measures, these agreements, except those that have already been terminated, are valid, binding and enforceable under the current laws and regulations of China. The principal provisions of these agreements are described below.

Exclusive Technical Service Agreement. We provide Shanghai IT with technical services for the operation of computer software and related businesses, including the provision of systematic solutions for the operation of Internet websites, the rental of computer and Internet facilities, daily maintenance of Internet servers and databases, the development and update of relevant computer software, and all other related technical and consulting services. Shanghai IT pays service fees equivalent to 90% of its operating profit to. We are the exclusive provider of these services to Shanghai IT. According to the relevant PRC rules and regulations, related party transactions should be negotiated at the arm’s length basis and apply reasonable transfer pricing methods. However, the determination of service fees is under the sole discretion of us. This agreement shall remain in force indefinitely unless the parties agrees in writing to terminate in advance.

Shareholder Voting Proxy Agreement. Each of the shareholders of Shanghai IT has entered into a shareholder voting proxy agreement with us, under which each shareholder of Shanghai IT irrevocably grants any third parties designated by us the power to exercise all voting rights to which he/she is entitled as a shareholder of Shanghai IT, including the right to attend shareholders meetings, to exercise voting rights and to appoint directors, a general manager, and other senior management of Shanghai IT. The power of proxy is irrevocable and may only be terminated at our discretion.

Call Option Agreement. We entered into a call option agreement with each of the shareholders of Shanghai IT, under which the parties irrevocably agreed that, at our sole discretion, we and/or any third parties designated by us will be entitled to acquire all or part of the equity interests in Shanghai IT, to the extent permitted by the then-effective PRC laws and regulations. The consideration for such acquisition will be the price equal to the lower of the amount of the registered capital of Shanghai IT and the minimum amount permissible by the then-applicable PRC law. The shareholders of Shanghai IT have also agreed not to enter into any transaction, or fail to take any action, that would substantially affect the assets, liabilities, equity, operations or other legal rights of Shanghai IT without our prior written consent, including, without limitation, declaration and distribution of dividends and profits; sale, assignment, mortgage or disposition of, or encumbrances on, Shanghai IT’s equity; merger or consolidation; creation, assumption, guarantee or incurrence of any indebtedness; entering into other materials contracts. This agreement shall not expire until such time as we acquire all equity interests of Shanghai IT subject to applicable PRC laws.

Loan Agreement. From 2002 to May 2005, we provided an aggregate of RMB23.0 million in loan to the then shareholders of Shanghai IT, namely Jun Zhu and Yong Wong, for the purposes of capitalizing and increasing the registered capital of Shanghai IT. Such loan agreement was assumed by the current shareholders of Shanghai IT when Jun Zhu transferred the equity interest in Shanghai IT to Wei Ji in 2011 and Yong Wang transferred the equity interests in Shanghai IT to Zhimin Lin in 2014. In May 2019, we terminated such loan agreement and entered into a new loan agreement among the shareholders of Shanghai IT and Shanghai Hui Ling and a subsidiary of us. Pursuant to the terms of this new loan agreement, we granted an interest-free loan to each shareholder of Shanghai IT for the explicit purpose of making a capital contribution to Shanghai IT. The loans have an unspecified term and will remain outstanding for the shorter of the duration of Shanghai Hui Ling or that of the Shanghai IT, or until such time that we elect to terminate the agreement (which is at our sole discretion) at which point the loans are payable on demand. Such loan shall only become immediately due and payable when we send a written notice to the borrowers requesting repayment. Currently, Zhimin Lin and Wei Ji have pledged all of their equity interests in Shanghai IT in favor of us under the equity pledge agreements. In the event of a breach of any term in the loan agreement or any other agreements by either Shanghai IT or its shareholders, we will be entitled to enforce our rights as a pledgee under the agreement.

Equity Pledge Agreements. To secure the full performance by Shanghai IT or its shareholders of their respective obligations under the Shareholder Voting Proxy Agreement, the Call Option Agreement and the Loan Agreement, the shareholders of Shanghai IT have pledged all of their equity interests in Shanghai IT in favor of us under two equity pledge agreements. In addition, the dividend distributions to the shareholders of Shanghai IT, if any, will be deposited in an escrow account over which we have exclusive control. The pledge shall remain effective until all obligations under such agreements have been fully performed. The shareholder has the obligation to maintain ownership and effective control over the pledged equity. Under no circumstances, without our prior written consent, may the shareholder transfer or otherwise encumber any equity interests in Shanghai IT. If any event of default as provided for therein occurs, Shanghai Hui Ling, as the pledgee, will be entitled to dispose of the pledged equity interests through transfer or assignment and use the proceeds to repay the loans or make other payments due under the above loan agreement up to the loan amounts. Each of the shareholders of Shanghai IT has registered the pledge of its equity interests with the relevant local administration for market regulation pursuant to the PRC Property Rights Law. In the event of a breach of any term in the above agreements by either Shanghai IT or its shareholders, we will be entitled to enforce our pledge rights over such pledged equity interests to compensate for any and all losses suffered from such breach.

