SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
Not Applicable
Cayman Islands
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
7389
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
Not Applicable
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
3F, Building 63-64
CT Corporation System
Copies to:
David T. Zhang, Esq.
John A. Otoshi, Esq. Latham & Watkins LLP 20th Floor, Standard Chartered Bank Building 4 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong S.A.R., China (852) 2522-7886 |
Chris K. H. Lin, Esq.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP 7th Floor, Asia Pacific Finance Tower 3 Garden Road Central, Hong Kong S.A.R., China (852) 2514-7600 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. o
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, check the following box. o
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Proposed Maximum | Proposed Maximum | |||||||
Title of Each Class of | Amount to be | Offering Price Per | Aggregate Offering | Amount of | ||||
Securities to be Registered | Registered(1)(2) | Ordinary Share(1) | Price(1) | Registration Fee | ||||
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Ordinary Shares, par value US$0.01 per share(3)
|
9,400,000 | $8.00 | $75,200,000 | $6,084(4) | ||||
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(1) | Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457 under the Securities Act of 1933. |
(2) | Includes ordinary shares initially offered and sold outside the United States that may be resold from time to time in the United States either as part of their distribution or within 40 days after the later of the effective date of this registration statement and the date the shares are first bona fide offered to the public. |
(3) | American depositary shares issuable upon deposit of the ordinary shares registered hereby have been registered under a separate registration statement on Form F-6. Each American depositary share represents two ordinary shares. |
(4) | Registrant paid the registration fee in full on November 12, 2003. |
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. Neither we nor the selling shareholders may sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted. |
Subject to Completion
PROSPECTUS
4,200,000 American Depositary Shares
Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
Representing 8,400,000 Ordinary Shares
This is Ctrips initial public offering. Ctrip is offering 2,700,000 American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, and the selling shareholders included in this prospectus are offering an additional 1,500,000 ADSs. Each ADS represents two ordinary shares. We and the selling shareholders are offering 2,100,000 ADSs in the U.S. and 2,100,000 ADSs outside the U.S.
We expect the public offering price to be between US$14.0 and US$16.0 per ADS. Currently, no public market exists for the ADSs or our ordinary shares. After pricing of the offering, we expect that the ADSs will be quoted on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol CTRP.
Investing in the ADSs involves risks that are described in the Risk Factors section beginning on page 11 of this prospectus.
Per ADS | Total | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Public offering price
|
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Underwriting discount
|
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Proceeds, before expenses, to Ctrip
|
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Proceeds, before expenses, to the selling
shareholders
|
US$ | US$ |
The U.S. underwriters may also purchase up to an additional 250,000 ADSs from the selling shareholders at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount, within 30 days from the date of this prospectus to cover overallotments. The international managers may similarly purchase up to an additional 250,000 ADSs from the selling shareholders.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission
nor any state securities regulators has approved or disapproved
these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
The ADSs will be ready for delivery on or
about ,
2003.
The date of this prospectus
is ,
2003.
U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray
SoundView Technology Group
TABLE OF CONTENTS
You should rely only on the information contained
in this prospectus. Neither we nor the selling shareholders nor
the underwriters have authorized any person to provide you with
different information. If anyone provides you with different or
inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. Neither we
nor the selling shareholders nor the underwriters are making an
offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the
offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the
information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of
the date on the front cover of this prospectus. Our business,
financial condition, results of operations and prospects may
have changed since that date.
Unless otherwise indicated, (1) the terms
we, us, our company,
our and Ctrip refer to Ctrip.com
International, Ltd., its predecessor entities and subsidiaries,
and, in the context of describing our operations, also include
our affiliated Chinese entities, (2) shares and
ordinary shares refer to our ordinary shares,
preferred shares refers to our convertible preferred
shares, ADSs refers to our American depositary
shares, each of which represents two ordinary shares, and
ADRs refers to the American depositary receipts
which evidence our ADSs, (3) China refers to
the Peoples Republic of China, excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong
and Macau, and (4) all references to RMB are to
the legal currency of China and all references to U.S.
dollars, dollars and US$ are to
the legal currency of the United States. Information in this
prospectus assumes that the underwriters do not exercise their
overallotment options to purchase up to 500,000 additional ADSs.
All numbers discussed in this prospectus are approximated to the
closest round number.
i
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F-1
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights key aspects of the
information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. Because it
is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that
you should consider before making an investment decision. You
should read the entire prospectus carefully, including the
Risk Factors section and the financial statements
and the accompanying notes to those statements. The statistics
relating to the Chinese travel industry and economy included in
this prospectus are derived from various government and
institute research publications. We have not independently
verified such information and you should not unduly rely upon
it.
Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
Our Company
We are a leading consolidator of hotel
accommodations and airline tickets in China. We aggregate
information on hotels and flights and enable our customers to
make informed and cost-effective hotel and flight bookings.
Since commencing operations in 1999, we have become one of the
best-known travel brands in China. We pioneered the development
of a reservation and fulfillment infrastructure that enables our
customers to:
We target our services primarily at business and
leisure travelers in China who do not travel in groups. This
type of travelers, who are referred to in the travel industry as
FITs and whom we refer to as independent travelers in this
prospectus, form a traditionally under-served yet fast-growing
segment of the China travel market. We act as agent in
substantially all of our transactions and generally do not take
any inventory risks with respect to the hotel rooms and airline
tickets booked through us. We derive our hotel reservation,
air-ticketing and packaged-tour revenues through commissions
from our travel suppliers, primarily based on the transaction
value of the rooms, airline tickets and packaged-tour products,
respectively, booked through our services.
For the nine months ended September 30,
2003, we derived 85.8% of our revenues from the hotel
reservation business and 10.5% of our revenues from our
air-ticketing business. Our packaged-tour business contributed
1.6% of our revenues for the nine months ended
September 30, 2003.
We believe that we are the largest consolidator
of hotel accommodations in China in terms of the number of room
nights booked. In October 2003, we booked approximately
300,000 hotel room nights. As of October 31, 2003, we
had secured room supply relationships with over
1,700 hotels in China and over 450 hotels abroad,
which cover a broad range in terms of price and geographical
location. The quality and depth of our hotel supplier network
enable us to offer our customers a wide selection of hotel
accommodations, often at significant discounts to published
rates. We believe our ability to offer reservations at highly
rated hotels is particularly appealing to our customers.
Revenues from our bookings for three-, four- and five-star
hotels comprised approximately 95.0% of our revenues from our
hotel reservation business for the nine months ended
September 30, 2003.
We believe that we are also one of the leading
consolidators of airline tickets in Beijing and Shanghai in
terms of the number of airline tickets booked and sold. We sold
approximately 70,000 tickets nationwide in October 2003.
Our airline ticket suppliers include all major Chinese airlines
and many international airlines that operate flights originating
from China. We also believe we are the only airline ticket
consolidator in China with a centralized reservation system and
ticket fulfilment infrastructure covering all of the
economically prosperous regions of China. Our customers can make
flight reservations on their chosen routes and arrange
1
We offer our services to customers through an
advanced transaction and service platform consisting of our
centralized toll-free, 24-hour customer service center and
bilingual websites. For the nine months ended September 30,
2003, transactions effected through our customer service center
accounted for approximately 70% of our transaction volume, while
our websites accounted for the balance.
We have experienced significant growth since our
inception in June 1999. Beginning in the first half of 2002, we
have achieved and maintained positive net income. Our revenues
have increased from RMB6.9 million in 2000 to
RMB105.3 million (US$12.7 million) in 2002. For the
nine months ended September 30, 2003, we generated revenues
of RMB111.3 million (US$13.4 million) and net income
of RMB29.2 million (US$3.5 million) despite the
outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS,
during the second quarter of 2003.
Our Opportunity
The Chinese travel industry is large and growing
rapidly. The following chart contains certain data from CEIC
Data Company Limited concerning the Chinese economy and the
travel industry during the period from 1998 through 2002.
Chinas gross domestic product grew at a
compound annual growth rate of 7.5% from 1998 to 2002. The
aggregate expenditure on tourism in China increased at a
compound annual growth rate of 12.8% during this period.
According to Chinas tenth five-year plan, the Chinese
government expects an approximately 7% compound annual
growth rate of Chinas gross domestic product from 2000 to
2005. We anticipate that demand for travel services in China
will continue to increase substantially in the foreseeable
future as the Chinese economy continues to grow.
Even as the rapid growth of the Chinese economy
in the past decade has led to a significant increase in the
demand for travel services, the travel intermediary businesses
are highly fragmented in China, and travel agencies often focus
on tour groups. Thus, independent travelers have limited access
to discounted rates or comprehensive information on hotels and
flights.
Travel consolidators like us are able to offer
information aggregated from various hotels and airlines to
independent travelers, enabling them to make informed and
cost-effective hotel and flight bookings through customer
service centers or websites. Call centers or customer service
centers allow travelers to gather and evaluate travel
information, receive recommendations from customer service
representatives and book transactions more efficiently by
contacting customer service centers any time, day or night.
Competitive labor costs in China have allowed customer service
centers to become a cost-effective transaction tool in China.
Furthermore, we believe that the travel industry, which
inherently involves broadly dispersed travelers as well as a
wide selection of travel suppliers in terms of location and
price, is also well-suited to benefit from the increasing
Internet and online commerce adoption in China, as the
Internets broadly distributed and easily accessible
environment creates the ideal foundation for new marketplaces.
2
Our Strengths and Challenges
We bridge the gap between independent travelers
and travel suppliers. Through our transaction and service
platform consisting of our centralized toll-free, 24-hour
customer service center and bilingual websites, we serve
primarily the traditionally under-served yet growing independent
travelers segment in China by helping these travelers plan and
book their trips while helping travel suppliers such as hotels
and airlines improve the efficiency of their marketing and
distribution channel. We have achieved a leading position, in
part, by establishing the following competitive strengths:
We expect to face challenges in our business
operations, including:
Our Strategy
Our goal is to create long-term shareholder value
by enhancing our position as a leading hotel and airline ticket
consolidator in China. We believe that Chinas currently
highly fragmented travel industry and under-served independent
travelers have provided us with tremendous growth opportunities.
We intend to pursue the following strategies to achieve our goal:
3
Corporate Information
We were incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Since
commencing operations in 1999, we have conducted substantially
all of our operations in China. We maintain our operational
headquarters in Shanghai, and have regional offices in Beijing,
Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. We also maintain a network of
sales offices in about 30 cities in China. The existing
institutional shareholders owning more than 5% of our company
include Carlyle Asia Venture Partners I, L.P., IDG Technology
Venture Investments, Inc., Tiger Technology Private Investment
Partners, L.P. and S.I. Technology Venture Capital Limited.
Our principal executive offices are located at
3F, Building 63-64, No. 421 Hong Cao Road,
Shanghai 200233, Peoples Republic of China, and our
telephone number is (8621) 3406-4880. Our principal website
address is www.ctrip.com. The information on our websites is not
part of this prospectus.
4
Corporate Structure
The following diagram illustrates our
companys organizational structure, and the place of
formation, ownership interest and affiliation of each of our
subsidiaries and affiliated entities.
5
We conduct substantially all of our business
through our wholly owned subsidiaries in China, namely, Ctrip
Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., or Ctrip Computer
Technology, and Ctrip Travel Information Technology (Shanghai)
Co., Ltd., or Ctrip Travel Information. Due to the current
restrictions on foreign ownership of the air-ticketing, travel
agency, advertising and Internet content provision businesses in
China, we conduct a small part of our operations in these
businesses through a series of contractual arrangements with our
affiliated Chinese entities. These entities include:
Qi Ji, who is a co-founder and director of our
company, Min Fan, who is a co-founder and executive vice
president of our company, and Alex Nanyan Zheng, who is a vice
president of our company, are principal owners of our affiliated
Chinese entities. We have made interest-free loans to Qi Ji, Min
Fan and Alex Nanyan Zheng solely in connection with the
capitalization or acquisition of our affiliated entities. Each
of these loans will mature ten years after the date of the
applicable loan agreement. In the event that the Chinese
government lifts its restrictions on foreign ownership of the
air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising or Internet content
provision business in China, we will exercise our right to
purchase all of the outstanding equity interests of our
affiliated Chinese entities immediately, and the loans will be
cancelled in connection with such purchase. For a detailed
description of the terms of these loans, see Related Party
Transactions Arrangements with Affiliated Chinese
Entities.
We formed Home Inns & Hotels Management
(Hong Kong) Limited, or Home Inns, in 2001 to expand our
business line to include the hotel management service. Through a
series of subsequent transactions, we reduced our interest in
Home Inns to 31.16%. We spun off our remaining interest in Home
Inns in August 2003 to prepare for the offering to enable us to
focus on our core business of travel consolidation.
6
choose and reserve hotel rooms in cities
throughout China and selected cities abroad;
book and purchase airline tickets for domestic
and international flights originating from China; and
choose and reserve packaged tours that include
transportation, accommodation, and sometimes guided tours as
well.
Number of
Number of
Nominal Gross
Expenditure on
3-, 4- and 5-Star
Civil Aviation
Domestic Product
Tourism
Hotels in Operation
Passenger Kilometers
(in billions of RMB)
(in millions of RMB)
(in billions)
7,835
239,118
1,325
80,024
8,207
283,192
1,573
85,728
8,947
317,554
2,368
97,054
9,731
352,237
2,857
109,135
10,479
387,836
3,656
126,870
a leading travel brand in China;
large supplier network and nationwide coverage;
scalable platform and flexible cost structure;
excellent customer service;
advanced infrastructure and technology; and
experienced management team.
our limited operating experience as a travel
consolidator;
the risk of declines or disruptions in the travel
industry;
the risk of recurrence of SARS;
the risk of failure to increase our brand
recognition;
the risk of damage to or interruption of our
infrastructure; and
the risk of failure to maintain existing, or
establish similar new, arrangements with travel suppliers.
leverage the Ctrip brand to attract new travel
suppliers and negotiate more favorable contractual terms with
our existing suppliers, and strengthen the Ctrip brand by
continuing to pursue a focused marketing and advertising
campaign;
expand our hotel supplier network and room
inventory, primarily through focusing the expansion on hotels
with three-, four- and five-star ratings and continuing to
pursue guaranteed allotment arrangements with our hotel
suppliers;
expand air-ticketing and other travel product
offerings, primarily through establishing airline ticket
issuance and delivery infrastructure in more cities throughout
China and further promoting the packaged-tour products that we
offer;
enhance transaction and service platform,
primarily through continuing to invest in the training of our
customer service representatives and upgrading of our
information technology systems underlying our customer service
center and websites;
pursue selective strategic acquisitions and
expand into Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, through exploring
acquisitions that would allow us to expand the reach and scope
of our travel products and services as well as our customer base
in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; and
expand into the merchant business, through
gradually establishing merchant business relationships with some
of our travel suppliers.
Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd., or Ctrip
Commerce, which holds advertising and Internet content provision
licenses;
Shanghai Huacheng Southwest Travel Agency Co.,
Ltd., or Shanghai Huacheng, which holds domestic travel agency
and air-ticketing licenses;
Beijing Chenhao Xinye Air-Ticketing Service Co.,
Ltd., or Beijing Chenhao, which holds an air-ticketing license;
Guangzhou Guangcheng Commercial Service Co.,
Ltd., or Guangzhou Guangcheng, which has recently received an
air-ticketing license; and
Shanghai Cuiming International Travel Agency Co.,
Ltd., or Shanghai Cuiming, which holds a license to conduct both
cross-border and domestic packaged-tour businesses.
The Offering
7
8
We will not receive any of the proceeds from the
sale of ADSs by the selling shareholders.
Risk factors
See Risk Factors and other
information included in this prospectus for a discussion of
factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest
in the ADSs.
Proposed Nasdaq National Market symbol
CTRP.
Depositary
The Bank of New York.
Summary Consolidated Financial Data
You should read the following information with
our consolidated financial statements and related notes,
Selected Consolidated Financial Data and
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations included elsewhere in
this prospectus.
The summary consolidated statement of
operations data for 2001 and 2002 and the nine months ended
September 30, 2003, and the consolidated balance sheet data
as of December 31, 2001 and 2002 and September 30,
2003, are derived from our audited consolidated financial
statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and should be
read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their entirety by
reference to, these consolidated financial statements and
related notes. These consolidated financial statements have been
audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers and were prepared in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principals in the
United States, or U.S. GAAP. The summary consolidated
statement of operations data for 2000 and the nine months ended
September 30, 2002, and the consolidated balance sheet data
as of December 31, 2000 and September 30, 2002, set
forth below are derived from our unaudited consolidated
financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and
should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their
entirety by reference to, these unaudited consolidated financial
statements and related notes. We have prepared the unaudited
information on the same basis as the audited consolidated
financial statements, and have included, in our opinion, all
adjustments, consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments
that we consider necessary for a fair presentation of the
financial information set forth in those statements.
9
10
Year Ended December 31,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
2000
2001
2002
2002
2002
2003
2003
RMB
RMB
RMB
US$(2)
RMB
RMB
US$(2)
(unaudited)
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
6,453
43,984
100,049
12,087
68,809
105,717
12,772
(1,950
)
(7,940
)
(13,673
)
(1,652
)
(9,100
)
(14,447
)
(1,745
)
4,503
36,044
86,376
10,435
59,709
91,270
11,027
(36,243
)
(55,696
)
(63,106
)
(7,624
)
(45,379
)
(55,384
)
(6,691
)
(31,740
)
(19,652
)
23,270
2,811
14,330
35,886
4,336
(23,977
)
(15,261
)
14,193
1,715
8,456
29,192
3,527
(2,196
)
(14,316
)
(16,492
)
(1,993
)
(12,140
)
(12,366
)
(1,494
)
(16,762
)
(2,025
)
(2,829
)
(342
)
(35,336
)
(4,269
)
(26,173
)
(29,578
)
(19,061
)
(2,303
)
(3,684
)
(21,339
)
(2,578
)
(3.03
)
(3.26
)
(2.00
)
(0.24
)
(0.39
)
(2.26
)
(0.27
)
(6.06
)
(6.52
)
(4.00
)
(0.48
)
(0.78
)
(4.52
)
(0.54
)
As of September 30, 2003
As of December 31,
2002
Actual
As adjusted(4)
RMB
US$(2)
RMB
US$(2)
RMB
US$(2)
(unaudited)
(in thousands)
38,931
4,703
70,353
8,500
369,984
44,700
97,255
11,750
151,999
18,364
451,630
54,564
124,963
15,097
(41,629
)
(5,029
)
109,032
13,173
408,663
49,373
(1)
Each ADS represents two ordinary shares.
(2)
Translations from RMB amounts into U.S. dollars
were made at a rate of RMB8.2771 to U.S.$1.00. See
Exchange Rate Information.
(3)
On August 27, 2003, we resolved to
distribute all of our equity interest in Home Inns to the then
existing holders of our ordinary shares and Series A and
Series B preferred shares on a pro rata as-converted basis
based on the carrying value of the equity interest in the
amounts of RMB1,782,559, RMB808,827 and RMB2,020,237,
respectively.
(4)
As adjusted to reflect the conversion of all of
our preferred shares into ordinary shares, which will occur
automatically immediately prior to the closing of this offering,
and the issuance and sale of 2,700,000 ADSs offered hereby
with estimated net proceeds of US$36.2 million, after
deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and estimated
offering expenses.
(5)
Prior to the forfeiture of the redemption feature
in September 2003, Series B preferred shares were not
included as part of shareholders equity as such shares
were redeemable at the option of the holder. As of
September 30, 2003, Series B preferred shares are
included in total shareholders equity (deficit).
RISK FACTORS
Investing in our ADSs involves a high degree
of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described
below, together with the other information contained in this
prospectus before making an investment decision. The risks
described below are not the only ones facing our company.
Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently
deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. Our
business, financial condition or results of operations could be
materially adversely affected by any of these risks. The trading
price of our ADSs could decline due to any of these risks and
you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Company
Our limited operating history makes evaluating
our business and prospects difficult.
We began our operations in 1999. As a result, we
have a limited operating history for you to evaluate our
business. It is also difficult to evaluate our prospective
business, because we may not have sufficient experience to
address the risks frequently encountered by early stage
companies using new and unproven business models and entering
new and rapidly evolving markets, including markets for online
commerce and frequent independent travelers. These risks include
our potential failure to:
If we are unsuccessful in addressing any of these
risks, our business will be materially adversely affected.
We have sustained losses in the past and may
experience earnings declines or net losses in the
future.
We sustained net losses in the periods prior to
2002. We cannot assure you that we can sustain profitability or
avoid net losses in the future. We expect that our operating
expenses will increase and the degree of increase in these
expenses will be largely based on anticipated organizational
growth and revenue trends. As a result, any decrease or delay in
generating additional sales volume and revenue could result in
substantial operating losses.
Declines or disruptions in the travel industry
generally could reduce our revenue.
A large part of our business is currently driven
by the trends that occur in the travel industry in China,
including the hotel, airline and packaged-tour industries. As
the travel industry is highly sensitive to business and personal
discretionary spending levels, it tends to decline during
general economic downturns. In addition, other adverse trends or
events that tend to reduce travel and are likely to reduce our
revenues include:
11
We could be severely affected by changes in the
travel industry and will, in many cases, have little or no
control over those changes.
The recurrence of SARS may materially and
adversely affect our business and operating results.
In early 2003, several economies in Asia,
including Hong Kong and China, were affected by the outbreak of
SARS. The travel industry in China, Hong Kong and some other
parts of Asia suffered tremendously as a result of the outbreak
of SARS. Although none of our employees was infected with SARS,
our business and operating results were adversely affected.
Total room nights booked through us decreased from 131,426 and
122,716 in May 2002 and June 2002, respectively, to 36,894 and
109,751 in May 2003 and June 2003, respectively.
If there is a recurrence of an outbreak of SARS,
it may adversely affect our business and operating results. For
example, a future SARS outbreak could result in quarantines or
closures to our customer service center in Shanghai if our
employees are infected with SARS. In addition, ongoing concerns
regarding SARS, particularly its effect on travel, could
negatively impact our China-based customers desire to
travel. If there is a recurrence of an outbreak of SARS, travel
to and from SARS-affected regions could be curtailed. Continued
or additional restrictions on travel to and from these and other
regions on account of SARS could have a material adverse effect
on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our business may be harmed if our
infrastructure and technology are damaged or otherwise fail or
become obsolete.
Our customer service center and substantially all
of our computer and communications systems are located at a
single facility in Shanghai and are therefore vulnerable to
damage or interruption from human error, computer viruses, fire,
flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, physical or
electronic break-ins, sabotage, vandalism, natural disasters and
similar events. We currently do not have redundant systems and
do not carry business interruption insurance to compensate us
for losses that may occur.
We use an internally developed booking software
system that supports nearly all aspects of our booking
transactions. Our business may be harmed if we are unable to
upgrade our systems and infrastructure fast enough to
accommodate future traffic levels, or to avoid obsolescence, or
successfully integrate any newly developed or purchased
technology with our existing system. Capacity constraints could
cause unanticipated system disruptions, slower response times,
poor customer service, impaired quality and speed of
reservations and confirmations, and delays in reporting accurate
financial and operating information. These factors could cause
us to lose customers and suppliers.
If we are unable to maintain existing, and
establish new, arrangements with hotel suppliers similar to
those we currently have, our business may suffer.
If we are unable to maintain satisfactory
relationships with our existing hotel suppliers, or if our hotel
suppliers establish similar or more favorable relationships with
our competitors, our operating results and our business would be
harmed, because we would not have the necessary supply of hotel
rooms or hotel rooms at satisfactory rates to meet the needs of
our customers. Our business depends significantly upon our
ability to contract with hotels in advance for the guaranteed
availability of a specified number of hotel rooms. We rely on
hotel suppliers to provide us with rooms at discounted prices.
However, our contracts with our hotel suppliers are not
exclusive and most of the contracts must be renewed
semi-annually or annually. We cannot assure you that our hotel
suppliers will renew our contracts in the future on terms
similar to those we currently have. Furthermore, in order to
maintain and grow our business, we will need to establish new
arrangements with hotels in our existing markets and in new
markets. We cannot assure you that we will be
12
If we are unable to maintain existing
arrangements with our airline ticket suppliers, our business may
be harmed.
We derive significant benefits, including
revenues, from our arrangements with major domestic airlines in
China and many international airlines operating flights
originating from China. Our airline ticket suppliers allow us to
book and sell tickets on their behalf and collect commissions on
tickets booked and sold through us. Although we currently have
supply relationships with these airlines, these airlines also
compete with us for ticket bookings and have entered into
similar arrangements with many of our competitors and may
continue to do so in the future. Such arrangements may be on
better terms than we have. We cannot assure you that any of
these airlines will continue to have supplier relationships with
us. The loss of these supplier relationships would impair the
profitability of our business as we would lose a significant
source of our net revenues.
If we fail to increase our brand recognition,
we may face difficulty in obtaining new business partners and
consumers, and our business may be harmed.
We believe that establishing, maintaining and
enhancing the Ctrip brand is a critical aspect of our efforts to
grow our customer base and obtain new business partners. Some of
our potential competitors already have well-established brands
in the travel industry, increasing the importance of increasing
and maintaining our brand recognition. The promotion of our
brand will depend largely on our success in maintaining a
sizeable and active customer base, providing high-quality
customer service and organizing effective marketing and
advertising programs. If our current customer base significantly
declines, or the quality of our customer services substantially
deteriorates, or if we fail to cost-effectively promote and
maintain our brand, our business, operating results and
financial condition would be materially adversely affected.