In the opinion of Grandall Law Firm, our PRC counsel:

However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. The PRC regulatory authorities may in the future take a view that is contrary to the above opinion of our PRC counsel. If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our business do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in value-added telecommunications services business, such as the internet content provision services, we could be subject to severe penalties, including being prohibited from continuing operations. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—Our current corporate structure and business operations may be affected by the Foreign Investment Law.”

Investments or Agreements entered into with Affiliated Entities or Associates

In February 2013, we established a new joint venture, namely Zhongxing The9 Network Technology Co., Ltd., in cooperation with Shanghai Zhongxing Communication Technology Enterprise Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Ruigao Information Technology Co., Ltd., in Wuxi, Jiangsu province of China, to develop and operate home entertainment set top box business. In February 2014, Guangdong Hongtu Guangdian Investment Limited Company made a capital investment of RMB12.5 million to acquire 10% equity interests in ZTE9. As of December 31, 2019, we held 26.0% equity interest in ZTE9. ZTE9 charged net royalty and other service fee related to IPTV business to us in an amount of RMB7.1 million, RMB5.2 million and nil in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Total amount due to ZTE9 for IPTV business was RMB2.7 million, RMB5.1 million and RMB0.2 million (US$0.03 million) as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

In 2017, 2018 and 2019, we lent RMB4.0 million, RMB0.6 million and nil to ZTE9 to fund its operations, respectively. The loans are interest-free. As of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, total outstanding amount for loan due from ZTE9 was RMB2.1 million, RMB1.0 million and RMB1.0 million (US$0.1 million), respectively.

We charged service fee to Big Data, a previous subsidiary and now an equity investee of ours, amounted to RMB0.05 million and RMB0.02 million (US$0.01 million) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2018 and 2019, the total amount due from Big Data was RMB0.1 million and RMB0.1 million (US$0.02 million), respectively.

In 2016, Asian Way entered into a license agreement with T3 Entertainment, a then equity investee of ours, for developing a game using augmented reality (AR) technologies based on the intellectual property relating to the game Audition. Upon commercial launch, Asian Way will share certain percentages of revenues of the game to T3. The game is still under development as of December 31, 2019. In July 2019, we disposed our equity interest in T3.

In 2017, we entered into a share purchase agreement with Incsight Limited, which is controlled by Mr. Jun Zhu, our chairman and chief executive officer. Pursuant to this agreement, Mr. Jun Zhu would acquire 12,500,000 of our newly issued shares for a total cash consideration of US$15.0 million. The transaction was terminated in February 2019 and the previously issued shares were surrendered and cancelled.

In 2017, we entered into a share purchase agreement with Ark Pacific Special Opportunities Fund I, L.P., which caused it to beneficially own more than 10% of share capital in our company then. Pursuant to this agreement, Ark Pacific Special Opportunities Fund I, L.P. would acquire 12,500,000 of our newly issued shares for a total cash consideration of US$15.0 million. The transaction was terminated in February 2019 and the previously issued shares were surrendered and cancelled.

On May 6, 2019, we held an extraordinary general meeting at which our shareholders approved, among other things, to adjust our authorized share capital and to adopt a dual-class share structure, consisting of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote per share on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of our company. Each Class B ordinary share is entitled to fifty (50) votes per share on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of our company. The issued and outstanding ordinary shares then held by Incsight Limited, a British Virgin Islands business company, which is wholly owned by Mr. Jun Zhu, our chairman and chief executive officer, and the issued and outstanding ordinary shares then held by Mr. Jun Zhu himself, were re-designated and re-classified as Class B ordinary shares. All other ordinary shares then issued and outstanding were re-designated and re-classified as Class A ordinary shares. On the same date, we amended and restated our then effective Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association in their entirety and adopted our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association which reflect, among other things, the changes to our capital structure. As a result of such changes, Mr. Jun Zhu holds the majority of our outstanding voting power and we became a “controlled company” as defined under Nasdaq Stock Market Rules.