New competitors face low entry barriers to our
industry, and if we do not compete successfully against new and
existing competitors, we may lose our market share, and our
profitability may be adversely affected.
We compete primarily with other consolidators of
hotel accommodations and flight reservation services, such as
www.elong.com. We also compete with traditional travel agencies.
In the future, we may also face competition from
new players in the hotel consolidation market in China and
abroad, such as expedia.com and hotels.com, that may enter China
in the future. We may face more competition from hotels and
airlines as they enter the discount rate market directly or
through alliances with other travel consolidators. Our industry
is characterized by relatively low fixed costs. In addition,
like all other consolidators, we do not have exclusive
arrangements with our travel suppliers. The combination of these
two factors presents potential entrants to our industry with
relatively low entry barriers.
Increased competition could reduce our operating
margins and profitability and result in loss of market share.
Some of our existing and potential competitors may have
competitive advantages, such as significantly greater financial,
marketing or other resources and may be able to mimic and adopt
our business model. We cannot assure you that we will be able to
successfully compete against new or existing competitors.
We may not be able to prevent others from
using our intellectual property, which may harm our business and
expose us to litigation.
We regard our domain names, trade names, trade
marks and similar intellectual property as critical to our
success. We try to protect our intellectual property rights by
relying on trade mark protection and confidentiality laws and
contracts. The trade mark and confidentiality protection in
China may not be as effective in the United States. Policing
unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and
expensive.
13
Our business depends substantially on the
continuing efforts of our key executives, and our business may
be severely disrupted if we lose their services.
Our future success heavily depends upon the
continued services of our key executives, particularly James
Jianzhang Liang, Neil Nanpeng Shen and Min Fan, who are the
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Executive
Vice President of our company, respectively. We rely on their
expertise in business operations, finance and travel services
and on their relationships with our shareholders, suppliers and
regulators. 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 easily replace them or at all. Therefore, our
business may be severely disrupted, our financial conditions and
results of operations may be materially and adversely affected,
and we may incur additional expenses to recruit and train
personnel.
In addition, if any of these key executives joins
a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose customers
and suppliers. 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 would be enforced in China,
where these executive officers reside and hold most of their
assets, in light of the uncertainties with Chinas legal
system. See Risks Related to Doing Business in
China Uncertainties with respect to the Chinese
legal system could adversely affect us.
Chinese laws and regulations restrict foreign
investment in the air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising and
Internet content provision businesses, and substantial
uncertainties exist with respect to the application and
implementation of Chinese laws and regulations.
We are a Cayman Islands corporation and a foreign
person under Chinese laws. Due to the foreign ownership
restrictions in the air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising
and Internet content provision industries, we conduct part of
our business through contractual arrangements with our
affiliated Chinese entities. These entities hold the licenses
and approvals that are essential for our business operations.
In the opinion of our Chinese counsel, our
current ownership structures, the ownership structure of our
wholly owned subsidiaries and our affiliated Chinese entities,
the contractual arrangements among us, our wholly owned
subsidiaries, our affiliated Chinese entities and their
shareholders, and our business operations as described in this
prospectus, are in compliance with all existing Chinese laws,
rules and regulations. There are, however, substantial
uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of
current or future Chinese laws and regulations. Accordingly, we
cannot assure you that Chinese government authorities will not
ultimately take a view contrary to the opinion of our Chinese
legal counsel.
If we and our affiliated Chinese entities are
found to be in violation of any existing or future Chinese laws
or regulations, the relevant governmental authorities would have
broad discretion in dealing with such violation, including,
without limitation, levying fines, confiscating our income, or
the income of our affiliated Chinese entities, revoking our
business licenses, or the business licenses of our affiliated
Chinese entities, requiring us and our affiliated Chinese
entities to restructure our ownership structure or operations,
and requiring us or our affiliated Chinese entities to
discontinue any portion or all of our Internet content
provision, air-ticketing, travel agency or advertising
businesses.
Any of these actions could cause significant
disruption to our business operations and may materially and
adversely affect our business, financial condition and results
of operations.
14
If our affiliated Chinese entities violate our
contractual arrangements with them, our business could be
disrupted, our reputation may be harmed and we may have to
resort to litigation to enforce our rights which may be time
consuming and expensive.
As the Chinese government restricts our ownership
of Internet content provision, air-ticketing, travel agency and
advertising businesses in China, we depend on our affiliated
Chinese entities, in which we have no ownership interest, to
conduct part of our non-hotel reservation business activities
through a series of contractual arrangements, which are intended
to provide us with the effective control over these entities.
Although we have been advised by our Chinese counsel that these
contractual arrangements are valid, binding and enforceable
under current Chinese laws, these arrangements may not be as
effective in providing control as direct ownership of these
businesses. For example, our affiliated Chinese entities could
violate our contractual arrangements with them by, among other
things, failing to operate our air-ticketing, packaged-tour or
advertising business in an acceptable manner. In any such event,
we would have to rely on the Chinese legal system to enforce
those agreements. Any legal proceeding could result in the
disruption of our business, damage to our reputation, diversion
of our resources and the incurrence of substantial costs. See
Risks Related to Doing Business in
China Uncertainties with respect to the Chinese
legal system could adversely affect us.
The principal shareholders of our affiliated
Chinese entities have potential conflicts of interest with us,
which may adversely affect our business.
Our director, Qi Ji, and our officers, Min Fan
and Alex Nanyan Zheng, are also the principal shareholders of
our affiliated Chinese entities. Thus, conflicts of interest
between their duties to our company and our affiliated entities
may arise. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest
arise, these persons will act completely in our interests or
that conflicts of interests will be resolved in our favor. The
conflicts may result in our loss of corporate opportunities. In
addition, these persons could violate their non-competition or
employment agreements with us or their legal duties by diverting
business opportunities from us to others. In any such event, we
would have to rely on the Chinese 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 Chinese legal system could adversely affect us.
Our subsidiaries and affiliated entities in
China are subject to restrictions on paying dividends or making
other payments to us.
We are a holding company incorporated in the
Cayman Islands. We rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in
China and consulting and other fees paid to us by our affiliated
Chinese entities. Current Chinese regulations permit our
subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their
accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with
Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our
subsidiaries in China are required to set aside at least 10% of
their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund
certain reserve funds. These reserves are not distributable as
cash dividends. Further, if our subsidiaries and affiliated
entities in China incur debt on their own behalf in the future,
the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to
pay dividends or make other payments to us.
The air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising
and Internet industries are heavily regulated by the Chinese
government. If we fail to obtain or maintain all pertinent
permits and approvals, our business operations may be adversely
affected.
The air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising and
Internet industries are heavily regulated by the Chinese
government. We are required to obtain applicable permits or
approvals from different regulatory authorities in order to
conduct our business, including separate licenses for Internet
content provision, air-ticketing, advertising and travel agency
activities. If we fail to obtain or maintain any of the required
permits or approvals, we may be subject to various penalties,
such as fines or suspension of operations in these regulated
businesses, which could severely disrupt our business
operations. As a result, our financial condition and results of
operations may be adversely affected.
15
Our business could suffer if we do not
successfully manage current growth and potential future
growth.
Our business has grown very quickly in its few
years of operation. We have rapidly expanded our operations and
anticipate further expansion of our operations and workforce.
Our growth to date has placed, and our anticipated future
operations will continue to place, a significant strain on our
management, systems and resources. In addition to training and
managing our workforce, we will need to continue to improve and
develop our financial and managerial controls and our reporting
systems and procedures. We cannot assure you that we will be
able to efficiently or effectively manage the growth of our
operations, and any failure to do so may limit our future growth
and hamper our business strategy.
Future acquisitions may have an adverse effect
on our ability to manage our business.
Selective acquisitions forms part of our strategy
to further expand our business. If we are presented with
appropriate opportunities, we may acquire additional
complementary companies, products or technologies. Future
acquisitions and the subsequent integration of new companies
into ours would require significant attention from our
management. The diversion of our managements attention and
any difficulties encountered in any integration process could
have an adverse effect on our ability to manage our business.
Future acquisitions would 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 and technologies, the inability to generate
sufficient revenue to offset the costs and expenses of
acquisitions, and potential loss of, or harm to, relationships
with employees, customers and suppliers as a result of
integration of new businesses.
We may need additional capital and we may not
be able to obtain it.
We believe that our current cash and cash
equivalents, cash flow from operations and the proceeds from
this offering will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash
needs for the foreseeable future. We may, however, require
additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or
other future developments, including any investments or
acquisitions we may decide to pursue. If these resources are
insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to
sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain a credit
facility. The sale of additional equity securities could result
in additional dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of
indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations
and could result in operating and financing covenants that would
restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing
will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at
all.
We rely on services from third parties to
carry out our business and to deliver our products to customers,
and if there is any interruption or deterioration in the quality
of these services, our customers may not continue using our
services.
We rely on third-party computer systems to host
our websites, as well as third-party licenses for some of the
software underlying our technology platform. In addition, we
rely on third-party travel agencies to issue airline tickets,
confirmations and deliveries in some cities in China. Any
interruption in our ability to obtain the products or services
of these or other third parties or deterioration in their
performance could impair the timing and quality of our own
service. If our service providers fail to deliver airline
tickets in a timely manner to our customers, our services will
not meet the expectations of our customers and our reputation
and brand will be damaged. Furthermore, if our arrangements with
any of these third parties are terminated, we may not find an
alternate source of support on a timely basis or on terms as
advantageous to us.
If our hotel suppliers or customers provide us
with untrue information regarding our customers stay, our
commission income and revenues may decrease.
Currently, a substantial portion of our revenues
is represented by commissions received from hotels for room
nights booked through us. Generally, we do not receive payment
from our customers on behalf of our hotel suppliers, as our
customers pay hotels directly. To confirm whether a customer
adheres to the booked itinerary, we make routine inquiries with
the hotel and, occasionally, the customer. We rely on the
16
As we begin to expand into the merchant
business, we may suffer losses if we are unable to predict the
amount of inventory we will need to purchase.
We plan to gradually establish merchant business
relationships with selected travel service suppliers beginning
in the second or third quarter of 2004. In the merchant business
relationship, we would buy hotel rooms and/or airline tickets in
advance before selling them to our customers and thereby bear
the inventory risk. If we do not correctly predict demand for
hotel rooms and airline tickets that we are committed to
purchase, we would be responsible for covering the cost of the
hotel rooms and airline tickets we are unable to sell.
We may be subject to litigation for
information provided on our websites, which may be
time-consuming to defend.
Our websites contain information about hotels,
flights, popular vacation destinations and other travel-related
topics. It is possible that if any information, accessible on
our websites, contains errors or false or misleading
information, third parties could take action against us for
losses incurred in connection with the use of such information.
Any claims, with or without merit, could be time-consuming to
defend, result in litigation and divert managements
attention and resources.
We could be liable for breaches of security on
our websites and fraudulent transactions by users of our
websites.
Currently, a portion of our transactions are
conducted through our websites. In such transactions, secured
transmission of confidential information (such as
customers itineraries, hotel and other reservation
information, credit card numbers and expiration dates, personal
information and billing addresses) over public networks is
essential to maintain consumer and supplier confidence. Our
current security measures may not be adequate. Security breaches
could expose us to litigation and possible liability for failing
to secure confidential customer or supplier information and
could harm our reputation and ability to attract customers.
If we are unable to attract, train and retain
key individuals and highly skilled employees, our business may
be adversely affected.
If our business continues to expand, we will need
to hire additional employees, including travel supplier
management personnel to maintain and expand our travel supplier
network, information technology and engineering personnel to
maintain and expand our websites, customer service center and
systems, and customer support personnel to serve an increasing
number of customers. If we are unable to identify, attract,
hire, train and retain sufficient employees in these areas,
users of our websites and customer service center may have
negative experiences and turn to our competitors, which could
adversely affect our business and results of operations.
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 substantial costs and diversion
of resources.
17
Facts and statistics in this prospectus
relating to the China travel industry and economy may be
inaccurate.
Facts and statistics in this prospectus relating
to the Chinese travel industry and economy are derived from
various government and institute research publications. While we
have taken reasonable care to ensure that the facts and
statistics presented are accurately reproduced from such
sources, they have not been independently verified by us. Due to
possibly flawed or ineffective collection methods and other
problems in China, the statistics in this prospectus may be
inaccurate or may not be comparable to statistics produced for
other economies and should not be unduly relied upon. Further,
there can be no assurance that they are stated or compiled on
the same basis or with the same degree of accuracy as may be the
case in the U.S. or elsewhere.
Risks Related to Doing Business in
China
Adverse changes in political and economic
policies of the Chinese government could have a material adverse
effect on the overall economic growth of China, which could
reduce the demand for our services and adversely affect our
competitive position.
Substantially all of our operations are conducted
in China and substantially all of our revenues are sourced from
China. Accordingly, our results of operations, financial
condition and prospects are subject to a significant degree to
the economic, political and legal developments of China. Since
the late 1970s, the Chinese government has been reforming the
economic system in China. These reforms have resulted in
significant economic growth. However, any economic reform
policies or measures in China may from time to time be modified
or revised. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in China,
in policies of the Chinese government or in laws and regulations
in China, could have a material adverse effect on the overall
economic growth of China and investment in the travel industry.
Such developments could adversely affect our businesses, lead to
reduction in demand for our services and adversely affect our
competitive position.
Slow-down of the Chinese economy may slow down
our growth and profitability.
Our financial results have been, and are expected
to continue to be, affected by the growth in the Chinese economy
and travel industry. Although the Chinese economy has grown
significantly in the past decade, there can be no assurance that
growth of the Chinese economy will continue or that any
slow-down will not have a negative effect on our business. The
overall Chinese economy affects our profitability, since
expenditures for travel may decrease in a slowing economy.
Future movements in exchange rates between the
U.S. dollar and RMB may adversely affect the value of our
ADSs.
We are exposed to foreign exchange risk arising
from various currency exposures. Some of our expenses are
denominated in foreign currencies while almost all of our
revenues are denominated in RMB, the legal currency in China. We
have not used any forward contracts or currency borrowings to
hedge our exposure to foreign currency risk. The value of RMB is
subject to changes in the Chinese governments policies.
Although our exposure to foreign exchange risks is limited, the
value of your investment in our ADSs will be affected by the
foreign exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and RMB, because
the value of our business is effectively denominated in RMB,
while our ADSs will be traded in U.S. dollars.
Restrictions on currency exchange may limit
our ability to receive and use our revenues
effectively.
Because substantially all of our revenues are in
the form of RMB, any restrictions on currency exchange may limit
our ability to use revenue generated in RMB to fund our business
activities outside China or to make dividend payments in
U.S. dollars. The principal regulation governing foreign
currency exchange in China is the Foreign Currency
Administration Rules (1996), as amended. Under the Rules, RMB is
freely convertible for trade and service-related foreign
exchange transactions, but not for direct investment, loan or
investment in securities outside China unless the prior approval
of the State Administration for Foreign
18
Online payment systems in China are at an
early stage of development and may restrict our ability to
expand our online commerce service business.
Online payment systems in China are at an early
stage of development. Although major Chinese banks are
instituting online payment systems, these systems are not as
widely available or acceptable to consumers in China as in the
United States and other developed countries. In addition, only a
limited number of consumers in China have credit cards or debit
cards, relative to countries like the United States. The lack of
adequate online payment systems may limit the number of online
commerce transactions that we can service. If online payment
services do not develop, our ability to grow our online commerce
business may be limited.
The Internet market has not been proven as an
effective commercial medium in China.
The market for Internet products and services in
China has only recently begun to develop. The Internet
penetration rate in China is lower than those in the United
States and other developed countries. Since the Internet is an
unproven medium for commerce in China, our future operating
results from online services will depend substantially upon the
increased use and acceptance of the Internet for distribution of
products and services and facilitation of commerce in China.
The Internet may not become a viable commercial
marketplace in China for various reasons in the foreseeable
future. More salient impediments to Internet development in
China include:
If the Internet is not widely accepted as a
medium for online commerce in China, our ability to grow our
online business would be impeded.
Uncertainties with respect to the Chinese
legal system could adversely affect us.
We conduct our business primarily through our
wholly owned subsidiaries incorporated in China. Our
subsidiaries are generally subject to laws and regulations
applicable to foreign investment in China and, in particular,
laws applicable to wholly foreign-owned enterprises. In
addition, we depend on several affiliated entities in China to
honor their service agreements with us. Almost all of these
agreements are governed by Chinese law and disputes arising out
of these agreements are expected to be decided by arbitration in
China. The Chinese legal system is based on written statutes.
Prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have
limited precedential value. Since 1979, Chinese legislation and
regulations have significantly enhanced the protections afforded
to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, since
these laws and regulations are relatively new and the Chinese
legal system is still evolving, the interpretations of many laws,
19
We have attempted to comply with the Chinese
government regulations regarding licensing requirements by
entering into a series of agreements with our affiliated Chinese
entities. If the Chinese laws and regulations change, our
business in China may be adversely affected.
To comply with the Chinese government regulations
regarding licensing requirements, we have entered into a series
of agreements with our affiliated Chinese entities to exert our
operational control over them and secure consulting fees and
other payments from them. Although we have been advised by our
Chinese counsel that our arrangements with our affiliated
Chinese entities are valid under current Chinese law and
regulations, we cannot assure you that we will not be required
to restructure our organization structure and operations in
China to comply with changing and new Chinese laws and
regulations. Restructuring of our operations may result in
disruption of our business, diversion of management attention
and the incurrence of substantial costs.
We may have to register our encryption
software with Chinese regulatory authorities, and if they
request that we change our encryption software, our business
operations will be disrupted as we develop or license
replacement software.
Pursuant to the Regulations for the
Administration of Commercial Encryption promulgated in 1999,
foreign and domestic Chinese companies operating in China are
required to register and disclose to Chinese regulatory
authorities the commercial encryption products they use. Because
these regulations do not specify what constitutes encryption
products, we are unsure whether or how they apply to us and the
encryption software we utilize. We may be required to register
or apply for permits with the relevant Chinese regulatory
authorities for our current or future encryption software. If
Chinese regulatory authorities request that we change our
encryption software, we may have to develop or license
replacement software, which could disrupt our business
operations. In addition, we may be subject to potential
liability for using software that is subsequently deemed to be
illegal by the relevant Chinese regulatory authorities. These
potential liabilities might include fines, product confiscation
and criminal sanctions. We cannot assure you that our business,
financial condition and results of operations will not be
materially and adversely affected by the application of these
regulations.
The continued growth of the Chinese Internet
market depends on the establishment of an adequate
telecommunications infrastructure.
Although private sector Internet service
providers currently exist in China, almost all access to the
Internet is maintained through ChinaNet owned by China Telecom
under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of
Chinas Ministry of Information Industry. In addition, the
national networks in China connect to the Internet through a
government-controlled international gateway. This international
gateway is the only channel through which a domestic Chinese
user can connect to the international Internet network. We rely
on this infrastructure and China Telecom to provide data
communications capacity primarily through local
telecommunications lines. Although the government has announced
plans to develop aggressively the national information
infrastructure, we cannot assure you that this infrastructure
will be developed. 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
associated with continued growth in Internet usage.
20
Risks Related to the Shares and ADSs
There has been no public market for our
ordinary shares or ADSs prior to this offering, and therefore
the price may fall below the public offering price.
Prior to this initial public offering, there has
been no public market for our ordinary shares or ADSs. The
initial public offering price for our ADSs will be determined by
negotiations between us and the underwriters and may bear no
relationship to the market price for our ADSs after the initial
public offering. We cannot assure you that an active trading
market will develop or that the market price of our ADSs will
not decline below the initial public offering price.
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. Under
the deposit agreement, the depositary bank will not offer you
those rights 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. Accordingly, you may be unable to participate in our rights
offerings and may experience dilution in your holdings.
You will experience immediate and substantial
dilution in the book value of ADSs purchased.
The public offering price per ADS will be
substantially higher than the net tangible book value per
ordinary share issued prior to this offering. Purchasers of our
ADSs offered in the offering will therefore incur an immediate
and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value per ADSs
from the initial public offering price. See Dilution.
The future sales by our existing shareholders
of a substantial number of our ADSs in the public market could
adversely affect the price of our ADSs.
If our shareholders sell substantial amounts of
our ordinary shares or ADSs, including those issued upon the
exercise of outstanding options, in the public market following
this offering, 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. The 8,400,000 ordinary shares
represented by 4,200,000 ADSs offered in this offering will
be eligible for immediate resale in the public market without
restrictions, and those held by our existing shareholders may
also be sold in the public market in the future subject to the
restrictions contained in Rule 144 under the Securities Act
and applicable lock-up agreements. If any existing shareholder
or shareholders sell a substantial amount of ordinary shares
after the expiration of the lock-up period, the prevailing
market price for our ADSs could be adversely affected. See
Underwriting and Shares Eligible for Future
Sale for additional information regarding resale
restrictions.
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:
21
In addition, the securities market have 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.
You may not be able to exercise your right to
vote.
As a holder of ADSs, you may instruct the
depositary of our ADSs to vote the shares underlying your ADSs
but only if we ask the depositary to ask for your instructions.
Otherwise, you will not be able to exercise your right to vote
unless you withdraw the shares. However, you may not know about
the meeting enough in advance to withdraw the shares. 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 your shares. In addition, the depositary and its agents
are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions
or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This
means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote
and there may be nothing you can do if the shares underlying
your ADSs are not voted as you requested.
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.
You may lose some or all of the value of the
distribution by the depositary if the depositary cannot convert
RMB into U.S. dollars on a reasonable basis.
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.
The depositary will convert any cash dividend or
other cash distribution we pay on the ordinary shares into
U.S. dollars, if it can do so on a reasonable basis and can
transfer the U.S. dollars to the United States. If that is
not possible or if any approval from any government is needed
and cannot be obtained, the depositary is allowed to distribute
RMB only to those ADS holders to whom it is possible to do so.
It will hold RMB it cannot convert for the account of the ADS
holders who have not been paid. However, it will not invest RMB
and it will not be liable for interest. In addition, if the
exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the
22
You may be subject to limitations on transfer
of your ADSs.
Your ADSs represented by the ADRs are
transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the
depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time
to time when it deems expedient in connection with the
performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may
refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs
generally when our books or the books of the depositary are
closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it
advisory to do so because of any requirement of law or of any
government or governmental body, or under any provision of the
deposit agreement, or for any other reason.
The sale, deposit, cancellation and transfer
of the ADSs issued after exercise of rights may be
restricted.
If we offer holders of our ordinary shares any
rights to subscribe for additional shares or any other rights,
the depositary may make these rights available to you. However,
the depositary may allow rights that are not distributed or sold
to lapse. In that case, you will receive no value for them. In
addition, U.S. securities laws may restrict the sale,
deposit, cancellation and transfer of the ADSs issued after
exercise of rights. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary
will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the
distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which
these rights relate are either exempt from registration under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to all
holders of ADSs, or are registered under the provisions of the
Securities Act. We can give no assurance that we can establish
an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we
are under no obligation to file a registration statement with
respect to these rights or underlying securities or to endeavor
to have a registration statement declared effective.
Accordingly, you may be unable to participate in our rights
offerings and may experience dilution of your holdings as a
result.
If our subsidiaries are restricted from paying
dividends and other distributions to us, our primary internal
source of funds would decrease.
We are a holding company with no significant
assets other than our equity interests in our wholly owned
subsidiaries in China and Hong Kong. As a result, we rely on
dividends, consulting and other fees paid to us by our
subsidiaries and affiliated entities in China, including the
funds necessary to service any debt we may incur. If our
subsidiaries incur debts on their own behalf in the future, the
instruments governing the debts may restrict their ability to
pay dividends or make other distributions to us, which in turn
would limit our ability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares.
Chinese regulations permit payment of dividends only out of
accumulated profits as determined in accordance with Chinese
accounting standards and regulations. Our subsidiaries and
affiliated entities in China are also required to set aside a
portion of their net income each year to fund certain reserve
funds that are not distributable as cash dividends.
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
memorandum and articles of association and by the Companies Law
(2003 Revision) and common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights
of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our
directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly
established as they would be under statues or judicial
precedents in the United States. In particular, the Cayman
Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared
to the U.S., and provides significantly less protection to
investors. Therefore, our public shareholders may have more
difficulties in 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, 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 ability to protect our interests if we
are harmed in a manner that would otherwise enable us to sue in
a United States federal court may be limited.
23
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 U.S.
We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and we
conduct a substantial portion of our operations in China through
our wholly-owned subsidiaries and several affiliated entities in
China. Most of our directors and officers reside outside of the
United States and substantially all 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 Cayman Islands or
in China 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. For more information regarding the
relevant laws of the Cayman Islands and China, see
Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.
We have not determined any specific use for a
significant portion of the proceeds from this offering and we
may use the proceeds in ways with which you may not
agree.
We have not allocated the majority of the net
proceeds of this offering to any particular purpose. Rather, our
management will have considerable discretion in the application
of the net proceeds received by us. You will not have the
opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess
whether proceeds are being used appropriately. You must rely on
the judgment of our management regarding the application of the
net proceeds of this offering. The net proceeds may be used for
corporate purposes that do not improve our efforts to maintain
profitability or increase our share price. The net proceeds from
this offering may be placed in investments that do not produce
income or that lose value.