In June 2019, we and our wholly-owned subsidiary entered into a share purchase agreement with Comtec Windpark Renewable (Holdings) Co Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Comtec Solar Systems Group Limited (SEHK: 00712), which was affiliated with Kwok Keung Chau, our independent director. Pursuant to the share purchase agreement, we issued 3,444,882 Class A ordinary shares to purchase 9.9% equity interest in Zhenjiang Kexin Power System Design and Research Company, a lithium battery management system and power storage system supplier.

Loan from Related Parties

Mr. Jun Zhu, the chairman and chief executive officer, extended aggregate of RMB73.9 million, RMB11.0 million and RMB16.1 million (US$2.3 million) in loan to us in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. The loans are interest-free. As of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, RMB75.2 million, RMB57.1 million and RMB63.2 million (US$9.1 million) of such loan remained outstanding, respectively.

Stock Option Grants

See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation—Share Incentive Plan—Eighth Amended and Restated 2004 Stock Option Plan.”

Not applicable.

We have appended consolidated financial statements filed as part of this annual report.

Legal Proceedings

Red 5 and its affiliates previously had been in dispute with Qihoo 360 and its affiliates regarding System Link and Firefall. Various legal proceedings have been initiated in connection with such dispute, including a litigation proceeding in Shanghai and an arbitration proceeding in Hong Kong. In May 2019, we entered into a mediation agreement with Qihoo 360 to settle the disputes in principals and then withdrew all the litigation claims against Qihoo 360 in Shanghai. As of the date of this annual report, we and Qihoo 360 are implementing the mediation agreement to settle the arbitration proceeding in Hong Kong. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Our Industry—Our equity investments or establishment of joint ventures and any material disputes with our investment or joint venture partners may have an adverse effect on our financial results, business prospects and our ability to manage our business.”

In April 2020, Inner Mongolia Culture Assets and Equity Exchange filed a civil claim against Wuxi Qudong and Shanghai IT to recover RMB57.5 million of principal and interest that we previously raised to finance the early phase development of CrossFire New Mobile Game. We cooperated with a third-party company for development and operation of CrossFire New Mobile Game and plan to apply for the requisite license from GAPPRPT for CrossFire New Mobile Game as soon as development of the game is finalized to launch the game. We may seek to meditate and settle this claim amid ongoing game development. We do not expect this case to significantly affect our business operations.

Shanghai Oh Yeah Information Technology Co., Ltd. filed several related civil claims in April 2019 against joint defendants including Shanghai IT, ZTE9 and a third-party defendant, regarding copyright infringements of their intellectual property to the Intellectual Property Court of Shanghai with a total aggregated claim amount of RMB3.0 million. We have assessed the likelihood of the outcome and have accrued an amount for the contingency. We may be subject to other legal or administrative proceedings in the ordinary course of business. We do not believe that any currently pending legal or administrative proceeding to which we are a party will have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition.

Other than the foregoing, we are currently not a party to any material legal or administrative proceedings. We may from time to time be subject to various legal or administrative claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Litigation or any other legal or administrative proceeding, regardless of the outcome, is likely to result in substantial cost and diversion of our resources, including our management’s time and attention.

Dividend Policy

We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation of our business. Our board of directors has discretion as to whether we will distribute dividends in the future, subject to applicable laws. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. Even if our board of directors determines to distribute dividends, the form, frequency and amount of our dividends will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions, legal restrictions and other factors as the board of directors may deem relevant. Any dividend we declare will be paid to the holders of ADSs, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, to the same extent as holders of our ordinary shares, less the fees and expenses payable under the deposit agreement. Any dividend we declare will be distributed by the depositary bank to the holders of our ADSs. Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.

Except as otherwise disclosed in this annual report, we have not experienced any significant changes since the date of our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.

Our ADSs, each currently representing three ordinary shares, are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Our ADSs are traded under the symbol “NCTY.” Our ADSs had been listed on the Nasdaq Global Market from December 15, 2004 to October 2018. Effective May 9, 2018, we effected a change of the ratio of the ADSs to ordinary shares from one ADS representing one ordinary share to three ordinary shares. In October 2018, we transferred our listing venue to the Nasdaq Capital Market.

Not applicable.

Our ADSs, each representing three ordinary shares, have been listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market since October 2018 and previously Nasdaq Global Market since December 15, 2004 under the symbol “NCTY.”

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

The following are summaries of material provisions of our currently effective Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as well as the Companies Law (2020 Revision) insofar as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares.