24
obtain new customers at reasonable cost, retain
existing customers, encourage repeat purchases or convert
visitors to our websites into customers;
increase awareness of the Ctrip brand and
continue to build user loyalty;
retain existing hotels, airlines and other
suppliers of travel services or expand our service offerings on
satisfactory terms from our travel suppliers;
adequately and efficiently operate, upgrade and
develop the systems that we use to process customers
reservations;
maintain adequate control of our expenses;
attract and retain qualified personnel;
respond to technological changes; or
respond to competitive market conditions.
a recurrence of SARS or any other serious
contagious diseases;
increased prices in the hotel, airline, or other
travel-related industries;
increased occurrence of travel-related accidents;
poor weather conditions; and
natural disasters.
consumer dependence on traditional means of
commerce;
inexperience with the Internet as a sales and
distribution channel;
inadequate development of the necessary
infrastructure to facilitate online commerce;
concerns about security, reliability, cost, ease
of deployment, administration and quality of service associated
with conducting business over the Internet;
inexperience with credit card usage or with other
means of electronic payment; and
limited use of personal computers.
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our
quarterly operating results;
announcements of new services by us or our
competitors;
changes in financial estimates by securities
analysts;
conditions in the Internet, online commerce or
travel industries;
changes in the economic performance or market
valuations of other Internet, online commerce or travel
companies;
announcements by us or our competitors of
significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures
or capital commitments;
additions or departures of key personnel;
release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions
on our outstanding ADSs or sales of additional ordinary shares
or ADSs; and
potential litigation.
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
Many statements made in this prospectus contain
forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations
and views of future events. These forward-looking statements can
be identified by words or phrases such as may,
will, expect, anticipate,
aim, estimate, intend,
plan, believe, is/are likely
to or other similar expressions. We have based these
forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations
and projections about future events and financial trends that we
believe may affect our financial condition, results of
operations, business strategy and financial needs. These
forward-looking statements include, among other things:
The forward-looking statements included in the
prospectus are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions
about our company. Our companys actual results of
operations may differ materially from the forward-looking
statements as a result of risk factors described under
Risk Factors and elsewhere in this prospectus,
including, among other things:
These risks are not exhaustive. Other sections of
this prospectus include additional factors that could adversely
impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we
operate in an emerging and evolving environment. New risk
factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible 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
factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statements.
You should not rely upon forward-looking
statements as predictions of future events. We undertake no
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
25
our anticipated growth strategies;
our future business development, results of
operations and financial condition;
our ability to continue to control costs and
maintain quality; and
the expected growth of and change in the travel
and online commerce industries in China.
our continuing ability to retain our customer
base, build user loyalty and increase recognition of the Ctrip
brand;
the maintenance and expansion of our supplier
relationships;
risks inherent in the travel services businesses;
our reliance on our technological platform; and
risks associated with our holding company
structure and the regulatory environment in China.
USE OF PROCEEDS
We estimate that the net proceeds to us from this
offering, after deducting underwriting discounts and the
estimated offering expenses payable by us, will be approximately
US$36.2 million, assuming the initial offering price of
US$15.0 per ADS. We will not receive any of the proceeds from
the sale of ADSs by the selling shareholders.
The principal purposes of this offering are to
(i) create a public market for our ordinary shares for the
benefits of all shareholders, (ii) retain talented
employees by providing them with equity incentives, and
(iii) facilitate possible acquisitions of complementary
businesses. We believe that, based on current levels of
operations and anticipated growth, our cash from operations,
together with cash currently available, without giving effect to
the net proceeds of this offering, will be sufficient to fund
our operations for the foreseeable future.
We may use the net proceeds from this offering as
follows:
As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot
specify with certainty the particular uses for the net proceeds
we will receive upon the completion of this offering.
Accordingly, our management will have significant flexibility in
applying the net proceeds of the offering.
Pending use of the net proceeds, we intend to
hold our net proceeds in short-term bank deposits or invest them
in interest-bearing, investment grade securities.
26
up to US$3.0 million to fund working capital;
up to US$5.0 million to fund capital
expenditures, including technology upgrades;
up to US$5.0 million to expand our sales and
marketing efforts; and
the balance for general corporate purposes,
including funding possible acquisitions of complementary
businesses, such as travel consolidators and travel agencies in
Greater China, particularly in China, although we are not
currently negotiating any such transactions.
DIVIDEND POLICY
We do not have a present plan to pay any cash
dividends on our ordinary shares, or indirectly on our ADSs,
with respect to 2003. We currently intend to recommend to our
shareholders, beginning in 2004, an annual dividend of not less
than 25% of our net profits, if any, subject to our results of
operations and as our board of directors deems appropriate. We
intend to retain the remainder of our available funds and any
future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our
business.
Our board of directors has complete discretion as
to whether we will distribute dividends in the future, subject
to the approval of our shareholders. 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
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,
including those represented by the ADSs, if any, will be paid in
U.S. dollars. See Description of American Depositary
Shares.
In December 2002, we declared and paid out of our
reserves cash dividends totaling RMB27.3 million, which
represented a return of capital, to holders of our ordinary and
preferred shares. Separately, as part of our restructuring in
connection with this offering, we spun off Home Inns in August
2003 and distributed our Home Inns shares to our shareholders in
the form of dividends on a pro rata as-converted basis.
27
CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our cash and
capitalization, as of September 30, 2003:
You should read this table together with our
consolidated financial statements and the related notes included
elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under
Selected Consolidated Financial Data and
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations.
28
on an actual basis;
on an as adjusted basis to reflect the conversion
of all of our preferred shares into ordinary shares, which will
occur automatically immediately prior to the closing of this
offering, and the issuance and sale of the 2,700,000 ADSs
offered hereby with estimated net proceeds of
US$36.2 million, after deducting underwriting discounts,
commissions and estimated offering expenses.
As of September 30, 2003
Actual
As Adjusted
RMB
RMB
US$(1)
(unaudited)
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except for share numbers)
70,353
369,984
44,700
719
2,487
301
326
543
181
140,114
439,026
53,041
(3,455
)
(3,455
)
(417
)
188
188
23
(29,584
)
(29,584
)
(3,574
)
109,032
408,663
49,373
109,032
408,663
49,373
(1)
Translations of RMB amounts into
U.S. dollars were made at a rate of RMB8.2771 to US$1.00.
See Exchange Rate Information.
DILUTION
Our net tangible book value as of
September 30, 2003 was RMB11.38, or US$1.38 per ordinary
share, and US$2.76 per ADS. Net tangible book value per ordinary
share represents the amount of total tangible assets, minus the
amount of total liabilities, divided by the total number of
ordinary shares outstanding. Dilution is determined by
subtracting net tangible book value per ordinary share from the
assumed public offering price per ordinary share.
Without taking into account any other changes in
such net tangible book value after September 30, 2003,
other than to give effect to (i) the conversion of all of
our preferred shares into ordinary shares, which will occur
immediately prior to the closing of this offering, and
(ii) our sale of the 2,700,000 ADSs offered in this
offering, at an estimated price of US$15.00 per ADS with
estimated net proceeds of US$36.2 million after deduction
of underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering
expenses, our as adjusted net tangible book value at
September 30, 2003 would have been US$1.60 per outstanding
ordinary share, including ordinary shares underlying our
outstanding ADSs, and US$3.20 per ADS. This represents an
immediate increase in net tangible book value of US$0.22 per
ordinary share, or US$0.44 per ADS, to existing shareholders and
an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of US$5.90 per
ordinary share, or US$11.80 per ADS, to purchasers of ADSs in
this offering.
The following table illustrates the dilution on a
per ordinary share basis assuming that the initial public
offering price per ordinary share is US$7.50 and all ADSs are
exchanged for ordinary shares:
The following table summarizes on a pro forma
basis the differences as of September 30, 2003 between our
shareholders at September 30, 2003 and the new investors
with respect to the number of ordinary shares purchased from us,
the total consideration paid and the average price per ordinary
share paid.
The discussion and tables above are based on the
number of ordinary shares and preferred shares outstanding as of
September 30, 2003, excluding (a) 2,247,420 ordinary
shares underlying options granted under our stock option plans
and outstanding as of September 30, 2003, and
(b) 668,090 ordinary shares available for issuance upon the
exercise of future grants under our stock option plans.
To the extent that any of the outstanding options
are exercised, there will be further dilution to new investors.
29
US$
7.50
US$
1.38
US$
5.90
US$
11.80
Ordinary Shares
Purchased
Total Consideration
Average Price
Average
Per Ordinary
Price Per
Number
Percent
Amount
Percent
Share
ADS
US$
US$
US$
24,630,894
82.0
%
16,727,672
29.2
%
0.68
1.36
5,400,000
18.0
40,500,000
70.8
7.50
15.00
30,030,894
100.0
%
57,227,672
100.0
%
8.18
16.36
EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION
Our business is primarily conducted in China and
denominated in RMB. However, periodic reports made to
shareholders will be expressed in U.S. dollars using the then
current exchange rates. For your convenience, this prospectus
contains translations of RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at
specific rates solely for the convenience of the reader. The
conversion of RMB into U.S. dollars in this prospectus is based
on the noon buying rate in the City of New York for cable
transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Unless otherwise noted, all
translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from
U.S. dollars to RMB in this prospectus were made at a rate
of RMB8.2771 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect as of
September 30, 2003. The prevailing rate as of
November 21, 2003 was RMB8.2769 to US$1.00. We make no
representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could
have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB,
as the case may be, at any particular rate, the rates stated
below, or at all. The Chinese government imposes control over
its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation
of the conversion of RMB into foreign exchange and through
restrictions on foreign trade. The exchange rate from the
U.S. dollar to RMB has fluctuated between a range of
US$l.00 to RMB8.2272 and US$l.00 to RMB8.2769 between
January 1, 1998 and November 21, 2003.
The following table sets forth information
concerning exchange rates between the RMB and the U.S. dollar
for the periods indicated. These rates are provided solely for
your convenience and are not necessarily the exchange rates that
we used in this prospectus or will use in the preparation of our
periodic reports or any other information to be provided to you.
The source of these rates is the Federal Reserve Bank of New
York.
30
Noon Buying Rate
Period
Period
End
Average(1)
Low
High
(RMB per US$1.00)
8.2789
8.3006
8.3180
8.2774
8.2795
8.2783
8.2800
8.2770
8.2774
8.2784
8.2799
8.2768
8.2766
8.2770
8.2786
8.2676
8.2800
8.2770
8.2800
8.2669
8.2774
8.2776
8.2800
8.2766
8.2771
8.2772
8.2775
8.2768
8.2768
8.2769
8.2771
8.2768
8.2776
8.2771
8.2776
8.2768
8.2774
8.2773
8.2776
8.2768
8.2772
8.2747
8.2775
8.2272
8.2771
8.2772
8.2775
8.2768
8.2766
8.2768
8.2776
8.2765
8.2769
8.2768
8.2770
8.2766
(1)
Annual averages are calculated from month-end
rates. Monthly averages are calculated using the average of the
daily rates during the relevant period.
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands because
of the following benefits found there:
However, certain disadvantages accompany
incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include:
Our constituent documents do not contain
provisions requiring that disputes, including those arising
under the securities laws of the United States, between us, our
officers, directors and shareholders, be arbitrated.
A substantial portion of our current operations
is conducted in China, and substantially all of our assets are
located in China. We also conduct part of our operations in Hong
Kong. We have appointed CT Corporation System, 111 Eighth
Avenue, New York, NY 10011, as our agent upon whom process may
be served in any action brought against us under the securities
laws of the United States. A majority of our directors and
officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than
the United States and a substantial portion of their assets are
located outside the United States. As a result, it may be
difficult for a shareholder to effect service of process within
the United States upon these persons, or to enforce against us
or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including
judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the
securities laws of the United States or any state in the United
States.
Maples and Calder Asia, our counsel as to Cayman
Islands law, Commerce & Finance Law Office, our counsel
as to Chinese law, and Boughton Peterson Yang Anderson, our
counsel as to Hong Kong law, have advised us, respectively, that
there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman
Islands, China and Hong Kong, respectively, would:
Maples and Calder Asia has further advised us
that a final and conclusive judgment in the federal or state
courts of the United States under which a sum of money is
payable, other than a sum payable in respect of taxes, fines,
penalties or similar charges, may be subject to enforcement
proceedings as a debt in the courts of the Cayman Islands under
the common law doctrine of obligation.
Commerce & Finance Law Office has advised us
further that the recognition and enforcement of foreign
judgments are provided for under Chinese Civil Procedures Law.
Chinese courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in
accordance with the requirements of Chinese Civil Procedures Law
based either on treaties between China and the country where the
judgment is made or on reciprocity between jurisdictions.
31
Boughton Peterson Yang Anderson, in association
with Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, has further advised us that
enforcement of a foreign judgment in Hong Kong is subject to the
Foreign Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Ordinance
(Cap. 319) of the laws of Hong Kong, or the Ordinance,
which provides that a final and conclusive judgment of a court
specified in an order under the Ordinance against a Hong Kong
company for a fixed sum of money and which is enforceable by
execution in the specified jurisdiction (other than a sum
payable in respect of taxes or like charges, fines or penalties,
in respect of any legal proceedings) may be registered in Hong
Kong in accordance with the Rules of the High Court of Hong Kong
and the provisions of the Ordinance and upon registration would
be enforceable in Hong Kong provided it is not subsequently set
aside by the courts of Hong Kong. The United States is not a
country specified in the orders passed under the Ordinance and
therefore any judgment granted by a United States court would be
enforceable in Hong Kong only if it is made the subject of a
Hong Kong judgment. A final judgment from a court in the United
States may be treated and sued upon in the courts of Hong Kong
as a liquidated sum.
32
political and economic stability;
an effective judicial system;
a favorable tax system;
the absence of exchange control or currency
restrictions; and
the availability of professional and support
services.
(1) the Cayman Islands has a less developed
body of securities laws as compared to the United States and
these securities laws provide significantly less protection to
investors; and
(2) Cayman Islands companies may not have
standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.
(1) recognize or enforce judgments of United
States courts obtained against us or our directors or officers
predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities
laws of the United States or any state in the United States; or
(2) entertain original actions brought in
each respective jurisdiction against us or our directors or
officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United
States or any state in the United States.
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
You should read the following information with
our consolidated financial statements and related notes, and
Managements Discussion and Analysis and Results of
Operations included elsewhere in this prospectus.
The selected consolidated statement of operations
data for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002 and the
nine months ended September 30, 2003, and the consolidated
balance sheet data as of December 31, 2001 and 2002 and
September 30, 2003, are derived from our audited
consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this
prospectus and should be read in conjunction with, and are
qualified in their entirety by reference to, these financial
statements and related notes. These consolidated financial
statements have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers and were
prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The selected
consolidated statement of operations data for the year ended
December 31, 2000 and the nine months ended
September 30, 2002, and the selected consolidated balance
sheet data as of December 31, 2000 and September 30,
2002, are derived from our unaudited consolidated financial
statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and should be
read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their entirety by
reference to, these unaudited consolidated financial statements
and related notes. We have prepared the unaudited information on
the basis as the audited consolidated financial statements, and
have included, in our opinion, all adjustments, consisting only
of normal and recurring adjustments that we consider necessary
for a fair presentation of the financial information set forth
in those statements. Although we commenced operations in
June 1999, we have not included financial information for
the six-month period ended December 31, 1999, as such
information is not available on a comparative basis with the
audited financial information included in this prospectus.
33
34
Year Ended December 31,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
2000
2001
2002
2002
2002
2003
2003
RMB
RMB
RMB
US$(1)
RMB
RMB
US$(1)
(unaudited)
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
6,453
43,984
100,049
12,087
68,809
105,717
12,772
(1,950
)
(7,940
)
(13,673
)
(1,652
)
(9,100
)
(14,447
)
(1,745
)
4,503
36,044
86,376
10,435
59,709
91,270
11,027
(6,817
)
(7,759
)
(13,365
)
(1,615
)
(9,170
)
(13,254
)
(1,601
)
(17,378
)
(30,360
)
(32,309
)
(3,902
)
(23,520
)
(28,401
)
(3,431
)
(11,677
)
(14,814
)
(15,702
)
(1,897
)
(11,173
)
(12,433
)
(1,502
)
(22
)
(462
)
(56
)
(336
)
(1,031
)
(125
)
(371
)
(1,807
)
(353
)
(43
)
(265
)
(265
)
(32
)
(934
)
(915
)
(111
)
(915
)
(36,243
)
(55,696
)
(63,106
)
(7,624
)
(45,379
)
(55,384
)
(6,691
)
(31,740
)
(19,652
)
23,270
2,811
14,330
35,886
4,336
675
2,049
1,293
156
438
3,717
449
(31,065
)
(17,603
)
24,563
2,967
14,768
39,603
4,785
7,088
2,342
(10,043
)
(1,213
)
(6,156
)
(10,966
)
(1,325
)
71
9
32
(18
)
(2
)
(398
)
(48
)
(188
)
573
69
(23,977
)
(15,261
)
14,193
1,715
8,456
29,192
3,527
(2,196
)
(14,316
)
(16,492
)
(1,993
)
(12,140
)
(12,366
)
(1,494
)
(16,762
)
(2,025
)
(2,829
)
(342
)
(35,336
)
(4,269
)
(26,173
)
(29,577
)
(19,061
)
(2,303
)
(3,684
)
(21,339
)
(2,578
)
(3.03
)
(3.26
)
(2.00
)
(0.24
)
(0.39
)
(2.26
)
(0.27
)
(6.06
)
(6.52
)
(4.00
)
(0.48
)
(0.78
)
(4.52
)
(0.54
)
1.11
0.14
As of December 31,
As of September 30,
2000
2001
2002
2002
2002
2003
2003
RMB
RMB
RMB
US$(1)
RMB
RMB
US$(1)
(unaudited)
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
88,908
42,464
38,931
4,703
61,488
70,353
8,500
3,343
45,932
20,580
2,487
25,907
34,877
4,214
25,639
20,529
37,744
4,560
30,275
46,769
5,650
117,890
108,925
97,255
11,750
117,670
151,999
18,364
9,736
12,962
13,093
1,582
12,363
42,910
5,184
828
100
512
57
7
94,154
108,470
124,963
15,097
120,610
14,000
(12,507
)
(41,629
)
(5,029
)
(15,815
)
109,032
13,173
(1)
Translations of RMB amounts into
U.S. dollars were made at a rate of RMB8.2771 to U.S.$1.00.
See Exchange Rate Information.
(2)
Share based compensation was related to the
associated operating expense categories as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
2000
2001
2002
2002
2002
2003
2003
RMB
RMB
RMB
US$(1)
RMB
RMB
US$(1)
(unaudited)
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
5
131
16
95
254
31
1
27
3
22
82
10
16
304
37
219
695
84
22
462
56
336
1,031
125
(3)
Each ADS represents two ordinary shares.
(4)
The dividends recognized represent dividends
totaling RMB27.3 million distributed out of our reserves in
December 2002 to holders of ordinary shares, Series A
preferred shares and Series B preferred shares on a pro
rata as-converted basis. Dividends per share were calculated on
the basis of 24,630,894 ordinary shares on an as-converted basis.
(5)
Prior to the forfeiture of the redemption feature
in September 2003, Series B preferred shares were not
included as part of shareholders equity as such shares
were redeemable at the option of the holder. As of
September 30, 2003, Series B preferred shares are
included in total shareholders equity (deficit).
MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND
ANALYSIS
You should read the following discussion and
analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in
conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the
related notes included in this prospectus.
Overview
We are a leading consolidator of hotel
accommodations and airline tickets in China. We aggregate
information on hotels and flights and enable our customers to
make informed and cost-effective hotel and flight bookings. We
also offer packaged-tour products and other travel-related
products and services. For the nine months ended
September 30, 2003, revenues from our hotel reservation,
air-ticketing and other businesses accounted for 85.8%, 10.5%
and 3.7%, respectively, of our revenues.
The major factors affecting our results of
operations and financial condition include:
Each of these factors is discussed below.
Growth in the Chinese Economy and the
Travel Industry.
Our financial
results have been, and are expected to continue to be, affected
by the growth in the Chinese economy and travel industry. The
Chinese economy has grown significantly in recent years, with
its gross domestic product increasing from RMB7,835 billion
in 1998 to RMB10,479 billion in 2002, representing a
compound annual growth rate of 7.5%. This growth has led to a
substantial increase in industrial and commercial activity and,
in combination with an increase in personal disposable income
and changes in consumption pattern, resulted in significant
increase in the demand for travel services. The aggregate
expenditure on tourism in China increased from
RMB239.1 billion in 1998 to RMB387.8 billion in 2002,
representing a compound annual growth rate of 12.8%. According
to Chinas tenth five-year plan, the Chinese government
expects an approximately 7% compound annual growth rate of
Chinas gross domestic product from 2000 to 2005. We
anticipate that demand for travel services in China will
continue to increase substantially in the foreseeable future as
the Chinese economy continues to grow.
Revenue Composition and Sources of Revenue
Growth.
We have experienced
significant revenue growth since we commenced operations in
1999. Our revenues grew from RMB6.9 million in 2000 to
RMB46.4 million in 2001 and to RMB105.3 million in
2002. Our revenues for the nine months ended
September 30, 2003 were RMB111.3 million.
We generate our revenues primarily from the hotel
reservation and air-ticketing businesses. The table below sets
forth the revenues from our principal lines of business as a
percentage of our revenues for the periods indicated.
35
As we generally do not take ownership of the
products and services being sold and act as agent in
substantially all of our transactions, our risk of loss due to
obligations for cancelled hotel and airline ticket reservations
is minimal. Accordingly, we recognize revenues based on
commissions earned rather than transaction value.
Because current Chinese laws and regulations
impose substantial restrictions on foreign ownership of the
air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising and Internet content
provision businesses in China, we conduct part of our
air-ticketing and packaged-tour businesses through our
affiliated Chinese entities. Historically, we generated less
than 5% of our revenues from fees charged to these entities. See
Affiliated Chinese Entities for a
description of our relationship with such entities.
Hotel Reservation.
Revenues from our hotel reservation business have been our
primary source of revenue since our inception. In 2000, 2001,
2002 and the nine months ended September 30, 2003, revenues
from our hotel reservation business accounted for
RMB5.3 million, RMB43.4 million, RMB96.8 million
(US$11.7 million) and RMB95.5 million
(US$11.5 million), respectively, or 77.3%, 93.5%, 91.9% and
85.8%, respectively, of our revenues.
We derive our hotel reservation revenues through
commissions from hotels, primarily based on the room rates paid
by our customers. We recognize revenue when we receive
confirmation from a hotel that a customer who booked the hotel
through us has checked into the hotel. While we generally agree
in advance on fixed commissions with a particular hotel, we also
enter into a commission arrangement with many of our hotel
suppliers that we refer to as the ratchet system.
Under the ratchet system, our commission per room night for a
given hotel increases for the month if we sell in excess of a
pre-agreed number of room nights with such hotel within the
month. We believe that absent extraordinary events such as SARS,
revenue from our hotel reservation business will continue to
experience substantial growth on an annual basis.
Air-Ticketing.
Since
early 2002, the air-ticketing business has been our
fastest-growing source of revenues. In 2000, 2001, 2002 and the
nine months ended September 30, 2003, revenues from the
air-ticketing business accounted for RMB0.8 million,
RMB1.8 million, RMB5.6 million (US$0.7 million)
and RMB11.6 million (US$1.4 million), respectively, or
12.2%, 4.0%, 5.3% and 10.5%, respectively, of our revenues.
We conduct our air-ticketing business through
Beijing Chenhao and Shanghai Huacheng, both of which are our
affiliated entities, as well as a network of independent
air-ticketing service companies. Currently, we recognize revenue
when a ticket is issued and delivered by Beijing Chenhao and
Shanghai Huacheng. Prior to July 1, 2003, when we charged
Beijing Chenhao or Shanghai Huacheng in accordance with our
contractual arrangements with them, we recognized the amount of
such charge as revenue from our air-ticketing business. We
receive a higher commission per ticket from some airlines if the
volume of tickets we sell for such airline reaches certain
performance targets. In addition, since the commission rate per
ticket for international flights is generally higher than that
for domestic flights in China, we intend to sell more tickets
for international flights.
Packaged-tour.
Currently, we conduct our
packaged-tour business mainly through Shanghai Huacheng.
Currently, we generally recognize revenue when a customer
completes the packaged tour. Prior to
36
Other Businesses.
Our other business lines comprise advertising services and sales
of our VIP membership cards. We place our customers
advertisements on our websites and in our introductory
brochures. We sell VIP membership cards that allow cardholders
to receive discounts from some restaurants, clubs and bars and
certain priority in receiving our services. We currently conduct
the advertising business through Ctrip Commerce, and we
recognize revenue when Ctrip Commerce renders advertising
services. Prior to July 1, 2003, however, we recognized our
advertising revenue when we charged Ctrip Commerce in accordance
with our contractual arrangements with it. We recognize revenue
from sales of our VIP membership cards when they are sold to
customers. We expect that revenues from these other businesses
will continue to contribute an insignificant percentage of our
revenues in the near future.
Costs of Services.
Costs of services are costs
directly attributable to rendering our revenues, which consist
primarily of payroll compensation, telecommunication expenses
and other direct expenses incurred in connection with our
transaction and service platform. Payroll compensation accounted
for 33.6%, 43.1%, 57.0% and 59.5% of our costs of services in
2000, 2001, 2002 and the nine months ended September 30,
2003, respectively. Telecommunication expenses accounted for
31.9%, 42.3%, 30.5% and 27.1% of our costs of services in 2000,
2001, 2002 and the nine months ended September 30, 2003,
respectively.
Costs of services accounted for 30.2%, 18.1%,
13.7% and 13.7% of our net revenues in 2000, 2001, 2002 and the
nine months ended September 30, 2003, respectively. We
believe our relatively low ratio of costs of services to
revenues is primarily due to competitive labor costs in China
and relatively high efficiency of our customer service system.
The average compensation of our customer service representatives
at our toll-free, 24-hour transaction and service center in
October 2003 was RMB2,791 (US$337), consisting of an average
fixed pay of RMB1,551 (US$187) plus commissions based on the
number of transactions completed during the month. In
October 2003, each of our customer service representatives
received approximately 2,425 calls on average. Therefore,
the average labor cost per call in October 2003 was
approximately RMB1.15 (US$0.14). Our cost efficiency was further
enhanced by our website operations, which require significantly
fewer service staff to operate and maintain. We believe our
costs of services will continue to account for a relatively
small percentage of our net revenues for the foreseeable future.
Operating
Expenses.
Operating expenses consist primarily
of product development expenses, sales and marketing expenses,
general and administration expenses and share-based compensation.
Product development expenses primarily include
expenses we incur to develop our travel suppliers network and
electronic confirmation system, as well as expenses we incur to
develop, maintain and monitor our transaction and service
platform, including our travel booking system. In the past, we
incurred relatively high product development costs as a
percentage of net revenues to develop the supplier network and
infrastructure necessary to support our business. As we have
established the platform that we believe can keep up with the
expected growth in our transaction volume without substantial
incremental costs for redesign, we do not expect that our
product development expenses will increase significantly as a
percentage of net revenues for the foreseeable future.
Sales and marketing expenses primarily comprise
payroll compensation and benefits for our sales and marketing
personnel, advertising expenses, commissions for our marketing
partners for referring customers to us, production costs of
marketing materials and membership cards and expenses associated
with our membership reward program. Our sales and marketing
expenses as a percentage of net revenues have declined due to
our more effective and focused marketing efforts. As we continue
to pursue our targeted marketing strategy, we expect that our
sales and marketing expenses will remain relatively steady as a
percentage of net revenues for the foreseeable future.
General and administrative expenses consist
primarily of payroll compensation, benefits and travel expenses
for our administrative staff, as well as administrative office
expenses. General and administrative
37
Share-based compensation is the difference, if
any, between the estimated fair value of our ordinary shares and
the amount an employee is required to pay to acquire the shares,
as determined on the date the share option is granted. We
amortize share-based compensation and charge it to expense over
the three-year vesting period of the underlying options.
Subsequent to September 30, 2003, we granted 268,980
options to certain directors, senior executives and employees.
See Management Employees Stock Option
Plans. We do not believe that future compensation expense
related to these options will have a material impact on our
consolidated financial statements.
Income Taxes.
Companies in China are generally
subject to a 30% state enterprise income tax and a 3% local
income tax. One of our subsidiaries in China, Ctrip Computer
Technology, obtained approval from the Chinese government
authorities to be entitled to a reduced 15% state enterprise
income tax rate in November 2003 because it is classified as a
new high-technology enterprise. Another Chinese
subsidiary, Ctrip Travel Information, is entitled to a reduced
15% state enterprise income tax rate because it was incorporated
in Pudong New District, Shanghai.
Financial Subsidies.
In 2002 and the nine months ended
September 30, 2003, our subsidiaries in China received
business tax rebates in the form of financial subsidies from the
government authorities in Shanghai in the amount of RMB783,900
(US$94,707) and RMB2,431,500 (US$293,762), respectively, which
we recorded as other income. We cannot assure you, however, that
our subsidiaries will continue to receive such business tax
rebates or other financial subsidies in the future.
Accretion for Series B Preferred
Shares.
Prior to September 4,
2003, holders of our Series B mandatorily redeemable
convertible preferred shares, or Series B preferred shares,
had the right to request that we redeem all of their
Series B preferred shares at US$3.13334 per share plus any
declared but unpaid dividends commencing November 2005.
Accordingly, the Series B preferred shares have been
accreted to the estimated redemption value through periodic
charges to accumulated deficit or additional paid-in-capital, as
appropriate. Charges with respect to our Series B preferred
shares totaled RMB2.2 million, RMB14.3 million,
RMB16.5 million (US$2.0 million) and
RMB12.4 million (US$1.5 million) for 2000, 2001, 2002
and the nine months ended September 30, 2003, respectively.
Holders of our Series B preferred shares
have agreed to extinguish their redemption right effective as of
September 4, 2003 in connection with the issuance and sale
of our Series C convertible preferred shares. Therefore, we
have not incurred any additional accretion for Series B
preferred shares since September 4, 2003.
Seasonality in the Travel Industry.
The travel industry is generally
characterized by seasonal fluctuations. However, as we are still
in the high growth phase, the rate of our revenue growth has
offset any impact caused by the seasonal nature of the travel
industry. The third quarter of each year generally contributes
the highest portion of our annual net revenues, mainly because
it coincides with the peak business and leisure travel season.
The first quarter of each year generally contributes the lowest
portion of our annual net revenues primarily due to less
business activity and the Chinese new year holiday.
Individual travelers tend to curtail travel due
to trends or events that include the outbreak of serious
contagious diseases such as SARS, increased occurrence of
travel-related accidents, bad weather or natural disasters,
general economic downturns and increased prices in the hotel,
airline or other travel-related industries. During the period
from March 2003 through June 2003, several economies in Asia,
including Hong Kong and China, were severely affected by the
outbreak of SARS. Although none of our employees was infected
with SARS, our business and operating results were adversely
affected. Total room nights booked through us decreased from
over 131,000 and over 122,000 in May and June 2002,
respectively, to over 36,000 and over 109,000 in May and June
2003, respectively.
38
Except for the SARS period, we have not
experienced any decline in our quarterly revenues. If the growth
of our business slows down in the future, our revenue may vary
from quarter to quarter in line with the seasonality of the
travel industry.
Quarterly Results of Operations
The following table presents our unaudited
quarterly results of operations for the nine quarters in the
period ended September 30, 2003. You should read the
following table in conjunction with the consolidated financial
statements and related notes contained elsewhere in this
prospectus. We have prepared the unaudited information on the
same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements.
This information includes all adjustments, consisting only of
normal recurring adjustments, that we consider necessary for
fair presentation of our financial position and operating
results for the quarters presented. Operating results for any
quarter are not necessarily indicative of results for any future
quarters or for a full year.
39
Our quarterly net revenues have experienced
continued growth since the third quarter of 2001, except for the
second quarter of 2003 during which our revenues were materially
adversely affected by the SARS outbreak. The growth was in line
with the increase in the number of room nights and airline
tickets booked during the quarterly periods presented. It was
primarily attributable to the continued increase in revenues
from our hotel reservation and air-ticketing businesses. Our
gross margin has remained at or above 80% throughout the past
nine quarters, primarily due to competitive labor costs in China
and relatively high efficiency of our customer service system.
The growth in our quarterly operating income has generally
offset any negative impact caused by the seasonality of the
travel industry, except for the SARS period. During the second
quarter of 2003, we received financial subsidies of RMB2,431,500
(US$293,762) from the government authorities in Shanghai. As a
result, our quarterly operating loss for the second quarter of
2003 due to the SARS outbreak was offset by these financial
subsidies.
Our gross profit and income from operations for
the quarter ended September 30, 2003 have increased
substantially compared to each of the preceding quarters. This
increase is principally attributable to (i) the prompt and
sharp rebound of the travel industry in China following a
three-month travel downturn during the SARS period,
(ii) the broader recognition of our Ctrip brand name, and
(iii) the efficiency of our established transaction and
service platform.
Affiliated Chinese Entities
Due to the current restrictions on foreign
ownership of the air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising and
Internet content provision businesses in China, we conduct part
of our non-hotel reservation businesses through our affiliated
Chinese entities. We have entered into consulting and service
agreements with each of these entities whereby we provide
technical support and other services to them in exchange for
service fees from them. In addition, we have also entered into
other agreements with them designed to give us control over
their operations and secure payment of service fees from them,
including share pledge agreements, powers of attorney and
operating agreements. Pursuant to the share pledge agreements,
Qi Ji, Min Fan and Alex Nanyan Zheng pledge their respective
equity interests in our affiliated entities as a guarantee for
the payment by these entities of service fees to us. As a
result, in the event that any of our affiliated entities
breaches any of its obligations under the service agreement with
us, we are entitled to (i) sell the equity interests held
by Qi Ji, Min Fan and/or Alex Nanyan Zheng, as the case may be,
and retain the proceeds from such sale, or (ii) require any
of them to transfer his equity interest without consideration to
the Chinese citizen(s) designated by us. In addition, Qi Ji, Min
Fan and Alex Nanyan Zheng have each executed an irrevocable
power of attorney to appoint our President and Chief Financial
Officer, Neil Nanpeng Shen, as attorney-in-fact to vote on all
matters on which shareholders of our affiliated entities are
entitled to vote, including matters relating to the appointment
of the chief executive officers of our affiliated entities.
Furthermore, pursuant to the operating agreements, our
affiliated entities and their shareholders have agreed not to
enter into any transaction that would affect the assets,
obligations, rights or operations of such entities without our
prior written consent. They also agree to accept our guidance
with respect to their day-to-day operations, financial
management systems and the appointment and dismissal of key
employees. Through these arrangements, we have been able to
effectively control the management and operations of our
affiliated entities.
We hold no ownership interest in any of our
affiliated entities. The ultimate principal shareholders of
Beijing Chenhao, Shanghai Huacheng and Guangzhou Guangcheng are
Qi Ji, who is our co-founder and director, Min Fan, who is our
co-founder and executive vice president, and Alex Nanyan Zheng,
who is our vice president. Qi Ji and Min Fan own 80% and 20%,
respectively, of Beijing Chenhao. Qi Ji and Min Fan own 51% and
49%, respectively, of Ctrip Commerce, and Ctrip Commerce owns
90% of Shanghai Huacheng. Min Fan and Alex Nanyan Zheng own 90%
and 10%, respectively, of Guangzhou Guangcheng. We have made
loans to Qi Ji, Min Fan and Alex Nanyan Zheng solely in
connection with the capitalization or acquisition of our
affiliated entities. See Related Party
Transactions Arrangements with Affiliated Chinese
Entities.
Prior to July 1, 2003, we did not
consolidate the financial results of our affiliated Chinese
entities. Instead, according to the service agreements then in
effect, we earned part of our air-ticketing and packaged-
40
Acquisition of Shanghai Cuiming
In order to expand our cross-border packaged-tour
business, we recently acquired an effective controlling stake in
Shanghai Cuiming, which holds a license to conduct both
cross-border and domestic packaged-tour businesses. As part of
our acquisition, Min Fan, our co-founder and executive vice
president, entered into a share purchase agreement with the
shareholders of Shanghai Cuiming in August 2003, pursuant to
which Min Fan agreed to pay RMB2.0 million
(US$0.2 million) to acquire a 66% ownership interest in
Shanghai Cuiming. We made an interest-free loan to Min Fan in a
principal amount of RMB4.3 million (US$0.5 million) in
connection with the acquisition and expected increase in the
capital of Shanghai Cuiming. We have entered into contractual
arrangements with Shanghai Cuiming and Min Fan that contain
substantially similar terms as our arrangements with our other
affiliated Chinese entities. See Related Party
Transactions Arrangements with Affiliated Chinese
Entities. The acquisition of Shanghai Cuiming does not
have a material effect on our consolidated financial condition
and result of operations.
Critical Accounting Policies
We prepare financial statements in conformity
with U.S. GAAP, which require 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
revenues 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 on 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
places the most significant demands on managements
judgment.
Revenue Recognition.
We describe our revenue
recognition polices in Note 2 to our consolidated financial
statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. In considering
Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 101, Revenue
Recognition in Financial Statements and Emerging Issues
Task Force 99-19 Reporting Revenue Gross as a
Principal versus Net as an Agent, we believe that our
policies for revenue recognition and presentation of statement
of operations are appropriate. The factors we have considered
include whether we are able to achieve the pre-determined
specific performance targets by travel suppliers for recognition
of the incentive commissions in addition to the fixed-rate and
our risk of loss due to obligations for cancelled hotel and
airline ticket reservations. As we operate primarily as agent to
the travel suppliers and our risk of loss due to obligations for
cancelled hotel and airline ticket reservations is minimum, we
recognize commissions on a net basis.
Goodwill, Intangible Assets and Long-Lived
Assets.
In addition to the
original cost of goodwill, intangible assets and long-lived
assets, the recorded value of these assets is impacted by a
number of policy elections, including estimated useful lives,
residual values and impairment charges. Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 142 provides that intangible
assets that have indefinite useful lives and goodwill
41
Customer Reward
Program.
We have a customer reward
program as described in Note 2 to our consolidated
financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Provisions of the customer reward program allow customers to
receive travel awards and other gifts based on accumulated
membership points that vary depending on the products and
services purchased by the customers. Because we have an
obligation to provide such travel awards and other gifts, we
recognize a liability and corresponding expense for the related
future obligations. As of December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002
and September 30, 2003, our provisions for the customer
reward program were RMB109,762, RMB911,526, RMB2,297,403
(US$277,561) and RMB3,470,457 (US$419,284), respectively. We
estimate our liabilities under our customer reward program based
on accumulated membership points and our estimate of probability
of redemption. If actual redemption differs significantly from
our estimate, it will result in an adjustment to our liability
and the corresponding expense. If our estimate of the
probability of redemption increases by 10%, the obligation
related to our customer reward program would increase by
approximately RMB347,000 (US$41,923).
Share-Based
Compensation.
We have share option
plans to grant stock options to officers, directors, and
employees of our company. We account for these plans under
Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, the intrinsic
value approach, with the required disclosures under the related
accounting guidance described in Note 2 to our consolidated
financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. For
2001, 2002 and the nine months ended September 30,
2003, we recognized share-based compensation under the share
option plans in the amounts of nil, RMB21,950, RMB462,140
(US$55,834) and RMB1.03 million (US$124,541), respectively.
While we believe that the share-based compensation we recognized
for the plans under Accounting Principles Board Opinion
No. 25 is appropriate, changes in our assumptions,
including estimated fair value of our ordinary shares, will
result in an adjustment to our deferred share-based compensation
and the corresponding share-based compensation.
Loans to a Director and
Officers.
We make certain
long-term loans to a director and two senior executives of our
company for the purpose of establishing and/or acquiring several
affiliated Chinese entities, which are used to facilitate our
air-ticketing, packaged tour, Internet content provision and
advertising services, where foreign ownership is restricted. To
the extent losses are incurred by these affiliated entities, we
accrue for such losses by recording valuation allowances against
the long-term loans to the director and senior executives. For
2000, 2001, 2002 and the nine months ended September 30,
2003, we did not record any valuation allowances for losses
incurred by our affiliated Chinese entities. To the extent that
the Chinese regulations change or the business conditions of
these affiliated entities deteriorate, valuation allowances may
be required. For more information about these loans, see
Related Party Transactions Arrangements with
Affiliated Chinese Entities.
Deferred Tax Valuation
Allowances.
We have not recorded
any valuation allowances to reduce our deferred tax assets, as
we believe that our deferred tax asset amounts are more than
likely to be realized based on our estimate of future taxable
income and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. As of
December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and September 30,
2003, we recorded deferred tax assets of RMB7,496,080,
RMB9,837,979, RMB593,143 (US$71,661) and RMB684,155 (US$82,656),
respectively. In 2002, we utilized deferred tax assets of
RMB9,244,836 (US$1,116,917) accumulated from our operations
during prior years, primarily relating to net operating losses
carry-forwards. If, however, unexpected events occur in the
future that would prevent us from realizing all or a portion of
our net deferred tax assets, an adjustment would result in a
charge to income in the period in which such determination was
made.
42
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth a summary of our
consolidated statements of operations as a percentage of net
revenues for the periods indicated.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2003
Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30, 2002
Revenues.
We
generated revenues of RMB111.3 million
(US$13.5 million) in the nine months ended
September 30, 2003, an increase of 53.7% from
RMB72.4 million in the same period in 2002. Although we
were adversely affected by the outbreak of SARS in the second
quarter of 2003, we were able to achieve increased revenues in
the nine months ended September 30, 2003 due to increases
in revenues from our hotel reservation and air-ticketing
businesses.
43
Hotel Reservation.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2003, revenues from
our hotel reservation business increased by 42.1% to
RMB95.5 million (US$11.5 million) from
RMB67.2 million in the same period in 2002, primarily
because of our growing customer base and increased booking of
hotel rooms. Although revenue growth in our hotel reservation
business in the nine months ended September 30, 2003 was
adversely affected by the outbreak of SARS in the second quarter
in 2003, our hotel room sales volume increased substantially in
the third quarter of 2003, after the SARS outbreak ended.
Air-ticketing.
For
the nine months ended September 30, 2003, revenues
generated from our air-ticketing business increased
substantially to RMB11.6 million (US$1.4 million) from
RMB3.3 million in the same period in 2002, due to our
increased efforts to expand our air-ticketing business and
establish relationships with more air-ticketing service
companies, offset in part by the impact of SARS.
Packaged-tour.
Packaged-tour revenues for the nine months ended September 30,
2003 increased substantially to RMB1.7 million
(US$0.2 million) from RMB390,215 in the same period in
2002. This increase was due to our increased efforts to expand
our packaged-tour business by leveraging our existing customer
base and offering more packaged-tour products.
Other Businesses.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2003, revenues from
our other businesses increased by 62.8% to RMB2.4 million
(US$0.3 million) from RMB1.5 million in the same
period in 2002, due to the increased sales of our advertising
services and VIP membership cards.
Net
Revenues.
Our net revenues
are derived by subtracting business tax and related surcharges
from our revenues. Our net revenues increased by 53.6% from
RMB68.8 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2002 to RMB105.7 million (US$12.8 million) in the nine
months ended September 30, 2003, as a result of our
increased revenues, partially offset by the resulting increase
in business tax and related surcharges over the same periods.
Costs of
Services.
Costs of services
for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 increased by 58.8%
to RMB14.4 million (US$1.7 million) from
RMB9.1 million for the same period in 2002. The increase in
costs of services was primarily due to increased salary and
benefits largely resulting from the hiring of additional
customer service center representatives as well as increased
telecommunication expenses resulting from the higher utilization
rate of our customer service center.
Our costs of services increased at a higher
percentage rate than our net revenues, principally due to the
outbreak of SARS. Since we viewed SARS as an event of limited
long-term significance, we maintained substantially the same
level of staff. To mitigate the impact of SARS, however, we
adopted measures to reduce our costs, including unpaid leave for
our employees. At the same time, our significantly lower
transaction volume reduced our telecommunication expenses, due
to lower incoming and outgoing calls, and our salary and
benefits, since the compensation of our customer service agents
is linked to the number of completed transactions.
Notwithstanding these cost-reduction efforts, our costs of
services did not decline enough to offset the impact of SARS on
our net revenues.
Operating
Expenses.
Operating expenses in
the nine months ended September 30, 2003 increased to
RMB55.4 million (US$6.7 million), or 22.0% from
RMB45.4 million for the same period in 2002, primarily due
to increased product development and sales and marketing
expenses. Operating expenses as a percentage of net revenues
decreased to 52.4% in the nine months ended September 30,
2003 from 65.9% for the same period in 2002.
Product Development.
Product development expenses increased by 44.5% to
RMB13.3 million (US$1.6 million) in the nine months
ended September 30, 2003 from RMB9.2 million for the
same period in 2002, primarily due to the hiring of additional
personnel to expand our travel suppliers network.
Sales and Marketing.
Sales and marketing expenses increased by 20.8% to
RMB28.4 million (US$3.4 million) in the nine months
ended September 30, 2003 from RMB23.5 million for the
same period in 2002, primarily because of increased expenses
incurred in connection with our customer reward program,
increased salary and benefit expenses for sales and marketing
staff, production of marketing materials and membership cards,
as well as increased commissions to our marketing partners for
referring customers to us.
44
General and
Administrative.
General and
administrative expenses increased by 11.3% to RMB12.4 million
(US$1.5 million) in the nine months ended
September 30, 2003 from RMB11.2 million for the same
period in 2002.
Share-Based
Compensation.
Share-based compensation
increased substantially to RMB1.0 million
(US$0.1 million) in the nine months ended
September 30, 2003 compared to RMB336,127 for the same
period in 2002, due to the issuance of additional share options
under our 2000 and 2003 stock option plans in the nine months
ended September 30, 2003.
Amortization of Goodwill and Other Intangible
Assets.
Amortization expenses remained
stable at RMB264,931 (US$32,008) in the nine months ended
September 30, 2003, primarily representing the continuing
amortization of a customer list arising from our acquisition of
Beijing Modern Express.
Other Expenses Incurred for Joint Venture
Companies.
We incurred no expenses for
joint venture companies in the nine months ended
September 30, 2003, but incurred expenses of RMB915,056
over the same period in 2002, because Home Inns and Hotels
Management (Beijing) Limited, a joint venture subsidiary of Home
Inns, began to bear its own expenses after its establishment in
the second half of 2002.
Interest Income and
Expenses.
Interest income
increased to RMB242,577 (US$29,307) in the nine months ended
September 30, 2003 from RMB216,972 in the same period in
2002 because of the increase in our bank deposits. Interest
expense decreased to zero in the nine months ended
September 30, 2003 from RMB41,261 (US$4,985) for the same
period in 2002, because we repaid our bank loan in early 2002.
Other Income.
Other income increased substantially to RMB3.5 million
(US$0.4 million) in the nine months ended
September 30, 2003 from RMB263,044 in the same period in
2002, because we received financial subsidies totaling
RMB3,354,450 (US$405,269), RMB922,950 (US$111,506) of which were
granted for entities impacted by SARS from the government
authorities in Shanghai in 2003.
Income Tax
Expense.
Income tax expense for
the nine months ended September 30, 2003 increased by 78.2%
to RMB11.0 million (US$1.3 million) from
RMB6.2 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2002, primarily because of the increase of our taxable income.
Net Income.
Net income increased by 245.2% to RMB29.2 million
(US$3.5 million) in the nine months ended
September 30, 2003 from RMB8.5 million for the same
period in 2002, primarily due to an increase in income from
operations, offset in part by the negative impact of the
outbreak of SARS.
2002 Compared to 2001
Revenues.
We
had revenues of RMB105.3 million (US$12.7 million) in
2002, an increase of 127.1% over RMB46.4 million in 2001.
This revenue growth was principally the result of the expansion
of our hotel reservation business, supplemented by the growth in
our air-ticketing business.
Hotel Reservation.
Revenues from our hotel reservation business increased
substantially by 123.1% to RMB96.8 million
(US$11.7 million) in 2002 from RMB43.4 million in
2001, primarily as a result of the continued rapid increase in
our hotel room sales volume and the ratchet system
commission arrangement with many of our hotel suppliers.
Air-ticketing.
Revenues from our air-ticketing
business increased substantially by 205.7% to
RMB5.6 million (US$0.7 million) in 2002 from
RMB1.8 million in 2001, primarily due to our efforts to
expand the customer base for our air-ticketing business in 2002,
including the enhancement of our fulfillment channel under
various service agreements with third parties and Beijing
Chenhao, and the acquisition of the air-ticketing business of
Beijing Haian Air-ticketing Agency.
Packaged-tour.
Packaged-tour revenues decreased by 27.3% to RMB432,295
(US$52,228) in 2002 compared to RMB594,802 in 2001, primarily
because of our decision to reduce the amount of consulting fees
that we charged to Shanghai Huacheng to enable Shanghai Huacheng
to fund its operating requirements.
45
Other Businesses.
Revenues from our other businesses increased substantially to
RMB2,517,316 (US$304,130) in 2002 from RMB576,075 in 2001,
primarily due to the increased sales of our advertising services
and VIP membership cards in 2002.
Net Revenues.
Our net revenues increased from RMB44.0 million in 2001 to
RMB100.0 million (US$12.1 million) in 2002 as a result
of our increased revenues, partially offset by the resulting
increase in business tax and related surcharges over the same
periods.
Costs of
Services.
Costs of services in
2002 increased by 72.2% to RMB13.7 million
(US$1.7 million) from RMB7.9 million in 2001. The
increase in our costs of services was primarily attributable to
the hiring of additional customer service representatives as
well as increased telecommunication expenses resulting from the
overall expansion of our hotel reservation and air-ticketing
businesses.
Operating
Expenses.
Operating expenses in
2002 increased to RMB63.1 million (US$7.6 million), or
13.3% over RMB55.7 million in 2001, primarily due to a
significant increase in product development expenses and a
slight increase in sales and marketing expenses, partially
offset by amortization of goodwill and other intangible assets.
Operating expenses as a percentage of net revenues decreased to
63.0% in 2002 from 126.6% in 2001, because our revenues
increased substantially while our established transaction and
service platform was able to keep up with the increased
transaction volume without the need to incur expenses at a rate
similar to our revenue growth.