Ordinary Shares

Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. All of our outstanding ordinary shares are fully paid and non-assessable. Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form and are issued when entered in our register of members (shareholders). Every person whose name is entered in our register of members as a registered shareholder is entitled to receive a share certificate within two months of the allotment of such shares. We are not permitted to issue bearer shares.

Conversion

Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person who is not an affiliate of such holder, such Class B ordinary shares shall be automatically and immediately converted into the same number of Class A ordinary shares.

Dividends

The holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors. In addition, our shareholders may declare dividends by ordinary resolution, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Under the laws of the Cayman Islands, our company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business.

Voting Rights

Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares shall, at all times, vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote by our shareholders at any general meeting of our company. Each Class A ordinary share shall be entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share shall be entitled to fifty votes, on all matters subject to a vote at general meetings of our company. Voting at any meeting of shareholders is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded by one or more shareholders together holding not less than ten percent of the paid up voting share capital, present in person or by proxy.

A quorum required for a meeting of shareholders consists of holders of not less than one-third of all issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote. Our company may hold an annual general meeting but shall not (unless required by the Companies Law) be obliged to hold an annual general meeting. Annual general meetings and extraordinary general meetings may be convened by our board of directors on its own initiative. In addition, our board of directors is required to convene extraordinary general meetings upon any requisition by shareholders holding in aggregate not less than 33% of our voting share capital. Advance notice of at least seven business days is required for the convening of our annual general meeting and extraordinary general meetings.

An ordinary resolution to be passed by our shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attaching to our ordinary shares cast in a general meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes attaching to our ordinary shares cast in a general meeting. A special resolution is required for important matters such as a change of name, a reduction of our share capital, effecting a statutory merger, or amending our memorandum and articles of association. Holders of our ordinary shares may effect certain changes by ordinary resolution, including an increase of our authorized share capital, the consolidation and division of all or any of our share capital into shares of a larger amount than our existing share capital, and the cancellation of any authorized but unissued shares.

Transfer of Shares

Subject to the restrictions of our memorandum and articles of association, as applicable, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or any other form approved by our board. The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of the shares until the name of the transferee is entered in the register of members in respect thereof.

Liquidation

On the winding up of our company, if the assets available for distribution amongst our shareholders shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay all of the paid-up capital, the assets will be distributed so that the losses are borne by our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them.

Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares

Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any moneys unpaid on their shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 days prior to the specified time of payment. The shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid on the specified time are subject to forfeiture.

Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares

We may issue shares on terms that such shares are subject to redemption, at our option or at the option of the holders of such shares, on such terms and in such manner as may be determined, before the issuance of such shares, by our board of directors. Our company may also repurchase any of our shares (including any redeemable shares) provided that the manner of such purchase has been approved by ordinary resolution of our shareholders or the manner of such purchase is in accordance with our memorandum and articles of association. Under the Companies Law, the redemption or repurchase of any share may be paid out of our company’s profits or out of the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares made for the purpose of such redemption or repurchase, or out of capital (including share premium account and capital redemption reserve) if the company can, immediately following such payment, pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, under the Companies Law no such share may be redeemed or repurchased (a) unless it is fully paid up, (b) if such redemption or repurchase would result in there being no shares outstanding, or (c) if the company has commenced liquidation. In addition, our company may accept the surrender of any fully paid share for no consideration.

Variation of Rights of Shares

If at any time our share capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attaching to any class of shares may, subject to our memorandum articles of association, be varied or abrogated either with the written consent of the holders of a majority of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a resolution passed by at least a majority of the holders of the shares of that class present in person or by proxy at a separate general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.

Issuance of Additional Shares

Our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association authorizes our board of directors to issue additional shares from time to time as our board of directors shall determine, to the extent of available authorized but unissued shares.

Our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association also authorizes our board of directors to establish from time to time one or more series of preferred shares and to determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series, including but not limited to:

Our board of directors may issue preferred shares without action by our shareholders to the extent authorized but unissued. Issuance of these shares may dilute the voting power of holders of ordinary shares.

Inspection of Books and Records

Holders of our ordinary shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records. However, we will provide our shareholders with annual audited financial statements.

Anti-Takeover Provisions

Some provisions of our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:

However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

Changes in Capital

We may from time to time by ordinary resolution of our shareholders increase our share capital by such sum, to be divided into shares of such classes and amount, as the resolution shall prescribe.

We may by ordinary resolution of our shareholders:

We may by special resolution of our shareholders reduce our share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner authorized by law.