Product Development.
Product development expenses increased by 72.2% to
RMB13.4 million (US$1.6 million) in 2002 from
RMB7.8 million in 2001, primarily due to the hiring of
additional staff to expand our travel supplier network and
additional technical support staff and the related increase in
office expenses.
Sales and Marketing.
Sales and marketing expenses increased by 6.4% to
RMB32.3 million (US$3.9 million) in 2002 from
RMB30.4 million in 2001, primarily due to increased
commission payments to our marketing partners that referred
customers to us, increased expenses in connection with our
customer reward program and the installation of additional
marketing counters at airports. The increase was offset in part
by a decrease in compensation to sales and marketing personnel
resulting from changes in our compensation structure.
General and
Administrative.
General and
administrative expenses increased by 6.0% to
RMB15.7 million (US$1.9 million) in 2002 from
RMB14.8 million in 2001.
Share-Based
Compensation.
Share-based compensation
expenses increased substantially to RMB462,140 (US$55,834) in
2002 from RMB21,950 in 2001, due to the issuance of additional
share options under our 2000 stock option plan.
Amortization of Goodwill and Other Intangible
Assets.
Amortization expenses
decreased by 80.4% from RMB1.8 million in 2001 to
RMB353,241 (US$42,677) in 2002, because we did not recognize in
2002 any further amortization expenses on goodwill arising from
the 2000 acquisition of Beijing Modern Express, following the
adoption in 2002 of a new accounting policy, and because the
marketing agreement that we acquired from Beijing Modern Express
was fully amortized in 2001.
Other Expenses Incurred for Joint Venture
Companies.
Other expenses, mainly
consisting of payroll compensation and related expenses incurred
for joint venture companies, remained stable at RMB915,056
(US$110,553) in 2002.
Interest Income and Expenses.
Interest income decreased by 85.4%
from RMB2.2 million in 2001 to RMB319,230 (US$38,568) in
2002, primarily due to a significant reduction in the interest
rate for our bank deposits. Interest expenses decreased to
RMB41,261 (US$4,985) in 2002 from RMB62,058 in 2001, because we
repaid our short-term RMB bank loan in early 2002.
Other Income
(Expense).
Other income increased substantially
to RMB1.0 million (US$0.1 million) in 2002 from other
expenses of RMB79,858 in 2001, principally because we received
financial subsidies of RMB783,900 (US$94,707) from a government
authority in Shanghai in 2002.
46
Income Tax Benefit (Expense).
Income tax expense substantially
increased to RMB10.0 million (US$1.2 million) in 2002
compared to income tax benefit of RMB2.3 million in 2001,
primarily because we started to generate taxable income in 2002.
Net Income
(Loss).
Net income increased to
RMB14.2 million (US$1.7 million) in 2002 compared to a
net loss of RMB15.3 million in 2001, as a result of the
cumulative effect of the above factors.
2001 Compared to 2000
Revenues.
We
had revenues of RMB46.4 million in 2001, an increase of
571.4% over RMB6.9 million in 2000. This revenue growth was
mostly driven by our increased revenues from the hotel
reservation business.
Hotel Reservation.
Revenues from our hotel reservation business increased
substantially by 712.5% to RMB43.4 million in 2001 from
RMB5.3 million in 2000, primarily due to our acquisition of
an increasing number of hotel suppliers and customers, and also
due to our acquisition of Beijing Modern Express in October 2000.
Air-ticketing.
Revenues from our air-ticketing business increased substantially
by 116.6% to RMB1.8 million in 2001 from RMB845,776 in
2000, primarily due to our expanded customer base and related
transaction volume.
Packaged-tour.
Packaged-tour revenues increased by 91.4% to RMB594,802 in 2001
from RMB310,750 in 2000, primarily due to our expanded customer
base and the resulting increased sales of our packaged-tour
products.
Other Businesses.
Revenues from our other lines of business increased by 39.5% to
RMB576,075 in 2001 compared to RMB412,940 in 2000, primarily
because we began to sell our VIP membership cards in 2001. This
increase was partially offset by a decrease in our online
advertising revenue due to reduced demand.
Net Revenues.
Our net revenues increased from RMB6.5 million in 2000 to
RMB44.0 million in 2001 as a result of our increased
revenues, partially offset by the resulting increase in business
tax and related surcharges over the same periods.
Costs of
Services.
Costs of services in
2001 substantially increased to RMB7.9 million from
RMB1.9 million in 2000. The increase in costs of services
was primarily attributable to increased staff costs and
increased telecommunication expenses in our customer service
center as a result of the overall expansion of our business.
Operating
Expenses.
Operating expenses in
2001 increased by 53.7% to RMB55.7 million from
RMB36.2 million in 2000, primarily due to increases in
sales and marketing and general and administrative expenses and
amortization of goodwill and other intangible assets.
Product Development.
Product development expenses increased by 13.8% to
RMB7.8 million in 2001 from RMB6.8 million in 2000,
primarily due to hiring more personnel in hotel relationship
management and technology support and development, as well as
increases in office expenses and telecommunications expenses
necessary to enhance our transaction and service platform.
Sales and Marketing.
Sales and marketing expenses increased by 74.7% to
RMB30.4 million in 2001 from RMB17.4 million in 2000,
primarily because we committed significant resources to
exploring additional sales and marketing channels.
General and
Administrative.
General and
administrative expenses increased by 26.9% to
RMB14.8 million in 2001 from RMB11.7 million in 2000,
primarily due to increases in staff costs and travel expenses in
connection with the overall expansion of our hotel reservation
business.
Share-Based
Compensation.
We incurred RMB21,950
share-based compensation in 2001 for the amortization of
deferred share-based compensation related to share options
granted during that period.
47
Amortization of Goodwill and Other Intangible
Assets.
Amortization expenses
increased substantially from RMB370,822 in 2000 to
RMB1.8 million in 2001, because we recorded the full-year
amortization expenses of goodwill and intangible assets,
including customer list and marketing agreements, with respect
to our acquisition of Beijing Modern Express, which we acquired
in October 2000.
Other Expenses Incurred for Joint Venture
Companies.
We incurred other expenses,
mainly consisting of payroll compensation and related expenses
for joint venture companies, in the amount of RMB934,572 in
2001, but we did not incur such expenses in 2000. These expenses
were incurred in relation to the development of hotel management
business prior to the establishment of Home Inns.
Interest Income and
Expenses.
Interest income
increased by 198.0% to RMB2.2 million in 2001 from
RMB735,178 in 2000, because we raised a substantial amount of
funds near the end of 2000, a portion of which were invested in
time deposits. We incurred interest expenses of RMB62,058 in
2001, and none in 2000, because we obtained a short-term RMB
bank loan to meet the RMB expense requirements in 2001.
Other
Expenses.
Other expenses increased
marginally to RMB79,858 in 2001.
Income Tax Benefit.
Income tax benefit in 2001
decreased by 67.0% to RMB2.3 million from
RMB7.1 million in 2000, primarily due to the decrease in
losses incurred to RMB17.6 million in 2001 from
RMB31.0 million in 2000. The decrease in income tax benefit
in 2002 was a result of an increase in non-deductible expenses.
Net Loss.
Our
net loss decreased by 36.3% to RMB15.3 million in 2001 from
RMB24.0 million in 2000, primarily because our revenues
increased significantly while our established transaction and
service platform was able to keep up with the increased
transaction volume without the need to incur expenses at a rate
similar to our revenue increase rate.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity.
The following table sets forth the summary of our cash flows for
the periods indicated:
Net cash provided by operating activities was
RMB37.6 million (US$4.5 million) for the nine months
ended September 30, 2003, compared to RMB10.8 million
for the same period in 2002. Net cash provided by operating
activities was RMB23.4 million (US$2.8 million) in
2002 compared to net cash used in operating activities of
RMB19.9 million in 2001. We began to have positive net cash
flow in the fourth quarter of 2001. The increase in our net
revenue resulting from our increased transaction volume, coupled
with the low-cost structure of our operations and high
utilization rate of our transaction and service platform,
primarily contributed to our positive net cash position.
Net cash used in investing activities amounted to
RMB11.9 million (US$1.4 million) for the nine months
ended September 30, 2003, compared to net cash provided by
investing activities of RMB11.6 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2002. This change was mainly due to the
48
Net cash provided by financing activities
amounted to RMB5.6 million (US$0.7 million) for the nine
months ended September 30, 2003, compared to net cash used
in financing activities of RMB3.5 million for the nine
months ended September 30, 2002, because we agreed to use
the entire proceeds from the issuance of Series C preferred
shares to redeem some of our outstanding shares held by our
existing shareholders and pay for professional services related
to the issuance of Series C preferred shares, but we did
not receive payment instructions from some of our shareholders
in September 2003. We have recently paid off all of the
remaining shareholders in connection with redemption of some of
their shares. Net cash used in financing activities was
RMB30.4 million (US$3.7 million) in 2002, compared to
net cash provided by financing activities of RMB4.0 million
in 2001. This change was due to our payment of cash dividends in
the amount RMB27.3 million (US$3.3 million) in 2002
and entering into our RMB4.0 million short-term bank loan
in 2001. Net cash provided by financing activities of
RMB128.2 million in 2000 represented the net proceeds from
issuance of Series A preferred shares and Series B
preferred shares.
Capital
Resources.
We have historically
financed our capital expenditure requirements with cash flows
from operations, as well as through the sale of our
Series A preferred shares and Series B preferred
shares.
We made capital expenditures of
RMB4.6 million, RMB5.8 million, RMB13.2 million
(US$1.6 million) and RMB8.1 million
(US$1.0 million) in 2000, 2001, 2002 and the nine months
ended September 30, 2003, respectively, and expect to make
additional capital expenditures totaling approximately
RMB5.0 million (US$0.6 million) for the rest of 2003
and approximately RMB16.0 million (US$1.9 million) for
2004. The capital expenditures in the past principally consisted
of purchases of servers, workstations, computers, computer
software, and other items related to our network infrastructure.
In addition, we spent RMB7.2 million (US$0.9 million)
in 2002 to purchase most of our premises in Shanghai. We expect
our capital expenditures in 2003 to primarily consist of
purchases of additional information technology-related
equipment. In addition, we expect that our capital expenditures
will increase in the future as we make technological
improvements to our transaction and service platform.
As of September 30, 2003, our primary source
of liquidity was RMB70.4 million (US$8.5 million) of
cash. In 2001, we borrowed a RMB4.0 million short-term bank
loan with an annual interest rate of 6.138%. We repaid this loan
in its entirety in early 2002. We have no outstanding bank loans
or financial guarantees or similar commitments to guarantee the
payment obligations of third parties.
We believe that our current cash and cash
equivalents, cash flow from operations and the proceeds from
this offering will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash
needs, including our cash needs for working capital and capital
expenditures, for the foreseeable future. We may, however,
require additional cash resources due to changing business
conditions or other future developments, including any
investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue.
49
Contractual Cash Obligations
We have entered into leasing arrangements
relating to office premises, equipment and others that are
classified as operating leases. The following sets forth our
commitments under operating leases as of September 30, 2003:
Other than the leasing obligations set forth
above, we do not have any long-term commitments.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any outstanding derivative
financial instruments, off-balance sheet guarantees, interest
rate swap transactions or foreign currency forward contracts. We
do not engage in trading activities involving non-exchange
traded contracts.
Principal Accountant Fees and
Services
The following table sets forth the aggregate fees
by categories specified below in connection with certain
professional services rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers, our
principal external auditors, for the periods indicated. We did
not pay any tax related or other fees to our auditors during the
periods indicated below.
Inflation
Inflation in China has not had a material impact
on our results of operations in recent years. According to the
National Bureau of Statistics of China, the change in Consumer
Price Index in China was 0.4%, 0.7%, (0.8%) and 0.6% in 2000,
2001, 2002 and the six months ended June 30, 2003,
respectively.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about
Market Risk
Interest Rate
Risk.
Our exposure to interest
rate risk for changes in interest rates relates primarily to the
interest income generated by excess cash deposited in banks. We
have not used any derivative financial instruments to hedge
interest rate risk. We have not been exposed nor do we
anticipate being exposed to
50
Foreign Exchange
Risk.
We are exposed to foreign
exchange risk arising from various currency exposures. Some of
our expenses, including rent for our Hong Kong office and
salaries of employees located in Hong Kong, is denominated in
foreign currencies while almost all of our revenue is
denominated in RMB. We have not used any forward contracts or
currency borrowings to hedge our exposure to foreign currency
risk. Therefore, our exposure to foreign exchange risks is
minimal and immaterial.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 143, Accounting for Asset Retirement
Obligations, which addresses accounting and reporting for
obligations associated with the retirement of tangible
long-lived assets and the associated asset retirement costs.
This statement requires that an entity recognize an asset
retirement obligation in the period in which it is incurred, and
the entity shall capitalize the asset retirement cost by
increasing the carrying amount of the related asset by the same
amount as the liability and subsequently allocate that
retirement cost to expense over the assets useful life.
This statement is effective for fiscal years beginning after
June 15, 2002. We do not expect that the adoption of this
statement will have a material effect on our financial position
or results of operations.
In April 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard
No. 145, Rescission of FASB Statements No. 4, 44
and 64, Amendment of FASB Statement No. 13, and Technical
Corrections. Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 145 requires gains and losses on extinguishments of
debt to be classified as income or loss from continuing
operations, rather than as extraordinary items, as previously
required under Statement of Financial Accounting Standard Board
No. 4, Reporting Gains and Losses from Extinguishment
of Debt, an amendment of APB Opinion No. 30.
Extraordinary treatment will be required for certain
extinguishments, as provided in APB Opinion No. 30,
Reporting the Results of Operations Reporting
the Effects of Disposal of a Segment of a Business, and
Extraordinary, Unusual and Infrequently Occurring Events and
Transactions. The statement also amended Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 13 Accounting for
Leases for certain sale-leaseback transactions and
sublease accounting. This statement is effective since
January 1, 2003. The adoption of this statement did not
have a material effect on our financial position or results of
operations.
In December 2002, the Financial Accounting
Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation Transition and Disclosure. This
statement amends Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation, to provide alternative methods of transition
for companies that voluntarily change to a fair value-based
method of accounting for share-based employee compensation. This
statement also amends the disclosure provisions of Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 123. The provisions of
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 148 are
effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002.
We have elected to continue to account for share-based
compensation under the provisions of APB 25 and have
followed the disclosure requirements under Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 148.
In June 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or
Disposal Activities. Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards No. 146 nullifies Emerging Issues Task Force
Issue No. 94-3, Liability Recognition for Certain
Employee Termination Benefits and Other Costs to Exit an
Activity, under which a liability for an exit cost was
recognized at the date of an entitys commitment to an exit
plan. This statement requires that a liability for a cost
associated with an exit or disposal activity be recognized at
fair value when the liability is incurred. The provisions of
this statement are effective for exit or disposal activities
that are initiated after December 31, 2002. We do not
believe that this announcement will have a significant impact on
our financial statements.
51
In November 2002, the Financial Accounting
Standards Board issued Financial Accounting Standards
Interpretation No. 45, Guarantors Accounting
and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, including Indirect
Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others. Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards Interpretation No. 45
requires the recognition of a liability for certain guarantee
obligations issued or modified after December 31, 2002.
This statement also clarifies disclosure requirements to be made
by a guarantor for certain guarantees. The disclosure provisions
of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Interpretation
No. 45 are effective for interim periods and fiscal years
ending after December 15, 2002. The adoption of this
statement did not have a material effect on our financial
position or results of operations.
In January 2003, the Financial Accounting
Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards Interpretation No. 46, Consolidation of
Variable Interest Entities, an Interpretation of ARB
No. 51. This statement requires certain variable
interest entities to be consolidated by the primary beneficiary
of the entity if the equity investors in the entity do not have
the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do
not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its
activities without additional subordinated financial support
from other parties. Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
Interpretation No. 46 is effective for all new variable
interest entities created or acquired after January 31,
2003. For variable interest entities created or acquired prior
to February 1, 2003, this statement must be adopted for the
first interim or annual period beginning after June 15,
2003. The financial statements of Guangzhou Guangcheng, an
affiliated Chinese entity established on April 28, 2003,
were consolidated into our financial statements on the date of
establishment, while the financial statements of Ctrip Commerce,
Shanghai Huacheng and Beijing Chenhao, all of which were
established prior to January 31, 2003, was consolidated
into our financial statements starting the third quarter of
2003. The adoption of FIN 46 did not have a significant
impact on the presentation of our historical financial
statements as of December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and
September 30, 2003 and for the years and the nine months
then ended.
In June 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 149, Amendment of Statement 133 on
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities. This
statement amends and clarifies financial accounting and
reporting for derivative instruments, including certain
derivative instruments embedded in other contracts and for
hedging activities under Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards No. 133, Accounting for Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities. It is effective for
contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003 and
for hedging relationships designated after June 30, 2003.
All provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 149 should be applied prospectively. The adoption of
this statement did not have a material effect on our financial
position or results of operations.
In June 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 150, Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments
with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity. This
statement establishes standards for how an issuer classifies and
measures certain financial instruments with characteristics of
both liabilities and equity. It requires that an issuer classify
a financial instrument that is within its scope as a liability
(or as an asset in some circumstances). It is effective for
financial instruments entered into or modified after
May 31, 2003, and otherwise is effective at the beginning
of the first interim period beginning after June 15, 2003.
It is to be implemented by reporting the cumulative effect of a
change in an accounting principle for financial instruments
created before the issuance date of this statement and still
existing at the beginning of the interim period of adoption.
Restatement is not permitted. The adoption of this statement did
not have a material effect on our financial position or results
of operations.
52
growth in the Chinese economy and the travel
industry;
revenue composition and sources of revenue growth;
costs of services;
operating expenses;
income taxes and tax rebates;
accretion for our Series B preferred shares;
and
seasonality in the travel industry.
Nine Months Ended
Year Ended December 31,
September 30,
2000
2001
2002
2002
2003
(unaudited)
(unaudited)
77.3
%
93.5
%
91.9
%
92.8
%
85.8
%
12.2
4.0
5.3
4.6
10.5
4.5
1.3
0.4
0.5
1.6
6.0
1.2
2.4
2.1
2.1
100.0
%
100.0
%
100.0
%
100.0
%
100.0
%
Three Months Ended (unaudited)
September 30,
December 31,
March 31,
June 30,
September 30,
December 31,
March 31,
June 30,
September 30,
2001
2001
2002
2002
2002
2002
2003
2003
2003
(in RMB thousands, except percentages and non-financial data)
13,502
15,809
16,834
23,147
27,240
29,541
30,250
16,571
48,707
504
518
697
976
1,670
2,257
2,413
2,393
6,842
75
115
152
127
111
42
140
1,595
68
184
279
499
706
1,034
814
639
962
14,149
16,626
17,962
24,749
29,727
32,874
33,617
19,603
58,106
(714
)
(841
)
(915
)
(1,233
)
(1,481
)
(1,635
)
(1,667
)
(973
)
(2,969
)
13,435
15,785
17,047
23,516
28,246
31,239
31,950
18,630
55,137
(2,306
)
(2,516
)
(2,608
)
(3,226
)
(3,267
)
(4,572
)
(4,210
)
(3,754
)
(6,483
)
11,129
13,269
14,439
20,290
24,979
26,667
27,740
14,876
48,654
83%
84%
85%
86%
88%
85%
87%
80%
88%
(1,994
)
(1,821
)
(2,619
)
(3,173
)
(3,380
)
(4,194
)
(4,436
)
(3,807
)
(5,011
)
(9,601
)
(8,579
)
(6,478
)
(8,181
)
(8,861
)
(8,788
)
(8,794
)
(7,725
)
(11,882
)
(3,706
)
(3,664
)
(3,666
)
(3,889
)
(3,618
)
(4,529
)
(4,225
)
(3,712
)
(4,496
)
(9
)
(10
)
(115
)
(131
)
(89
)
(127
)
(219
)
(399
)
(414
)
(485
)
(352
)
(88
)
(88
)
(88
)
(88
)
(88
)
(88
)
(88
)
(341
)
(594
)
(634
)
(281
)
(16,136
)
(15,020
)
(13,600
)
(15,743
)
(16,036
)
(17,726
)
(17,762
)
(15,731
)
(21,891
)
(5,007
)
(1,751
)
839
4,547
8,943
8,941
9,978
(855
)
26,763
5%
19%
32%
29%
31%
49%
234.3
262.1
273.8
374.4
438.8
467.7
486.0
280.5
747.8
*
*
*
*
*
79.3
111.7
74.4
183.1
*
Meaningful information concerning the number of
airline tickets booked during these periods is not available.
Nine Months Ended
Year Ended December 31,
September 30,
2000
2001
2002
2002
2003
(unaudited)
(unaudited)
82.7
%
98.6
%
96.7
%
97.7
%
90.4
%
13.1
%
4.2
%
5.6
%
4.9
%
11.0
%
4.8
%
1.4
%
0.4
%
0.6
%
1.6
%
6.4
%
1.3
%
2.5
%
2.1
%
2.3
%
(7.0
)%
(5.5
)%
(5.2
)%
(5.3
)%
(5.3
)%
100.0
%
100.0
%
100.0
%
100.0
%
100.0
%
(30.2
)%
(18.1
)%
(13.7
)%
(13.2
)%
(13.7
)%
69.8
%
81.9
%
86.3
%
86.8
%
86.3
%
(105.6
)%
(17.6
)%
(13.4
)%
(13.3
)%
(12.5
)%
(269.3
)%
(69.0
)%
(32.2
)%
(34.2
)%
(26.9
)%
(181.1
)%
(33.7
)%
(15.7
)%
(16.2
)%
(11.8
)%
(0.1
)%
(0.5
)%
(0.5
)%
(1.0
)%
(5.7
)%
(4.1
)%
(0.3
)%
(0.4
)%
(0.2
)%
(2.1
)%
(0.9
)%
(1.3
)%
(561.7
)%
(126.6
)%
(63.0
)%
(65.9
)%
(52.4
)%
(491.9
)%
(44.7
)%
23.3
%
20.8
%
33.9
%
11.4
%
5.0
%
0.3
%
0.3
%
0.2
%
(0.1
)%
0.0
%
0.0
%
(0.9
)%
(0.2
)%
1.0
%
0.4
%
3.4
%
(481.4
)%
(40.0
)%
24.6
%
21.5
%
37.5
%
109.8
%
5.3
%
(10.0
)%
(8.9
)%
(10.4
)%
0.0
%
0.0
%
0.0
%
(0.4
)%
(0.3
)%
0.5
%
(371.6
)%
(34.7
)%
14.2
%
12.3
%
27.6
%
Year Ended December 31,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
2000
2001
2002
2002
2002
2003
2003
(unaudited)
(unaudited)
RMB
RMB
RMB
US$
RMB
RMB
US$
(in thousands)
(28,584
)
(19,891
)
23,427
2,830
10,815
37,604
4,543
(13,648
)
(30,593
)
3,427
414
11,626
(11,858
)
(1,433
)
128,187
4,000
(30,425
)
(3,676
)
(3,456
)
5,589
675
85,977
(46,444
)
(3,532
)
(427
)
19,025
31,422
3,796
2,931
88,908
42,464
5,130
42,464
38,931
4,703
88,908
42,464
38,931
4,703
61,488
70,353
8,500
Office
Equipment and
Premises
Others
Total
(in thousands of RMB)
2,432,119
3,984,660
6,416,779
623,704
536,985
1,160,689
For the Year Ended December 31,
2001(1)
2002
RMB304,620
RMB424,375
US$
51,253
23,167
2,798
(1)
Audit fees paid to external auditors in 2001
represent fees billed by Arthur
Andersen Hua Qiang Certified Public Accountants,
our then principal external auditors.
(2)
Audit fees means the aggregate fees
billed in each of the fiscal years listed for professional
services rendered by our principal auditors for the audit of our
annual financial statements.
(3)
Audit-related fees means the
aggregate fees billed in each of the fiscal years listed for
assurance and related services by our principal auditors that
are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review
of our financial statements and are not reported under
Audit fees. Services comprising the fees disclosed
under the category of Audit-related fees involve
principally the performance of certain agreed upon procedures.
BUSINESS
Overview
We are a leading consolidator of hotel
accommodations and airline tickets in China. We aggregate
information on hotels and flights and enable our customers to
make informed and cost-effective hotel and flight bookings.
Since commencing operations in 1999, we have become one of the
best-known travel brands in China. We pioneered the development
of a reservation and fulfillment infrastructure that enables our
customers to:
We target our services primarily at business and
leisure travelers in China who do not travel in groups. This
type of travelers, who are referred to in the travel industry as
FITs and whom we refer to as independent travelers in this
prospectus, form a traditionally under-served yet fast-growing
segment of the China travel market. We act as agent in
substantially all of our transactions and generally do not take
any inventory risks with respect to the hotel rooms and airline
tickets booked through us. We derive our hotel reservation,
air-ticketing and packaged-tour revenues through commissions
from our travel suppliers, primarily based on the transaction
value of the rooms, airline tickets and packaged-tour products,
respectively, booked through our services.
For the nine months ended September 30,
2003, we derived 85.8% of our revenues from the hotel
reservation business and 10.5% of our revenues from our
air-ticketing business. Our packaged-tour business contributed
3.7% of our revenues for the nine months ended
September 30, 2003.