Differences in Corporate Law

The Companies Law is derived, to a large extent, from the older Companies Acts of England, but does not follow recent English law statutory enactments, and accordingly there are significant differences between the Companies Law and the current Companies Act of England. In addition, the Companies Law differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of certain significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law applicable to us and the comparable provisions of the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the State of Delaware and their shareholders.

Mergers and Similar Arrangements

The Companies Law permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (a) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company and (b) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a combined company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. The written plan of merger or consolidation must be filed with the Registrar of Companies together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a declaration as to the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Save in certain limited circumstances, a shareholder of a Cayman Islands constituent company who dissents from the merger or consolidation is entitled to payment of the fair value of his shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) upon dissenting to the merger or consolidation, provided the dissenting shareholder complies strictly with the procedures set out in the Companies Law. The exercise of dissenter rights will preclude the exercise by the dissenting shareholder of any other rights to which he or she might otherwise be entitled by virtue of holding shares, save for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.

In addition to the statutory provisions relating to mergers and considerations, the Companies Law also contains statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies by way of schemes of arrangement, provided that the arrangement is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders or creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:

The Companies Law also contains a statutory power of compulsory acquisition which may facilitate the “squeeze out” of dissentient minority shareholder upon a tender offer. When a tender offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares affected within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.

If an arrangement and reconstruction by way of scheme of arrangement is thus approved and sanctioned, or if a tender offer is made and accepted, in accordance with the foregoing statutory provisions, a dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.

Shareholders’ Suits

In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff to sue for a wrong done to us as a company, and as a general rule, a derivative action may ordinarily not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authority, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected (and have had occasion) to follow and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) which permit a minority shareholder to commence a class action against, or derivative actions in the name of, our company to challenge:

Indemnification of Directors and Officers and Limitation of Liability

Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provides that we shall indemnify each of our directors and officers against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such director or officer in connection with the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions as a director or officer, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by him in defending any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation.

In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers that provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Directors’ Fiduciary Duties

Under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director acts in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He must not use his corporate position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by the shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, the director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction, and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.

As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands company is in the position of a fiduciary with respect to the company and therefore he owes the following duties to the company—a duty to act in good faith in the best interests of the company, a duty not to make a personal profit based on his position as director (unless the company permits him to do so), a duty not to put himself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his personal interest or his duty to a third party and a duty to exercise powers for the purpose for which such powers were intended. A director of a Cayman Islands company owes to the company a duty to act with skill and care. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands.

Shareholder Action by Written Consent

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by amendment to its certificate of incorporation. The Companies Law and our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that shareholders may approve corporate matters by way of a unanimous written resolution signed by or on behalf of each shareholder who would have been entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting without a meeting being held.

Shareholder Proposals

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings.

The Companies Law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association allow our shareholders holding not less than 33% of the share capital of our company carrying the right of voting at general meetings of our company to requisition a shareholder’s meeting, in which case our directors are obligated to convene an extraordinary general meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. Other than this right to requisition a shareholders’ meeting, our Second Amended and Restated Articles of Association do not provide our shareholders other right to put proposal before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by such shareholders. As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings.

Cumulative Voting

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholder’s voting power with respect to electing such director. While there is nothing under the laws of the Cayman Islands which specifically prohibits or restricts the creation of cumulative voting rights for the election of directors of our company, it is not a concept that is accepted as a common practice in the Cayman Islands, and our company has made no provisions in our memorandum and articles of association to allow cumulative voting for such elections. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.

Removal of Directors

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, subject to certain restrictions as contained therein, directors may be removed with or without cause, by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. A director shall hold office until the expiration of his or her term or his or her successor shall have been elected and qualified, or until his or her office is otherwise vacated. In addition, a director’s office shall be vacated if the director (i) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (ii) is found to be or becomes of unsound mind or dies; (iii) resigns his office by notice in writing to the company; (iv) without special leave of absence from our board of directors, is absent from meetings of our board for six consecutive months and the board resolves that his office be vacated; or (v)  is removed from office pursuant to any other provisions of our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Transactions with Interested Shareholders

The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an “interested shareholder” for three years following the date that such person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or a group who or which owns or owned 15% or more of the target’s outstanding voting share within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target’s board of directors.

Cayman Islands law has no comparable statute. As a result, we cannot avail ourselves of the types of protections afforded by the Delaware business combination statute. However, although Cayman Islands law does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, the directors of the Company are required to comply with the fiduciary duties which they owe to the Company under Cayman Islands law, including the duty to ensure that, in their opinion, any such transactions entered into are bona fide in the best interests of the Company, and are entered into for a proper corporate purpose and not with the effect of constituting a fraud on the minority shareholders.