We believe that we are the largest consolidator
of hotel accommodations in China in terms of the number of room
nights booked. In October 2003, we booked approximately
300,000 hotel room nights. As of October 31, 2003, we
had secured room supply relationships with over
1,700 hotels in China and over 450 hotels abroad,
which cover a broad range in terms of price and geographical
location. The quality and depth of our hotel supplier network
enable us to offer our customers a wide selection of hotel
accommodations, often at significant discounts to published
rates. We believe our ability to offer reservations at highly
rated hotels is particularly appealing to our customers.
Revenues from our bookings for three-, four- and five-star
hotels comprised approximately 95.0% of our revenues from our
hotel reservation business for the nine months ended
September 30, 2003.
We believe that we are also one of the leading
consolidators of airline tickets in Beijing and Shanghai in
terms of the number of airline tickets booked and sold. We sold
approximately 70,000 tickets nationwide in October 2003.
Our airline ticket suppliers include all major Chinese airlines
and many international airlines that operate flights originating
from China. We also believe we are the only airline ticket
consolidator in China with a centralized reservation system and
ticket fulfilment infrastructure covering all of the
economically prosperous regions of China. Our customers can make
flight reservations on their chosen routes and arrange ticket
payment and delivery through our ticketing offices and
third-party agencies located in over 25 major cities in
China.
We offer our services to customers through an
advanced transaction and service platform consisting of our
centralized toll-free, 24-hour customer service center and
bilingual websites. For the nine months ended September 30,
2003, transactions effected through our customer service center
accounted for approximately 70% of our transaction volume, while
our websites accounted for the balance.
We have experienced significant growth since our
inception in June 1999. Beginning in the first half of 2002, we
have achieved and maintained positive net income. Our revenues
have increased from RMB6.9 million in 2000 to
RMB105.3 million (US$12.7 million) in 2002. For the
nine months ended
53
Our business was commenced in June 1999. In March
2000, we established a new holding company, Ctrip.com
International, Ltd., in the Cayman Islands, and soon thereafter,
all of the shareholders of Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited, our
now directly wholly owned subsidiary, transferred their shares
to the holding company in exchange for shares of the holding
company. Since we commenced our operation, we have conducted
substantially all of our operations in China. We operate as a
foreign investment enterprise in China through our subsidiaries,
Ctrip Computer Technology and Ctrip Travel Information, as well
as our affiliated Chinese entities, including
We hold no ownership interest in any of our
affiliated Chinese entities. Qi Ji, a co-founder and director of
our company, Min Fan, a co-founder and executive vice president
of our company, and Alex Nanyan Zheng, a vice president of our
company, are the principal shareholders of our affiliated
Chinese entities. See Prospectus Summary Corporate
Structure for the place of formation, ownership interest
and affiliation of each of our subsidiaries and affiliated
entities. We have made interest-free loans to Qi Ji, Min Fan and
Alex Nanyan Zheng solely in connection with the capitalization
or acquisition of our affiliated entities. Each of these loans
will mature ten years after the date of the applicable loan
agreement. In the event that the Chinese government lifts its
restrictions on foreign ownership of the air-ticketing, travel
agency, advertising or Internet content provision business in
China, we will exercise our right to purchase all of the
outstanding equity interests of our affiliated Chinese entities
immediately, and the loans will be cancelled in connection with
such purchase. For a detailed description of the terms of these
loans, see Related Party Transactions
Arrangements with Affiliated Chinese Entities.
We formed Home Inns & Hotels Management
(Hong Kong) Limited, or Home Inns, in 2001 to expand our
business line to include the hotel management service. Through a
series of subsequent transactions, we reduced our interest in
Home Inns to 31.16%. We spun off our remaining interest in Home
Inns in August 2003 to prepare for the offering to enable us to
focus on our core business of travel consolidation.
Our principal executive offices are located at
3F, Building 63-64, No. 421 Hong Cao Road,
Shanghai 200233, Peoples Republic of China, and our
telephone number is (8621) 3406-4880. We have appointed
CT Corporation System, 111 Eighth Avenue,
New York, NY 10011, as our agent for service of
process in the United States.
54
Industry Background
Growth of the Chinese Travel Industry.
The Chinese travel industry is
large and growing rapidly. The following chart contains certain
data from CEIC Data Company Limited concerning the Chinese
economy and the travel industry during the period from 1998
through 2002.
Chinas gross domestic product grew from
RMB7,835 billion in 1998 to RMB10,479 billion
(US$1,266 billion) in 2002, representing a compound annual
growth rate of 7.5% during this period. The aggregate
expenditure on tourism in China increased from
RMB239.1 billion in 1998 to RMB387.8 billion
(US$46.9 billion) in 2002, representing a compound annual
growth rate of 12.8% during this period. According to
Chinas tenth five-year plan, the Chinese government
expects an approximately 7% compound annual growth rate of
Chinas gross domestic product from 2000 to 2005. We
anticipate that demand for travel services in China will
continue to increase substantially in the foreseeable future as
the Chinese economy continues to grow.
The statistics included in this prospectus
relating to the Chinese travel industry and economy are derived
from various government and institute research publications. We
have not independently verified such information, and you should
not unduly rely upon it.
Fragmented Hotel and Air-ticketing
Industries.
The travel
intermediary industries are highly fragmented in China.
According to CEIC Data Company Limited, as of December 31,
2002, there were 3,656 three-, four-and five-star hotels in
China. The biggest hotel chain in China, the Jin Jiang Group,
manages approximately 70 hotels. Furthermore, China does not
have any nationwide hotel distribution system among travel
intermediaries. As a result, travelers traditionally do not have
access to comprehensive information on hotels. In the
air-ticketing sector, the Civil Aviation Administration of
China, or CAAC, requires an air-ticketing agency to obtain a
separate license from CAACs regional branch in order to
conduct business in any city. This requirement has hindered the
ability of local air-ticketing agencies to expand nationwide.
Growing but Under-served Independent
Travelers in China.
The rapid
growth of the Chinese economy in the past decade has led to a
substantial increase in business activity and personal
disposable income, as well as changes in consumption patterns.
As a result, there has been a significant increase in the demand
for travel services in China. However, as travel agencies in
China often focus on tour groups and devote limited resources to
serving independent travelers, independent travelers have
limited access to discounted rates or comprehensive information
on hotels and flights.
Functions of Travel
Consolidators.
Travel
consolidators like us are able to offer information aggregated
from various hotels and airlines to independent travelers,
enabling them to make informed and cost-effective hotel and
flight bookings through customer service centers or websites. To
both the hotel and airline industries, travel consolidators
offer an efficient distribution platform that improves occupancy
levels and helps increase overall revenues. To independent
travelers, travel consolidators are a new and more reliable
source offering access to the generally wider selection of
inventory and lower rates than those otherwise available.
Usage of Customer Service Centers in the
Travel Industry.
Call centers or
customer service centers are a relatively new concept in China
but provide an effective channel to distribute travel products
and services. Travelers can gather and evaluate travel
information, receive recommendations from customer service
representatives and book transactions more efficiently by
contacting customer service centers any time,
55
Growth of the Internet and Online
Commerce.
According to the China
Internet Network Information Center, China now ranks second in
the world in terms of number of Internet subscribers. The
Internets broadly distributed and easily accessible
environment creates the ideal foundation for new marketplaces,
which provide increased search efficiency, comprehensive
information and competitive pricing. The Internet brings
efficiencies to markets characterized by the presence of large
number of geographically dispersed buyers and sellers and
purchase decisions involving large amounts of information from
multiple sources. We believe that the travel industry, which
inherently involves broadly dispersed travelers as well as a
wide selection of travel suppliers in terms of location and
price, is especially well-suited to benefit from increased
Internet and online commerce adoption.
Our Strengths
We bridge the gap between independent travelers
and travel suppliers. Through our sophisticated transaction and
service platform consisting of our centralized toll-free,
24-hour customer service center and bilingual websites, we serve
primarily the traditionally underserved yet fast growing
independent travelers segment in China by helping them plan and
book their trips while helping travel suppliers improve the
efficiency of their marketing and distribution. We have achieved
a leading position, in part, by establishing the competitive
strengths described below.
A Leading Travel Brand in
China.
We have invested
significant resources in developing and promoting our brand
since our inception. The China Travel Journal ranked our Ctrip
brand among the top travel brands in China in 2002. The broad
recognition of our Ctrip brand has enhanced our ability to
quickly attract new travel customers, especially frequent
independent travelers, as evidenced by the rapid growth of our
customer base and transaction volume.
Our reputation and market position have also
provided us with easier and more effective access to hotels and
airlines nationwide. We are able to obtain guaranteed allotment
arrangements from over 490 of our hotel suppliers. These
arrangements enable us to offer a specified number of hotel
rooms during any given month to our customers without taking any
inventory risk and to confirm the room reservations instantly.
Large Supplier Network and Nationwide
Coverage.
We have established
supplier relationships with over 1,700 hotels across all
major geographic regions in China and over 450 hotels
abroad, as of October 31, 2003. We have also cultivated
supplier relationships with all major domestic Chinese airlines
and many international airlines that operate flights originating
from China. We believe we are the only airline ticket
consolidator in China with a centralized 24-hour information and
reservation center and a settlement and delivery infrastructure
covering all of the most economically prosperous regions of
China. Our broad supplier network has enabled us to offer a
broad range of travel product and service offerings, including
packaged tours, for our independent traveler customers. We
believe that our established and extensive supplier relationship
positions us well to compete with existing and potentially new
competitors.
Scalable Platform and Flexible Cost
Structure.
We have created a
cost-effective transaction and service platform consisting of
our customer service center and websites. Our business is highly
scalable because of the low costs associated with our
transaction and service platform. We can hire and train new
representatives for our customer service center quickly and
cost-effectively to cope with the expected increase in
transaction volume, because of the relatively low labor cost in
China, as well as our ability to efficiently train new staff to
serve customers. Our technology platform offers further
scalability advantages as we can upgrade our existing
infrastructure with limited additional investment. Therefore, we
believe that we can keep up with the expected pace of increase
in our transaction volume without incurring substantial
incremental
56
Excellent Customer
Service.
We place significant
emphasis on technology, personnel and training to facilitate
superior customer service. We operate our centralized toll-free
customer service center 24 hours a day and seven days a week to
provide comprehensive and real-time assistance to our customers.
Our customer service representatives are equipped to review a
comprehensive list of the hotels in individual markets, together
with the related price, amenities and availability information,
and real-time flight information, while simultaneously booking
hotels, airline tickets and packaged tours for customers. Our
customer service representatives are also trained to provide
travel advisory services at our customers request.
Moreover, our user-friendly websites allow customers to quickly
review hotel and flight information and book hotel
accommodations and airline tickets and, in some instances,
receive instant confirmation.
In addition, we maintain a customer database
containing information on the transaction history and
preferences of each customer who has booked a travel product
through us. We also have a post-transaction customer service
division responsible for addressing any issues or concerns
raised by our customers. We believe our excellent customer
service has contributed to our large number of repeat customers.
Advanced Infrastructure and Technology.
We have developed an advanced
infrastructure and technology platform with a high level of
reliability, security and scalability. At the front end, our
system allows us to ensure service quality by promptly
processing customer inquiries and requests and by monitoring the
performance of our customer service representatives on an
around-the-clock basis. As a result, we maintain an extremely
high service ratio with very limited aborted calls due to
unacceptably long waiting time. Our websites are custom-built
in-house to exacting specifications to ensure the best user
experience. Our websites, www.ctrip.com and www.gotochina.com,
have user-friendly designs with well laid-out information. We
work closely with our web host to ensure that our customers can
obtain the desired information and complete transactions with us
quickly and securely.
At the back end, our proprietary booking software
allows us to update hotel room and airline ticket availability
and pricing information. The real-time nature of our software
system allows us to recommend our preferred hotels to customers
when they request a recommendation. Our booking software is
integrated with our websites and customer service center
operations. In addition, we have developed an electronic
confirmation system that enables us to transmit a
customers booking information to those hotels that are
linked to this system and to receive confirmation from these
hotels. We believe that our advanced transaction and service
platform is capable of handling increasing traffic without
substantial incremental costs.
Experienced Management
Team.
Our senior managers have on
average more than eight years of experience in their relevant
fields of information technology, finance and travel management.
Key members of our management team include James Jianzhang
Liang, our Chief Executive Officer, Neil Nanpeng Shen, our Chief
Financial Officer, and Min Fan, our Executive Vice President,
all of whom are founders of our company. Prior to joining us,
Mr. Liang had worked in the information technology field in
Silicon Valley and China for over eight years, Mr. Shen had
worked at leading global investment banks in New York and Hong
Kong for over eight years, and Mr. Fan had been the chief
executive officer for one of the leading domestic travel
agencies in Shanghai for over three years. Under our management
teams leadership, we have experienced substantial growth
in our transaction volume and customer base and have
successfully integrated the businesses we acquired into our
operation. Our senior managers have indicated their intent to
continue to manage the company after this offering.
Our Strategy
Our goal is to create long-term shareholder value
by enhancing our position as a leading hotel and air-ticket
consolidator in China. We believe that Chinas highly
fragmented travel industry and underserved
57
Leverage and Strengthen the Ctrip
Brand.
To hotel and airline ticket
suppliers, the Ctrip brand represents a sizable and increasingly
important source of customers. We intend to leverage this
reputation to attract new suppliers, and negotiate more
favorable contractual terms with our existing suppliers. To our
marketing partners, Ctrip is regarded as a partner that enhances
their product offerings. We aim to deepen our existing
relationships with our marketing partners and establish new
relationships with other potential marketing partners, allowing
us to further promote our brand, cross-sell our products and
acquire customers in a more cost-effective manner.
In addition, we intend to further strengthen
Ctrip as a dominant consumer travel brand. We plan to continue
to pursue a focused marketing and advertising campaign through
various targeted promotions to acquire new customers and
encourage our existing customers to transact more frequently.
For example, we distribute membership cards through in-flight
magazines to attract new customers, and we maintain a membership
reward program that offers rewards to frequent customers to
encourage repeat transactions.
Expand Our Hotel Supplier Network and
Room Inventory.
Although we
believe that we are the largest hotel consolidator in China in
terms of gross bookings, there are significant opportunities to
further expand our hotel reservation service. We plan to focus
the expansion of our hotel reservation business on hotels with
three-, four- and five-star ratings, which offer us higher
profit margins per transaction. We intend to build upon our
already extensive hotel supplier relationships in Chinas
major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. In addition, we
intend to enhance our presence in selected regional centers and
medium-sized cities that offer significant growth opportunities
driven by Chinas robust economy and rising disposable
income per capita.
We plan to capitalize on our substantial and
growing customer base and transaction volume by continuing to
negotiate with hotel suppliers to increase rooms to be allocated
to us on the guaranteed allotment basis. We have guaranteed
allotment arrangements with over 500 hotels in China as of
October 31, 2003, and will try to increase the number of
rooms allotted to us from these hotels. In addition, we intend
to pursue guaranteed allotment arrangements with our hotel
suppliers that currently do not have such arrangements with us.
Expand Air-ticketing and Other Travel
Product Offerings.
Our
air-ticketing business contributed less than 11% of our revenues
in 2002 and the nine months ended September 30, 2003, but
has demonstrated substantial growth potential. We intend to
establish airline ticket issuance and delivery infrastructure in
more cities throughout China. We also intend to continue to
expand our air-ticketing business by selling more tickets for
international flights, as the commissions per ticket for
international flights are generally higher than that for
domestic flights. To further diversify our revenue sources and
in response to the increasing sophistication of Chinese
travelers tastes, we intend to further promote the
packaged-tour products that offer our customers the flexibility
to choose desired flight and hotel combinations. We believe that
our packaged-tour products will attract increasing interest
among our existing users as well as new customers.
Enhance Transaction and Service
Platform.
We intend to enhance the
features of our transaction and service platform to keep up with
the expected rapid increase in our transaction volume while
maintaining the high quality of our customer service. With
respect to our customer service center, we intend to continue to
invest in training our customer service representatives and
upgrading our information technology systems underlying the
customer service center to ensure consistently high-quality
customer service. With respect to our websites, we plan to
continually update new software features and editorial content
and improve the accessibility of our websites through various
Internet access channels such as wireless devices.
We believe the Internet as an information
distribution and transaction platform presents further cost
efficiencies and scalability opportunities. To exploit the
additional cost savings and scalability benefits, we intend to
promote the migration of customers to our websites. We have set
up various promotion programs such as offering our customers up
to twice the reward points on transactions effected online as
compared to our customer service center.
58
In addition, we plan to continue to enhance our
customer database management tools to identify our
customers travel preferences and transaction patterns in
order to offer them more focused services. We also intend to
further promote our electronic confirmation system with our
existing hotel suppliers. Currently, more than 160 hotels are
using our electronic confirmation system to interface with us,
and we plan to promote the electronic confirmation system with
our other hotel suppliers. We believe that this system will
boost our transaction efficiency significantly.
Pursue Selective Strategic Acquisitions and
Expand into Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
We have become a leading
consolidator of hotel accommodations and airline tickets in
China in part through the acquisition of the largest offline
hotel reservation center in China, Beijing Modern Express, in
October 2000, and the air-ticketing business of Beijing
Haian Air-ticketing Agency in February 2002. We have
successfully integrated these acquired businesses into our
business operations. We intend to explore additional
acquisitions that would allow us to expand the reach and scope
of our travel products and services as well as our customer base
in the domestic markets in China.
We also aim to enter Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
The closer economic ties between China and other parts of
Greater China, together with the recent liberalization of
restrictions formerly imposed on mainland Chinese traveling to
Hong Kong, are expected to increase the cross-border traffic
between China and Hong Kong significantly. Given the
similarities in language, culture and consumption behavior
between residents of mainland China and Hong Kong, Macau and
Taiwan, we foresee substantial growth opportunities in entering
these markets, which can be executed at a relatively low cost
and with limited risk.
Expand into the Merchant Business.
Currently, we act as agent in
substantially all of our transactions, passing our
customers reservations to travel suppliers without
assuming any risks for customers cancellations or
no-shows. While we intend to continue to use the agency model as
our primary business model, we plan to gradually establish a
merchant business relationship with our most popular travel
service suppliers beginning in the second or third quarter of
2004. In the merchant business relationship, we would buy hotel
rooms and/or airline tickets in advance before selling them to
our customers and thereby bear the inventory risk. However, if
our hotel room and airline ticket inventory were sold
successfully, we would expect to realize substantially higher
profits per room or airline ticket than we do under our current
agency model. We believe that our growing customer base
constitutes a solid foundation for our merchant business and
would help to minimize any potential inventory risk.
Products and Services
We began offering hotel reservation and
air-ticketing services in October 1999. For the nine months
ended September 30, 2003, we derived 85.8% of our revenues
from the hotel reservation business and 10.5% of our revenues
from the air-ticketing business. In addition, we offer other
travel-related products and services including packaged tours
that are either bundled by us and include transportation and
hotel, or by third party travel agencies and include
transportation, hotel and, in most cases, a guided tour.
Hotel Reservations.
Our hotel booking volume has
increased substantially since our inception. The following table
shows the total room nights we sold for the periods indicated.
As of October 31, 2003, we had room supplier
relationships with over 1,700 hotels in China and over
450 hotels abroad, which cover a broad range of hotels in
terms of price and geographical location. The majority of our
hotel suppliers fall into the three-, four- and five-star
categories. Revenues from our bookings for three-, four- and
five-star hotels comprised approximately 95% of our revenues
from our hotel reservation
59
We act as agent in substantially all of our
hotel-related transactions. Our customers receive confirmed
bookings and generally pay the hotels directly upon completion
of their stays, and in general, we pay no penalty to the hotels
if our customers do not check in. For some of our hotel
suppliers, we earn pre-negotiated fixed commissions on hotel
rooms we sell. For other hotels, we have commission arrangements
that we refer to as the ratchet system, whereby our
commission rate per room night increases as the volume of room
nights we sell for such hotel during such month increases.
We contract with hotels for rooms under two
agency models: the guaranteed allotment model and
the on-request model. Under either agency model, we
enter into agreements with our hotel suppliers containing most
if not all of the following provisions:
In addition to the agreements that we enter into
with all of our hotel suppliers, we enter into a supplemental
agreement with each of the hotel suppliers with which we have a
guaranteed allotment arrangement. Pursuant to this agreement, a
hotel gives us a specified number of guaranteed available rooms
every day, allowing us to provide instant confirmations on such
rooms to our customers before notifying the hotel. The hotel is
required to notify us in advance if it will not be able to make
the guaranteed rooms available to our customers due to reasons
beyond its control.
We have contracted with over 500 hotels in
China for guaranteed room allotments, allowing us to sell rooms
to our customers even during peak seasons and provide instant
confirmation. Rooms booked in hotels with which we have a
guaranteed allotment arrangement currently account for
approximately 50% of our total hotel room transaction volume.
With the remaining hotel suppliers, we book rooms on an
on-request basis, meaning our ability to secure
hotel rooms for our customers is subject to room availability at
the time of booking.
Our typical hotel reservation transaction
involves the following major steps:
60
Some hotels require our customers to use their
credit cards to guarantee the bookings. We have entered into
arrangements with a number of financial institutions to allow
our customer service center and websites to accept credit card
guarantees to enable our customers to complete their
reservations.
Air-ticketing.
We believe that we are the only
provider of air-ticketing services in China with a
multi-province airline ticket sales and issuance infrastructure.
We have experienced a significant growth in our air-ticketing
business since early 2002. We believe that we are currently
among the top three air-ticketing agencies in Beijing and
Shanghai in terms of sales volume. The following chart shows the
airline tickets we sold for the periods indicated.
We sell airline tickets for all major domestic
Chinese airlines, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines,
China Southern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, and many
international airlines operating flights that originate from
cities in China, such as Northwest Airlines, Air Canada, All
Nippon Airways, Dragon Air and Lufthansa.
In every air-ticketing transaction, our customer
receives a confirmed seat and pays the ticket delivery agent
upon delivery of the ticket. Generally, the customer pays a
penalty to the airline if he or she cancels the ticket for the
flight.
The airline industry, including airline ticket
pricing, is heavily regulated by CAAC. Therefore, we have no
discretion in offering discounts on the airline tickets we sell.
We generally earn standard commissions paid to air-ticketing
service entities similar to us. In addition, we have an
arrangement with some of our airline ticket suppliers, whereby
our commission per ticket may increase as the volume of our
ticket sales for an airline reaches a specified performance
target set by the airline.
Our typical air-ticketing transaction involves
the following major steps:
61
A customer has the option of picking up a ticket
at the ticketing office or requesting a personal delivery. The
expected adoption of electronic tickets in lieu of paper tickets
by airlines in China may further increase our customer service
efficiency and reduce our operating expenses.
Other Products and Services.
We also offer the following
products and services:
We bundle transportation and hotels in our
packaged tours. We sell packaged tours bundled by third-party
travel agencies that also include, in most cases, a guided tour.
We offer travel-related businesses and other third parties the
opportunity to advertise on our websites and in our introductory
brochures. Although we sell our VIP membership cards. Our
regular customers can get free VIP membership cards once they
accumulate enough points from the travel products they purchase
through us. Our VIP membership cards allow the cardholders to
receive discounts from many restaurants, clubs and bars in major
cities in China and enjoy certain priority in obtaining our
services.
These products and services accounted for less
than 4.0% of our total revenue for the nine months ended
September 30, 2003. We view sales of our VIP membership
cards as primarily brand-promoting rather than
revenue-generating.
Transaction and Service Platform
Our customers can reach us for their
travel-related needs through either our toll-free customer
service center or our bilingual websites located at
www.ctrip.com and www.gotochina.com. For the nine months ended
September 30, 2003, transactions executed through our
customer service center and website account for approximately
70.0% and 30.0%, respectively, of our total transactions. We
believe that the ratio of online transactions to our total
transactions will increase as the Internet penetration rate in
China grows, and more customers become accustomed to using the
Internet as an effective medium for commerce.
Customer Service Center.
Our centralized toll-free customer
service center is located in Shanghai, China and is operated
24 hours a day and seven days a week. Customers can call
our nationwide toll free number to consult with our customer
service representatives, receive comprehensive, real-time hotel
and flight information and make travel bookings.
Due to the low-cost nature of operating call
centers in China, we are able to realize substantial gross
profits. The average compensation of our customer service
representatives was RMB2,791 (US$337) per
62
Our customer service center has 30 telephone
lines, each of which is connected to eight extensions. As a
result, our customer service center has the capacity to receive
240 incoming calls at once. At our technically advanced
facility, we have implemented comprehensive performance measures
to monitor our calls to ensure that our customers will receive
quality service. We are able to take substantially all of the
incoming calls with limited number of aborted calls due to
unacceptably long waiting time. We have sufficient capacity to
meet further increases in call volume without the need to
undertake system redesign to our existing systems. Nevertheless,
if we exceed this capacity, we believe we can add, within a
reasonable time and at a reasonable cost, additional phone lines
and computer systems to handle increasing call volumes.
We currently employ over 500 customer
service representatives, all of whom participated in a formal
training program before commencing work. These representatives
efficiently access our information systems on behalf of
customers to review a comprehensive list of the hotels and
prices in individual markets, the flights to specified
destinations and the related price information, while
simultaneously advising our customers and making reservations
for them. Unlike some companies in the U.S. that outsource their
customer service to third-party call centers, our customer
service representatives are in-house travel specialists. We
continually review staffing needs and train representatives to
handle increased call volumes to ensure the long-term
sustainability of our business.
Internet
Websites.
We have a
Chinese-language website located at www.ctrip.com and an
English-language website located at www.gotochina.com. Our
proprietary booking software is integrated with our websites,
allowing a customer to complete a booking within minutes.
Through our user-friendly Chinese language
website, our customers can:
In addition, our customers can use our editorial
content for researching destinations and travel tips. Some
examples of the content on www.ctrip.com include:
We have also created an online travel community
on www.ctrip.com. Some features of our online community include:
63
Our English-language website, www.gotochina.com,
features editorial content similar to www.ctrip.com.
Marketing and Brand Awareness
Through on-site promotions, strategic alliances,
online marketing, advertising, media promotions, telemarketing
and our customer reward program, we have created a strong Ctrip
brand that is commonly associated in China with value travel
products and services and superior customer service. We will
continue to use our focused marketing strategy to further
enhance our Ctrip brand and acquire new customers.
On-Site Promotions.
We have over 300 on-site
promotion staff located in about 30 major cities in China. All
of our on-site promotions staff have participated in a formal
training program to learn how to market our products and
services and promote our brand in an appropriate and effective
way. Our staff distribute membership cards and introductory
brochures at various locations including airports and train and
bus stations. To date, our on-site promotions have proven to be
an effective marketing channel for us.
Cross-Marketing.
We have entered into cross-marketing relationships with major
Chinese domestic airlines including Air China, China Southern
Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Hainan
Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and Shandong Airlines, wireless
service providers including China Mobile and China Unicom, and
banks including Bank of China, China Merchant Bank, Hang Seng
Bank and Bank of Communications.
Our airline partners recommend our products and
services to their mileage program members, and allow their
members to accrue miles by staying at hotels booked through us.
Our wireless service provider partners direct their subscribers
requesting travel information to our customer service center
through automatic call forwarding, or to our websites through an
Internet link on their websites. In addition, our bank partners
recommend our products and services to their debit or credit
card holders, and we allow their debit or credit card holders to
use their cards to settle their payments for travel products
purchased from us.
Online
Marketing.
Our Chinese language
website, www.ctrip.com, is among the most accessed and used
online travel website in China. We pay many of the leading
Internet search engines and portals in China to prominently
feature our websites.
Advertising.
We advertise in in-flight videos and magazines of several
domestic airlines in China. Based on our experience, such
advertising is one of the most effective advertising methods for
increasing brand awareness and attracting new customers.
Media
Promotion.
We cultivate
relationships with a variety of media outlets, including
newspapers, magazines and television. Our company and our
services have been featured by such media outlets as CCTV, the
Chinese Entrepreneurs and the China Travel Journal.
Telemarketing.
We have over 40 in-house telemarketing staff who call on
prospective customers to introduce our products and services,
and our infrequent customers to update them on our developments
and encourage them to use our services more often.
Customer Reward
Program.
To secure our
customers loyalty and further promote our Ctrip brand, we
provide our customers with a customer reward program. This
program allows our customers to accumulate membership points
calculated according to the services purchased by the customers.
Our customers may then redeem these points for travel awards and
other gifts.
64
Supplier Relationship Management
We cultivate and maintain strong relationships
with our travel suppliers. We have over 70 employees
dedicated to enhancing our existing travel supply arrangements
and developing relationships with prospective travel suppliers.
We prominently feature some of our hotel suppliers with which we
have favorable arrangements on our Chinese language websites as
specially recommended hotels. Furthermore, we have
developed an electronic confirmation system that enables
participating hotel suppliers to receive our customers
reservation information instantly and confirm such reservation
through our online interface with the hotel supplier. We believe
that the electronic confirmation system is a cost-effective and
convenient way for hotels to interface with us, and we intend to
promote the system with more hotel suppliers.
Since our inception, we have not had any material
disputes with our travel suppliers with respect to the amount of
commissions to which we were entitled. We generally renew supply
agreements with almost all of our travel suppliers once the
initial term of such agreements expires.
Technology and Infrastructure
We believe that the quality of our technology
differentiates us from our competitors in China. Our goal has
been to build a reliable, scalable, updated and secure
infrastructure to fully support our customer service center and
website operations.
Since inception, we have supported substantial
growth in our offline and online traffic and transactions with
our present architecture. Our proprietary booking software is
integrated with our websites and customer service center
operations. Our hardware platform for the Internet consists of
Hewlett-Packard and Dell servers. We have contracted with
Avaya Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company and Dell Inc. for
warranty services for our hardware platform. We maintain our
database on HP DL740 G2, HP LXR8500, HP LH6000
and Dell PowerEdge 6500 and conduct daily backup functions
for off-site storage. We access the Internet backbone via a
100 megabit ethernet line. Our customer service center
operations are managed by an Avaya G3Si switch. We maintain all
of our servers at our premises in Shanghai. As of
October 31, 2003, we employed 27 technical support
staff to maintain our current technology infrastructure and
develop new software features to further enhance the
functionality of our transaction and service platform.
Competition
We compete primarily with other consolidators of
hotel accommodations and flight reservation services, such as
www.elong.com. We also compete with traditional travel agencies.
We believe that the hotel room booking volume of our main
competitor, www.elong.com, is significantly lower than ours.
However, as the travel business in China continues to grow, we
may face competition from new players in the hotel consolidation
market in China and foreign travel consolidators that may enter
the China market, such as expedia.com and hotels.com.
We believe that among air-ticketing
intermediaries in China, we have a unique multi-province airline
ticket sales and fulfillment infrastructure. While we have local
competitors in various markets, so far we have no national
competitor in our air-ticketing business. In the markets where
we face local competition, our competitors generally conduct
ticketing transactions in person, and not over the Internet or
through customer service centers. Many local air-ticketing
agencies are primarily involved in the wholesale business that
sell airline tickets to businesses rather than individual
travelers, who are our targeted customers. However, as the
airline ticket distribution business continues to grow in China,
we believe that the companies already involved in the travel
services industry may increase their efforts to develop their
services that compete with our air-ticketing business.
Intellectual Property
Our intellectual property rights include
trademarks and domain names associated with the name
Ctrip and copyright and other rights associated with
our websites, technology platform, booking software and other
aspects of our business. We regard our intellectual property as
a factor contributing to our success,
65
We have registered our domain names www.ctrip.com
and www.gotochina.com with www.register.com and www.opensrs.net,
respectively, and the domain name www.ctrip.com.cn with China
Internet Network Information Center, a domain name registration
service in China, and have full legal rights over these domain
names. We conduct our business under the Ctrip brand name and
logo. We have registered the trademarks Ctrip and
(CHINESE CHARACTER) with the Trade Mark Office of
the Peoples Republic of China State General Administration
for Industry and Commerce. We have also registered the trademark
(CHINESE CHARACTER) with the Registrar of Trade
Marks in Hong Kong.
Employees
As of October 31, 2003, we had 1,420
employees, including 124 in management and administration, 554
in our customer service center, 354 in sales and marketing, and
388 in product development including supplier management
personnel and technical support personnel. None of our employees
is represented by a labor union. We consider our relations with
our employees to be good.
Facilities
Our customer service center, principal sales,
marketing and development facilities and administrative offices
are located on premises comprising approximately 3,737 square
meters in an industry park in Shanghai, China. We own 2,514
square meters of our premises and lease the remaining area of
our premises from a company controlled by the spouse of our
Chief Executive Officer, James Jianzhang Liang. We have branch
offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. We also
maintain a network of sales offices in about 30 cities in China.
We believe that we will be able to obtain adequate facilities,
principally through the leasing of appropriate properties, to
accommodate our future expansion plans.
Legal Proceedings
We are not a party to any litigation and are not
aware of any pending or threatened litigation.
66
CHINESE GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS
Current Chinese laws and regulations impose
substantial restrictions on foreign ownership of the
air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising and Internet content
provision businesses in China. As a result, we conduct these
businesses in China through contractual arrangements with our
affiliated Chinese entities as well as certain independent
air-ticketing agencies and travel agencies. Our director, Qi Ji,
and our officers, Min Fan and Alex Nanyan Zheng, all of whom are
Chinese citizens, own all or substantially of the equity in our
affiliated entities.
In the opinion of our Chinese counsel, Commerce
& Finance Law Offices, the ownership structures, businesses
and operations of our subsidiaries and affiliated entities in
China comply with all existing Chinese laws, rules and
regulations. In addition, no consent, approval or license other
than those already obtained is required under the existing
Chinese laws, rules and regulations for such ownership
structures, businesses and operations or this offering.
Restrictions on Foreign Ownership
Air-ticketing.
The principal regulation governing foreign ownership of
air-ticketing businesses in China is the Foreign Investment
Industrial Guidance Catalogue (2002). Under this regulation, a
foreign investor cannot own more than 50% of an air-ticketing
agency in China.
Travel
Agency.
The principal regulation
governing foreign ownership of travel agencies in China is the
Establishment of Foreign-controlled and Wholly Foreign-owned
Travel Agencies Tentative Provisions (2003). Recently, qualified
foreign investors have been permitted to establish or own a
travel agency in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Xian,
upon the approval of the Chinese government, subject to
considerable restrictions as to its scope of business. For
example, foreign travel agencies cannot arrange for the travel
of persons from mainland China to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan or
any other country. In addition, foreign travel agencies cannot
establish branches.
Advertising.
The principal regulation governing foreign ownership of
advertising agencies in China is the Foreign Investment
Industrial Guidance Catalogue (2002). Under these regulations,
foreign investors cannot own more than 49% of an advertising
agency in China.
Internet Content
Providers.
The principal
regulations governing foreign ownership of the Internet content
provision business in China include:
Under these regulations, a foreign entity is
prohibited from owning more than 50.0% of a Chinese entity that
provides value-added telecommunications services, which includes
Internet content provider services.
General Regulation of Businesses
Air-ticketing.
The air-ticketing business is subject to the supervision of CAAC
and its regional branches. The principal regulation governing
air-ticketing in China is the Administration on Civil Aviation
Transporting Marketing Agency Business Regulations (1993).
Under these regulations, an air-ticketing agency
must obtain a permit from CAAC or its regional branch in every
city in which the agency proposes to conduct the air-ticketing
business. There are two types of air-ticketing permits in China:
permits for selling tickets for international flights and
flights to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and permits for selling
tickets for domestic flights in China.
67
Travel
Agency.
The travel industry is
subject to the supervision of the China National Tourism
Administration and local tourism administrations. The principal
regulations governing travel agencies in China include:
Under these regulations, a travel agency must
obtain a license from the China National Tourism Administration
in order to conduct the cross-border travel business, and a
license from the provincial-level tourism administration in
order to conduct the domestic travel agency business.
Advertising.
The State General Administration of Industry and Commerce is
responsible for regulating advertising activities in China. The
principal regulations governing advertising (including online
advertising) in China include:
Under these regulations, any entity conducting
advertising activities must obtain an advertising permit from
the local Administration of Industry and Commerce.
Internet Content Provision Service and
Online Commerce.
Our provision of
travel-related content on our websites is subject to Chinese
laws and regulations relating to the telecommunications industry
and Internet, and regulated by various government authorities,
including the Ministry of Information Industry and the State
General Administration of Industry and Commerce. The principal
regulations governing the telecommunications industry and
Internet include:
Under these regulations, Internet content
provider services are classified as value-added
telecommunications businesses, and a commercial operator of such
services must obtain an Internet content provision license from
the appropriate telecommunications authorities in order to carry
on any commercial Internet content provision operations in China.
With respect to online commerce, there are no
specific Chinese laws at the national level governing online
commerce or defining online commerce activities, and no
government authority has been designated to regulate online
commerce. There are existing regulations governing retail
business that require companies to obtain licenses in order to
engage in the business. However, it is unclear whether these
existing regulations will be applied to online commerce.
Regulation of Foreign Currency Exchange and
Dividend Distribution
Foreign Currency Exchange.
The principal regulation governing
foreign currency exchange in China is the Foreign Currency
Administration Rules (1996), as amended. Under the Rules, RMB is
freely convertible for trade and service-related foreign
exchange transactions, but not for direct investment, loan or
investment in securities outside China unless the prior approval
of the State Administration for Foreign Exchange of the
Peoples Republic of China is obtained.
Pursuant to the Foreign Currency Administration
Rules, foreign investment enterprises in China may purchase
foreign exchange without the approval of the State
Administration for Foreign Exchange of the Peoples
Republic of China for trade and service-related foreign exchange
transactions by providing commercial documents evidencing these
transactions. They may also retain foreign exchange (subject to
a cap approved by the State Administration for Foreign Exchange
of the Peoples Republic of China) to satisfy
68
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
Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition,
foreign investment enterprises in China are required to set
aside at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each
year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds. These reserves are
not distributable as cash dividends.
69
choose and reserve hotel rooms in cities
throughout China and selected cities abroad;
book and purchase airline tickets for domestic
and international flights originating from China; and
choose and reserve packaged tours that include
transportation, accommodation, and sometimes guided tours as
well.
Ctrip Commerce, which holds advertising and
Internet content provision licenses;
Shanghai Huacheng, which holds domestic travel
agency and air-ticketing licenses;
Beijing Chenhao, which holds an air-ticketing
license;
Guangzhou Guangcheng, which has recently received
an air-ticketing license; and
Shanghai Cuiming, which holds a license to
conduct both cross-border and domestic packaged-tour businesses.
Number of
Number of
Nominal Gross
Expenditure on
3-, 4- and 5-Star
Civil Aviation
Domestic Product
Tourism
Hotels in Operation
Passenger Kilometers
(in billions of RMB)
(in millions of RMB)
(in billions)
7,835
239,118
1,325
80,024
8,207
283,192
1,573
85,728
8,947
317,554
2,368
97,054
9,731
352,237
2,857
109,135
10,479
387,836
3,656
126,870
For Quarters Ended
September 30,
December 31,
March 31,
June 30,
September 30,
December 31,
March 31,
June 30,
September 30,
2001
2001
2002
2002
2002
2002
2003
2003
2003
(in thousands)
234.3
262.1
273.8
374.4
438.8
467.7
486.0
280.5*
747.8
*
Decrease primarily due to the SARS outbreak from
March 2003 through June 2003.
250
Beijing
243
Hangzhou
68
Guangzhou
60
59
Hong Kong
47
Nanjing
42
Wuhan
38
Pricing.
The hotel
is required to offer us room prices that are lower than its
published prices. If the hotel has promotional sales, it is
required to notify us in advance so we can lower our prices
proportionately.
Room Supplies.
The hotel is required to notify us in
advance if it anticipates a shortage of rooms.
Customer Accommodation.
If the reserved room is not available
when our customer checks in to the hotel due to reasons caused
by the hotel, such as over-booking, the hotel is required to
upgrade the customer free-of-charge or arrange for accommodation
in another hotel with the same or higher rating and price.
Extension of Stay.
If our customer requests an extension
of stay, the hotel is required to notify us immediately, and we
book the extended stay and earn the resulting commissions.
Confirmation of Customers Stay.
We confirm a customers actual
length of stay by contacting the hotel to verify the
customers check-in and check-out dates. With the hotels
that have implemented our electronic confirmation system, we
receive confirmation through such system.
Commission Payments.
The hotel will pay us commissions each
month based on the number of room nights we sell.
Initiating an
Inquiry.
Our customer either conducts
a search on our website, or calls our customer service center to
learn more about hotels at a destination. Upon our
customers inquiry,
our customer service representative are trained,
and our website is programmed, to recommend hotels to the
customer.
Making a
Reservation.
At this stage, we reserve
a hotel room for the customer based on the customers
choice given to us either through the telephone or our website.
Confirmation.
For
hotels with which we have a guaranteed allotment arrangement, we
give instant confirmation, and we notify the hotel afterwards.
For hotels with which we have an on-request arrangement, we pass
our customers reservation request to the hotel. Once we
receive confirmation from the hotel, our customer service
representative will contact the customer to confirm the
reservation.
Following Up.
We
follow up with the hotel regarding the customers length of
stay and our commission, in accordance with our agreement with
the hotel.
For Quarters Ended
December 31,
March 31,
June 30,
September 30,
2002*
2003
2003
2003
(in thousands)
79.3
111.7
74.4
**
183.1
*
Meaningful information concerning the number of
airline tickets booked during the prior periods is not available.
**
Decrease principally due to the SARS outbreak
from March 2003 through June 2003.
Initiating an
Inquiry.
Our customer either conducts
a search on our website or contacts our customer service center
to learn more about flights to a destination. The customer
learns either through our website or from our customer service
representative whether any seats are available.
Making a
Reservation.
At this stage, we make a
confirmed booking of a seat on the customers chosen flight.
Ticket Issuance and
Delivery.
In Beijing and Shanghai, we
issue airline tickets through our local ticketing offices. In
other cities, we issue airline tickets through local ticketing
agencies with whom we have contractual relationships. We have
the capability to issue airline tickets in most major cities in
China.
Ticket and Commission
Settlement.
Payment for airline
tickets we sell is settled by either of the following methods:
(1)
In Beijing or Shanghai, the customer pays us
simultaneously with the delivery of the ticket. We then deduct
our commission and deposit the remaining amount into the billing
and settlement plan clearinghouse system, or the BSP system. The
airline deducts the fare owed to it from our accounts within the
BSP system on a regular basis.
(2)
In other cities, where we contract with local
agents for ticket fulfillment services, the local agents collect
their commissions from airlines, and we, in turn, collect our
commissions from them on a regular basis.
packaged tours;
advertising sales; and
VIP membership cards.
quickly review pricing and availability of hotels
and flights;
book hotel accommodations and airline tickets; and
search and book our packaged tours.
Destination Guide.
We feature extensive editorial content
covering over 100 popular destinations in China and over
25 popular destinations abroad, and provide
destination-related information such as local attractions,
transportation, dining, lodging, entertainment, shopping and
climate.
Customer-Generated
Content.
We publish articles,
travelogues and pictures by our customers about specific
destinations.
Travel News.
We
provide regularly updated information on fare sales, changing
travel conditions and weather advisories.
Links to Other
Websites.
We offer our customers a
selection of links to useful travel-related and websites.
Other Useful
Information.
Other travel-related
information we provide includes train schedule, currency
converter, travel tips and health tips.
Chat Rooms.
Our
website visitors can communicate directly with one another in
our online chat rooms.
Bulletin Boards.
Travelers looking for travel companions and advice from fellow
travelers can post their questions and answers on bulletin
boards.
Travelers
Tips.
Our website also contains
travelers feedback on major domestic and international
destinations.
Administrative Rules for Foreign Investments in
Telecommunications Enterprises (2001); and
Foreign Investment Industrial Guidance Catalogue
(2002).
Administration of Travel Agencies
Regulations (1996), as amended; and
Administration of Travel Agencies Regulations
Implementing Rules (2001).
Advertising Law (1994); and
Administration of Advertising
Regulations (1987).
Telecommunications Regulations (2000);
The Administrative Measures for
Telecommunications Business Operating Licenses (2001); and
The Internet Information Services Administrative
Measures (2000).
The Foreign Investment Enterprise Law (1986), as
amended; and
Administrative Rules under the Foreign Investment
Enterprise Law (2001).
MANAGEMENT
Directors and Executive Officers
The following table sets forth information
regarding our directors and executive officers as of
November 24, 2003.
James Jianzhang Liang
is one of the co-founders of our
company. Mr. Liang has served as Chief Executive Officer
since 2000 and a member of our board of directors since our
inception. He has been Chairman of our board since
August 2003. Prior to founding Ctrip, Mr. Liang held a
number of technical and managerial positions with Oracle
Corporation from 1991 to 1999 in the U.S. and China, including
the head of the ERP consulting division of Oracle China from
1997 to 1999. Mr. Liang currently serves on the board of
Home Inns Beijing. Mr. Liang received his Masters and
Bachelors degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology. He
also attended an undergraduate program at Fudan University.
Neil Nanpeng Shen
is
one of the co-founders of our company. Mr. Shen has served
as Chief Financial Officer since 2000 and executive director
since our inception. He became President of our company in
August 2003. Prior to founding Ctrip, Mr. Shen had worked
for more than eight years in the investment banking industry in
New York and Hong Kong. He was a director at Deutsche Bank Hong
Kong where he worked from 1996 to 1999. Prior to 1996, he had
worked at Chemical Bank, Lehman Brothers and Citibank in various
investment banking areas. Mr. Shen is currently Deputy
Chairman of Home Inns. Mr. Shen received his Masters
degree from the School of Management at Yale University and his
Bachelors degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Gabriel Li
has
served at different times on our board of directors since 2000.
Mr. Li has been Deputy Chairman of our board since August
2003. Mr. Li is a managing director of Orchid Asia
Management Co., LLC. Mr. Li was a managing director of The
Carlyle Group from December 2002 to October 2003. Prior to
70
JP Gan
has served as
our director since 2002. Mr. Gan is a Vice President of The
Carlyle Group responsible for venture investment activities in
the Greater China region. Prior to joining The Carlyle Group in
2000, Mr. Gan worked at the investment banking division at
Merrill Lynch, in Hong Kong from 1999 to 2000 and the then Price
Waterhouse in the United States from 1994 to 1997. Mr. Gan
obtained his Masters of Business Administration from the
University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and his
Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Iowa.
He is a Certified Public Accountant in the United States.
Suyang Zhang
has
served as our director since December 1999. Mr. Zhang is
currently a Vice President of IDG Technology Venture Investment
Inc., where he has worked since 1996, and General Manager of
Shanghai Pacific Technology Venture Fund Co., Ltd., where he has
worked since 1994. Mr. Zhang has led his firms
investments in a number of high-tech projects in the areas of
electronics, telecommunications and software in recent years. He
previously served as a division manager of Shanghai Bell, deputy
director of Shanghai Telephone Equipment Manufacturing Company,
and general manager of Shanghai Vantone Industrial Co. Ltd. He
currently serves on the boards of several companies, including
Home Inns and Baud Data Communications Co., Ltd. Mr. Zhang
holds a Bachelor of Electronics Engineering from Shanghai
University, an Executive Masters of Business Administration from
China European International Business School.
Yufei Hu
has served
as our director since 2002. Mr. Hu has been a partner at
Shanghai Synergy Venture Capital Management Co., Ltd. since
1999. From 1996 to 1999, he was a manager in the investment
department of S.I. Capital Ltd. Mr. Hu worked at Daqing
Oilfield Administration Bureau from 1991 to 1994. Mr. Hu
received his Masters degree in Business Administration
from the School of Management, Fudan University and his
Bachelors degree from Heilongjiang University.
Junichi Goto
has
served as our director since 2000 and has more than
23 years of experience in direct investment and investment
banking. Mr. Goto is also the Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Go-To-Asia Investment Limited. Between June 1999 and
June 2001, he served as a Director of Softbank China Venture
Investments Limited, the venture investment arm of SOFTBANK
CORP., and between March 2000 and April 2001, he was
the President and Executive Director of Softbank Investment
International (Strategic) Limited, a Hong Kong listed company.
Mr. Goto also served as a director of Softech Investment
Management Company Limited, the fund manager of the Hong Kong
Government Applied Research Fund. Prior to joining SOFTBANK
CORP., Mr. Goto had been with the Nomura Group and headed
various divisions in investment banking and private equities. He
holds a Bachelors degree in economics from the University
of Tokyo.
Qi Ji
is one of the
co-founders of our company. He has served as our director since
our inception. Mr. Ji has been the Chief Executive Officer
of Home Inns since early 2002. He was the President of our
Company from 1999 to early 2002. Prior to founding Ctrip, he
served as Chief Executive Officer of Shanghai Sunflower
High-Tech Group which he founded in 1997. He headed the East
China Division of Beijing Zhonghua Yinghua Intelligence System
Co., Ltd. from 1995 to 1997. He received both his Masters
and Bachelors degrees from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Robert Stein
is the
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Adelphi Capital
Partners. Prior to establishing Adelphi, Mr. Stein was the
Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bank Group Asia Pacific. He
served on Deutsche Banks Global Institution Board from
1999 to 2000 and the Global Wealth Management Board from 2000 to
2002. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Stein worked for
Merrill Lynch from 1985 to 1995, including as Head of Capital
Markets, Asia and member of Merrill Lynchs Global Debt and
Equity Management Committee. Currently, Mr. Stein is a
member of the Singapore Governments Economic
71
Min Fan
is one of
the co-founders of our company. He has served as our Executive
Vice President since 2000. Mr. Fan has more than
13 years of experience in travel-related industries. From
1997 to 2000, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Shanghai
Travel Service Company, a leading domestic travel agency in
China. From 1990 to 1997, he served as the Deputy General
Manager and in a number of other senior positions at Shanghai
New Asia Hotel Management Company, which was one of the leading
hotel management companies in China. Mr. Fan obtained his
Masters and Bachelors degrees from Shanghai Jiao
Tong University. He also studied at the Lausanne Hotel
Management School of Switzerland in 1995.
Victor Shengli Wang
has served as our Vice President and
the General Manager of our Beijing branch since 2000. In 1997,
Mr. Wang co-founded Beijing Modern Express Co. Ltd., which
we acquired in October 2000. From 1991 to 1997, Mr. Wang
was the head of the General Plan Division of China Lantian
Industrial Company. He holds a Bachelors degree from Xian
Electronics Science & Technology Institute.
Alex Nanyan Zheng
has served as our Vice President since
2000 and currently is also our General Manager in charge of
Southern and Southwestern China operations. From 1993 to 2000,
Mr. Zheng was co-founder and deputy general manager of
Guangzhou Wanxun (Armitage) Computer Software Limited, a hotel
management information system provider in China. Previously,
Mr. Zheng worked at the computer center of Guangdong
Provincial Economic and Trade Commission. He obtained his
Bachelors degree from Zhongshan University in China.
Han Ding
has served
as our Vice President in charge of our air-ticketing business
since March 2002. Prior to joining us, Mr. Ding was chief
executive officer of Beijing Haian Air-ticketing Service
Company, Ltd. which he founded in 1995. Previously, he was
secretary and director of the Haian Industry Group of
Companies. Mr. Ding obtained his Masters degree in
Business Administration from the Huazhong University of Science
and Technology in China and his Bachelors degree from
Anhui Institute of Finance and Trade in China.
Jianmin Zhu
has
served as our Vice President and Head of Business Operations
since 2003. Prior to joining us, he worked with several software
and system integration companies, including Compaq and RPTI
International Ltd. He was a senior consultant at Compaq from
1999 to 2000 and technical director of RPTI International Ltd.
from 1995 to 1998. Mr. Zhu received his Bachelors
degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Board of Directors
Our board of directors currently consists of nine
directors. Currently, our preferred shareholders have the right
to appoint five non-independent directors (as indicated in the
table above). The founding shareholders have the right to elect
the remaining non-independent directors. Our articles of
association allow for two independent directors to be appointed
to our board by the holders of a majority of our outstanding
ordinary shares on an as converted basis.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Audit Committee.
Our
audit committee reports to the board regarding the appointment
of our independent public accountants, the scope and results of
our annual audits, compliance with our accounting and financial
policies and managements procedures and policies
relatively to the adequacy of our internal accounting controls.
Compensation Committee.
Our compensation committee reviews and
makes recommendations to the board regarding our compensation
policies and all forms of compensation to be provided to our
executive officers and directors. In addition, the compensation
committee reviews bonus and stock compensation arrangements for
all of our other employees.
72
We intend to comply with the requirements of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Nasdaqs recently proposed
corporate governance rules with respect to audit committees and
independent directors on or prior to the closing of this
offering. We are considering amending the charters of the
committees of our board of directors to comply with the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Nasdaq requirements.
Duties of Directors
Under Cayman Islands law, our directors have a
statutory duty of loyalty to act honestly in good faith with a
view to our best interests. Our directors also have a duty to
exercise the skill they actually possess and such care and
diligence that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in
comparable circumstances. In fulfilling their duty of care to
us, our directors must ensure compliance with our memorandum and
articles of association. A shareholder has the right to seek
damages if a duty owed by our directors is breached.
Terms of Directors and Officers
All directors hold office until their successors
have been duly elected and qualified. A director may only be
removed by the shareholders who nominated and elected such
director. Officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of
the board of directors.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we intend
to amend our articles of association to contain provisions that
may discourage transactions involving an actual or potential
change of control of our company, including dividing our board
of directors into three classes, each having a term of three
years, with the term of one class expiring each year. 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 was not in place.
Compensation of Directors and Executive
Officers
For the year ended December 31, 2002, the
aggregate cash compensation to our current senior executive
officers, James Jianzhang Liang, Neil Nanpeng Shen and Min Fan,
was approximately US$402,262, and we did not pay any cash
compensation to our non-executive directors. We did not grant
any options to acquire our ordinary shares to our directors and
executives officers in 2002.
We have not paid any cash compensation to our
non-executive directors in 2003. For the nine months ended
September 30, 2003, the aggregate cash compensation to our
senior executive officers named above was approximately
RMB2,350,000 (US$283,916). We granted options to acquire an
aggregate of 470,000 ordinary shares to our executive officers
as a group over the same period, but did not grant any options
to our non-executive directors for the nine months ended
September 30, 2003.
Employees Stock Option Plans
Our board of directors has adopted two stock
option plans, namely, the 2003 Employees Option Plan, or
the 2003 Plan, and 2000 Employees Stock Option Plan, or
the 2000 Plan. The terms of the 2003 Plan and the 2000 Plan are
substantially similar. The purpose of the Plans is to attract
and retain the best available personnel for positions of
substantial responsibility, to provide additional incentive to
employees, directors and consultants and to promote the success
of our business. Our board of directors believes that our
companys long term success is dependent upon our ability
to attract and retain superior individuals who, by virtue of
their ability and qualifications, make important contributions
to our business.
We have granted options to purchase our ordinary
shares under the 2000 Plan to our employees, of which 1,535,760
options are outstanding. We will not issue any additional
options under the 2000 Plan to our employees. The following
table summarizes, as of November 24, 2003, the option
grants made under our
73
We have reserved an aggregate of 1,187,510 of our
ordinary shares for issuance under the 2003 Plan, of which
980,640 options are issued and outstanding. The following table
summarizes, as of November 24, 2003, the option grants made
under our 2003 Plan to several of our directors and senior
executive officers named below, and to our other employees since
our board of directors adopted the 2003 Plan. The value of the
options granted in October and November 2003, based on the
midpoint of the filing range set forth on the front cover of
this prospectus, is US$427,220.
Termination of
Options.
Where the option agreement
permits the exercise or purchase of the options granted for a
certain period of time following the recipients
termination of service with us, or the recipients
disability or death, the options will terminate to the extent
not exercised or purchased on the last day of the specified
period or the last day of the original term of the options,
whichever occurs first.
Administration.
Our
stock option plans are administered by our board of directors or
a committee designated by our board of directors 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 option grant,
including, but not limited to, the option vesting schedule,
repurchase provisions, rights of first refusal,
74
Vesting Schedule.
One-third of the options granted under our stock option plans
vest 12 months after a specified vesting commencement date;
an additional one-third vest 24 months after the specified
commencement date and the remaining one-third vest
36 months after the specified commencement date, subject to
the optionee continuing to be a service provider on each of such
dates.
Option Agreement.
Options granted under our stock option plans are evidenced by an
option agreement that contains, among other things, provisions
concerning exercisability and forfeiture upon termination of
employment or consulting arrangement (by reason of death,
disability or otherwise), as determined by our board. In
addition, the option agreement also provides that options
granted under each Plan are subject to a 180-day lock-up period
following the effective date of a registration statement filed
by us under the Securities Act, if so requested by us or any
representative of the underwriters in connection with any
registration of the offering of any of our securities.
Transfer
Restrictions.
Incentive stock options
for the ordinary shares to be issued upon exercise of and right
to purchase ordinary shares may not be transferred in any manner
by the optionee other than by will or the laws of succession and
are exercisable during the lifetime of the optionee only by the
optionee.
Option Exercise.
The
term of options granted under the 2000 Plan may not exceed ten
years from the date of grant. The term of options granted under
the 2003 Plan may not exceed five years from the date of grant.
The consideration to be paid for our ordinary shares upon
exercise of an option or purchase of shares underlying the
option will be determined by the stock option plan administrator
and may include cash, check, ordinary shares, a promissory note,
consideration received by us under a cashless exercise program
implemented by us in connection with our stock option plans, or
any combination of the foregoing methods of payment.
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
options or share purchase rights will be assumed or equivalent
options or rights substituted by the successor corporation or
parent or subsidiary of 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 and all unexercised awards
will terminate unless, in either case, the awards are assumed by
the successor corporation or its parent.
Termination of
Plans.
Unless terminated earlier, the
2003 Plan will terminate automatically in 2008 and the 2000 Plan
will terminate automatically in 2010. Our board of directors has
the authority to amend or terminate our stock option plans
subject to shareholder approval to the extent necessary to
comply with applicable law. However, no such action may
(i) impair the rights of any optionee unless agreed by the
optionee and the stock option plan administrator, or
(ii) affect the stock option plan administrators
ability to exercise the powers granted to it under our stock
option plans.
75
Directors and Executive Officers
Age
Position/Title
33
Co-founder; Chairman of the Board; Chief
Executive Officer
35
Co-founder; President; Chief Financial Officer;
Director
35
Deputy Chairman of the Board
31
Director
44
Director
33
Director
49
Director
37
Co-founder; Director
42
Director
38
Co-founder; Executive Vice President
48
Vice President
34
Vice President
35
Vice President
34
Vice President
(1)
Member of Audit Committee.
(2)
Member of Compensation Committee.
(3)
Appointed by Carlyle Asia Venture
Partners I, L.P.
(4)
Appointed by S.I. Technology Venture Capital
Limited.
(5)
Appointed by IDG Technology Venture Investment,
Inc. and IDG Technology Venture Investments, L.P.
(6)
Appointed by China Enterprise Investments
No. 11 Limited.
Ordinary Shares
Underlying Options
Date of
Granted
Exercise Price
Date of Grant
Expiration
(US$/Share)
144,000
0.7716
April 15, 2000
April 15, 2005
144,000
0.7716
April 15, 2000
April 15, 2005
172,800
0.7716
April 15, 2000
April 15, 2005
129,600
0.7716
April 15, 2000
April 15, 2005
945,360
0.7716
April 15, 2000 to
January 1, 2003
April 15, 2005 to
January 1, 2010
1,535,760
Ordinary Shares
Underlying Options
Date of
Granted
Exercise Price
Date of Grant
Expiration
(US$/Share)
230,000
2.11
April 15, 2003
April 15, 2008
120,000
2.11
April 15, 2003
April 15, 2008
120,000
2.11
April 15, 2003
April 15, 2008
30,000
6.00
October 27, 2003
October 27, 2008
30,000
6.00
October 27, 2003
October 27, 2008
241,660
2.11
April 15, 2003
April 15, 2008
50,000
5.00
October 3, 2003
October 3, 2008
20,000
6.00
October 27, 2003
October 27, 2008
103,980
80% of the
midpoint of the
filing range
October 30, 2003
October 30, 2008
35,000
90% of the
midpoint of the
filing range
November 14, 2003
November 14, 2008
980,640
PRINCIPAL AND SELLING SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information with
respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares, on a
fully diluted basis assuming conversion of all of our preferred
shares and taking into account the aggregate number of ordinary
shares underlying our outstanding options, as of
November 24, 2003, by:
76
77
78
Prior to the issuance of our Series B
preferred shares in November 2000, Neil Nanpeng Shen, James
Jianzhang Liang, Qi Ji, IDG Technology Venture
Investments, L.P., and S.I. Technology Venture Capital
Limited, owned 21.93%, 16.45%, 16.45%, 12.04% and 3.70%,
respectively, of the outstanding shares of our company. Their
ownership interests were reduced to 11.97%, 8.98%, 8.98%, 9.19%
and 7.26%, respectively, after the issuance of Series B
preferred shares, as Carlyle Asia Venture Partners I, L.P.
acquired an ownership interest of 32.25%. The ownership
interests of Neil Nanpeng Shen, James Jianzhang Liang, Qi Ji,
Carlyle Asia Venture Partners I, L.P., S.I. Technology
Venture Capital Limited and IDG Technology Venture Investments,
L.P. were reduced to 10.52%, 7.89%, 7.89%, 28.34%, 6.38% and
8.08%, respectively, after the issuance of our Series C
preferred shares to Tiger Technology Private Investment
Partners, L.P. and its affiliate, who together acquired an
ownership interest of 8.85%, and partial redemption of our
outstanding shares in September 2003. All of the calculations in
this paragraph exclude shares underlying outstanding options.
As of the date of this prospectus, approximately
11.3%, 33.3%, 8.4% and 100% of our outstanding ordinary shares,
Series A preferred shares, Series B preferred shares
and Series C preferred shares, respectively, are held by
one, seven, seven and two record holders in the United States,
respectively.
Our shareholders are entitled to vote together as
a single class on all matters submitted to shareholders vote. No
shareholder has different voting rights from other shareholders.
Two of our selling shareholders, namely, Carlyle
Asia Venture Partners I, L.P. and CIPA Co-Investment, L.P.,
have represented to us that they are affiliated with a
registered broker-dealer. Based on such shareholders
representations, we believe that at the time of the purchase of
the shares to be offered by them in this offering, each such
shareholder had no agreements or understandings, directly or
indirectly, with any person to distribute them. Before Carlyle
Asia Venture and CIPA Co-Investment purchased our Series B
preferred shares in November 2000, they were not affiliated or
otherwise related to us. Neither Carlyle Asia Venture nor CIPA
Co-Investment is in the business of underwriting securities.
We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at
a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company.
79
(1) each of our directors and senior
executive officers;
(2) each person known to us to own
beneficially more than 5.0% of our ordinary shares; and
(3) each other selling shareholder.
Ordinary Shares
Shares Beneficially
Beneficially Owned
Shares Being Sold in
Owned After This
Prior to This Offering
This Offering
Offering
Name
Number(1)
%(2)
Number
%
Number(1)
%
2,854,924
10.52
%
380,261
12.68%
2,474,663
7.60%
2,317,238
8.54
%
285,202
9.51%
2,032,036
6.24%
2,072,838
7.64
%
285,202
9.51%
1,787,036
5.49%
745,907
2.75
%
82,469
2.75%
663,438
2.04%
706,057
2.60
%
60,652
2.02%
645,405
1.98%
64,104
0.24
%
64,104
0.20%
30,000
0.11
%
30,000
0.09%
8,791,068
32.38
%
1,093,786
36.46%
7,697,282
23.65%
6,981,267
25.72
%
1,024,614
34.15%
5,956,653
18.30%
2,180,755
8.03
%
2,180,755
6.70%
1,989,110
7.33
%
291,934
9.73%
1,697,176
5.21%
1,571,958
5.79
%
230,710
7.69%
1,341,248
4.12%
1,312,506
4.83
%
192,631
6.42%
1,119,875
3.44%
875,004
3.22
%
128,421
4.28%
746,583
2.29%
128,435
0.47
%
18,850
0.63%
109,585
0.34%
56,191
0.21
%
8,247
0.27%
47,944
0.15%
24,082
0.09
%
3,534
0.12%
20,548
0.06%
17,452
0.06
%
2,561
0.09%
14,891
0.05%
16,055
0.06
%
2,356
0.08%
13,699
0.04%
16,055
0.06
%
2,356
0.08%
13,699
0.04%
(1)
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance
with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and
includes voting or investment power with respect to the
securities.
(2)
The number of ordinary shares outstanding used in
calculating the percentage for each listed person includes the
ordinary shares of underlying options held by such persons.
Percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 27,147,294
ordinary shares outstanding as of November 24, 2003 on a
fully diluted basis, including 1,535,760 options granted under
the 2000 Plan and 980,640 options granted under the 2003 Plan.
(3)
Includes 2,590,924 ordinary shares held by
Mr. Shen and 264,000 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise
of options held by Mr. Shen. The address for Mr. Shen
is Unit 2001, The Centrium, 60 Wyndham St., Central,
Hong Kong.
(4)
Includes 1,943,238 ordinary shares held by
Mr. Liang and 374,000 ordinary shares issuable upon
exercise of options held by Mr. Liang. The address for
Mr. Liang is 3rd Floor, Block 63, No. 421 Hong Cao
Road, Shanghai, PRC.
(5)
Includes 1,943,238 ordinary shares held by
Mr. Ji and 129,600 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise
of options held by Mr. Ji. The address for Mr. Ji is
3rd Floor, Block 63, No. 421 Hong Cao Road, Shanghai,
PRC.
(6)
Includes 561,907 ordinary shares held by
Mr. Wang and 184,000 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise
of options held by Mr. Wang. The address for Mr. Wang
is 6F-G, Block A, Dong Huan Plaza Office Building, No. 9,
Dong Zhong Road, Beijing, PRC.
(7)
Includes 413,257 ordinary shares held by
Mr. Fan and 292,800 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise
of options held by Mr. Fan. The address for Mr. Fan is
3rd Floor, Block 63, No. 421 Hong Cao Road, Shanghai,
PRC.
(8)
Includes 26,250 ordinary shares issuable upon
conversion of Series A preferred shares, 7,854 ordinary
shares issuable upon conversion of Series B preferred
shares, and 30,000 ordinary shares issued upon exercise of
options held by Mr. Li. The address for Mr. Li is
Suite 5180, 555 California Street, San Francisco,
CA 94104.
(9)
Includes 30,000 ordinary shares issuable upon
exercise of options held by Mr. Stein. The address for
Mr. Stein is Level 34 Centennial Tower, 3 Temasek
Ave., Singapore 039190.
(10)
Shares owned by all of our directors and
executive officers as a group include shares beneficially owned
by James Jianzhang Liang, Neil Nanpeng Shen, Min Fan, Qi Ji,
Gabriel Li, Robert Stein and Victor Shengli Wang. Shares
beneficially owned by our directors and executive officers prior
to this offering includes additional options to acquire
1,304,400 ordinary shares. Shares beneficially owned by all of
our directors and executive officers after this offering
includes options to acquire 758,400 ordinary shares that are
exercisable within 60 days of November 24, 2003, all
of which will become exercisable upon completion of this
offering.
(11)
Includes 6,581,682 ordinary shares issuable upon
conversion of Series B preferred shares held by Carlyle
Asia Venture Partners I, L.P., or Asia Ventures, and
399,585 ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of
Series B preferred shares held by CIPA Co-Investment, L.P.,
or CIPA. Asia Ventures and CIPA are investment partnerships. The
general partner of each of Asia Ventures and CIPA is CIPA
General Partner, L.P. The general partner of CIPA General
Partner, L.P., is CIPA Ltd., a Cayman Islands limited company
which is wholly-owned by TC Group Cayman, L.P. The general
partner of TC Group Cayman, L.P. is TCG Holdings Cayman,
L.P. The general partner of TCG Holdings Cayman, L.P. is Carlyle
Offshore Partners II, Limited, a Cayman Islands limited company.
Carlyle Offshore Partners II, Limited, has ultimate voting and
dispositive control over the shares held by Asia Ventures and
CIPA through its control of TCG Holdings Cayman, L.P. Carlyle
Offshore Partners II, Limited is managed by a board of six
directors. The directors are William E. Conway, Jr.,
Daniel A. DAniello, David M. Rubenstein,
Allan M. Holt, Jerome H. Powell and Bruce E.
Rosenblum, each of whom disclaims beneficial ownership of the
shares held by Asia Ventures and CIPA. The address for Carlyle
Asia Venture Partners I, L.P. and CIPA is Suite 2801,
28th Floor, 2 Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong
Kong.
(12)
Includes 2,173,122 ordinary shares issuable upon
conversion of Series C preferred shares held by Tiger
Technology Private Investment Partners, L.P. and 7,633 ordinary
shares issuable upon conversion of
Series C preferred shares held by Tiger
Technology II, L.P. Tiger Technology PIP Performance,
L.L.C., or Tiger PIP, is the sole general partner of Tiger
Technology Private Investment Partners, L.P. Charles P.
Coleman III, a citizen of the United States of
America, is the sole managing member of Tiger PIP. Tiger
Technology Performance, L.L.C., or Tiger Performance, is the
sole general partner of Tiger Technology II, L.P. Charles
P. Coleman III is the sole managing member of Tiger
Performance. The address for Tiger Technology Private Investment
Partners, L.P. and Tiger Technology II, L.P. is 101 Park
Avenue, 48th Floor, New York 10178, U.S.A.
(13)
Includes (a) 984,380 ordinary shares;
(b) 437,502 ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of
Series A preferred shares held by IDG Technology Venture
Investment, Inc.; and (c) 567,228 ordinary shares issuable
upon conversion of Series B preferred shares held by IDG
Technology Venture Investments, L.P. IDG Technology Venture
Investment, Inc. is wholly owned by International Data Group,
Inc., a Massachusetts corporation, which in turn is majority
owned and controlled by Patrick J. McGovern, the chairman and
founder of International Data Group, Inc. The address for IDG
Technology Venture Investment, Inc. is 15th Floor, One Exeter
Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, USA.
(14)
Includes 437,502 ordinary shares issuable upon
conversion of Series A preferred shares and 1,134,456
ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of Series B
preferred shares held by S.I. Technology Venture Capital
Limited. S.I. Technology Venture Capital Limited is 100% owned
by Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong company,
which in turn is 58% owned by Shanghai Industrial Investment
(Holdings) Co., Ltd., or SIIC, a private limited company
incorporated in Hong Kong. SIIC is controlled by the Shanghai
government. The address for S.I. Technology Venture Capital
Limited is P.O. Box 957, Offshore Incorporation Centre,
Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
(15)
Includes 1,312,506 ordinary shares issuable upon
conversion of Series A Preferred Shares held by China
Enterprise Investments No. 11 Limited. China Enterprise
Investments No. 11 Limited is 100% owned by China Enterprise
Fund, a Cayman Islands company also known as Global Fund Trust
Company. Go-To-Asia Investment Limited, a company incorporated
in Hong Kong, is the investment manager of Global Fund Trust
Company. Go-To-Asia Investment Limited is directly controlled by
its directors, Junichi Goto and Masaaki Miyagawa. The address
for China Enterprise Investments No. 11 Limited is
Unit 1902B, 60 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong.
(16)
Includes 875,004 ordinary shares issuable upon
conversion of Series A preferred shares. Ecity Investment
Limited, a British Virgin Islands corporation, is wholly owned
by Morningside CyberVentures Holdings Limited, a British Virgin
Islands corporation, which is in turn wholly owned by The NTX-II
Trust, an Isle of Man Trust, the trustee of which is Verrall
Limited, an Isle of Man corporation. Verrall Limited controls
indirectly, through The NTX-II Trust, a 100% interest in Ecity
Investment Limited, and as a result has the sole power to vote
and dispose of the shares of Ctrip.com International, Ltd. held
by Ecity Investment Limited. Verrall Limited is controlled by
its Board of Directors, consisting of HO Tuen Yee, Peter
S.A. Edwards, Richard F.G. Pease and Charles S. Stewart, all of
whom expressly disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares held
by Ecity Investment Limited. The address for Ecity Investment
Limited is 2nd Floor, Le Prince de Galles, 3-5 Avenue
des Citronniers, MC 98000 Monaco.
(17)
Includes 128,435 ordinary shares. The address for
Jing Dong Li is 6F-G, Block A, Dong Huan Plaza Office Building,
No. 9, Dong Zhong Road, Beijing, PRC.
(18)
Includes 56,191 ordinary shares. The address for
Xiao Tan is 6F-G, Block A, Dong Huan Plaza Office Building, No.
9, Dong Zhong Road, Beijing, PRC.
(19)
Includes 24,082 ordinary shares. The address for
Ze Sheng Wang is 6F-G, Block A, Dong Huan Plaza Office
Building, No. 9, Dong Zhong Road, Beijing, PRC.
(20)
Includes 17,452 ordinary shares issuable upon
conversion of Series B preferred shares. Openventure
Company Limited is 100% owned by its director, Louise Leung. The
address for Openventure Company Limited is 4B, 11 Boyce
Road, Hong Kong.
(21)
Includes 16,055 ordinary shares. The address for
Xi Yuan Fang is 6F-G, Block A, Dong Huan Plaza Office Building,
No. 9, Dong Zhong Road, Beijing, PRC.
(22)
Includes 16,055 ordinary shares. The address for
Yu Sun is 6F-G, Block A, Dong Huan Plaza Office Building,
No. 9, Dong Zhong Road, Beijing, PRC.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Arrangements with Affiliated Chinese
Entities
Current Chinese laws and regulations impose
substantial restrictions on foreign ownership of the
air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising and Internet content
provision businesses in China. Therefore, we conduct part of our
operations in our non-hotel reservation businesses through a
series of agreements with our affiliated Chinese entities, which
hold the licenses and approvals for conducting the
air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising and Internet content
provision businesses in China. We do not hold any ownership
interest in our affiliated Chinese entities. Qi Ji, who is a
co-founder, shareholder and director of our company, Min Fan,
who is a co-founder, shareholder and executive vice president of
our company, and Alex Nanyan Zheng, who is an officer, are the
principal owners of most of the equity in each of our affiliated
Chinese entities. Qi Ji and Min Fan own 80% and 20%,
respectively, of Beijing Chenhao. Qi Ji and Min Fan own 51% and
49%, respectively, of Ctrip Commerce, which owns 90% of Shanghai
Huacheng. Min Fan and Alex Nanyan Zheng own 90% and 10%,
respectively, of Guangzhou Guangcheng. Min Fan owns 66% of
Shanghai Cuiming.
We believe that the terms of these agreements are
no less favorable than the terms that we could obtain from
disinterested third parties. The terms of the agreements with
the same title between the company and its respective affiliated
entities are identical except for the amount of the loans to the
shareholders of each entity and the amount of service fees paid
by each entity. We believe that Qi Ji, Min Fan and Alex Nanyan
Zheng will not receive any personal benefits from these
agreements except as shareholders of Ctrip. According to our
Chinese counsel, Commerce & Finance Law Offices, these
agreements are valid, binding and enforceable under the current
laws and regulations of China. The principal terms of these
agreements are described below.
Powers of
Attorney.
Each of Qi Ji,
Min Fan and Alex Nanyan Zheng has irrevocably appointed our
President and Chief Financial Officer, Neil Nanpeng Shen,
as attorney-in-fact to vote on their behalf on all matters they
are entitled to vote on, including matters relating to the
transfer of any or all of their respective equity interests in
our affiliated Chinese entities and the appointment of the chief
executive officer of our affiliated Chinese entities. The
appointment of Mr. Shen as