Dissolution; Winding up

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board.

Under Cayman Islands law, a company may be wound up by either an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands or by a special resolution of its members or, if the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of its members. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so.

Variation of Rights of Shares

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our Second Amended and Restated Articles of Association, if at any time our share capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attaching to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) may, subject to our Memorandum and Articles of Association, be varied or abrogated with the consent in writing of the holders of a majority of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a resolution passed by at least a majority of the holders of the shares of that class present in person or by proxy at a separate general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.

Amendment of Governing Documents

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under Cayman Islands law and our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Associations, our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association may only be amended with a special resolution of our shareholders.

Rights of Non-resident or Foreign Shareholders

There are no limitations imposed by our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association which require our company to disclose shareholder ownership above any particular ownership threshold.

We have not entered into any material contracts other than in the ordinary course of business and other than those described in “Item 4. Information on the Company” or elsewhere in this annual report.

See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Government Regulations—Regulations on Foreign Currency Exchange and Dividend Distribution.”

Cayman Islands Taxation

In the opinion of our Cayman Islands counsel, Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, the Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. No Cayman Islands stamp duty will be payable unless an instrument is executed in, or after execution, brought into, or produced before a court of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is not party to any double tax treaties which are applicable to payments made to or by our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.

Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our shares will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of our shares, nor will gains derived from the disposal of our shares be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.

People’s Republic of China Taxation

If we are considered a PRC resident enterprise under the EIT Law, our shareholders and ADS holders who are deemed non-resident enterprises may be subject to the 10% EIT on the dividends payable by us or any gains realized from the transfer of our shares or ADSs, if such income is deemed derived from China, provided that (i) such foreign enterprise investor has no establishment or premises in China, or (ii) it has establishment or premises in China but its income derived from China has no real connection with such establishment or premises. Furthermore, if we are considered a PRC resident enterprise and relevant PRC tax authorities consider the dividends we pay with respect to our shares or ADSs and the gains realized from the transfer of our shares or ADSs to be income derived from sources within the PRC, it is also possible that such dividends and gains earned by non-resident individuals may be subject to the 20% PRC individual income tax. It is uncertain whether, if we are considered a PRC resident enterprise, holders of our shares or ADSs would be able to claim the benefit of tax treaties or arrangements entered into between China and other jurisdictions.

If we are required under the PRC tax law to withhold PRC income tax on our dividends payable to our non-PRC resident shareholders and ADS holders, or if any gains realized from the transfer of our shares or ADSs by our non-PRC resident shareholders and ADS holders are subject to the EIT or the individual income tax, your investment in our shares or ADSs could be materially and adversely affected.

U. S. Federal Income Taxation

The following discussion is a summary of U.S. federal income tax considerations to U.S. Holders (as defined below) relating to the ownership and disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares. This discussion applies only to U.S. Holders of the ADSs or ordinary shares as “capital assets” (generally, property held for investment). This discussion is based on the tax laws of the United States in effect as of the date of this annual report and on U.S. Treasury regulations in effect or, in some cases, proposed as of the date of this annual report, as well as judicial and administrative interpretations thereof available on or before such date. All of the foregoing authorities are subject to change, which change could apply retroactively and could affect the tax consequences described below.

The following discussion is for general information only and does not address all of the tax considerations that may be relevant to any particular investor or to persons in special tax situations such as:

In addition, the discussion below does not address any U.S. state, local or non-U.S. tax considerations, the Medicare tax, alternative minimum tax, or any non-income tax (such as U.S. federal estate or gift tax) considerations.

U.S. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL TAX RULES TO THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES AS WELL AS THE STATE, LOCAL, NON-U.S. AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF ADSs OR ORDINARY SHARES.

For the purpose of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of ADSs or ordinary shares that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

If a partnership (or other entity taxable as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or ordinary shares, the tax treatment of a partner in such partnership will depend on the status of such partner and the activities of such partnership. If you are a partner or a partnership holding our ADSs or ordinary shares, you are urged to consult your tax advisor as to the particular U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares that is applicable to you.

It is generally expected that a U.S. Holder of ADSs should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the beneficial owner of the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs. The remainder of this discussion assumes that a U.S. Holder of ADSs will be treated in this manner. Predicated upon such treatment, deposits or withdrawals of our ordinary shares for our ADSs will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax.

Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations

A non-U.S. corporation will be a PFIC for any taxable year if either: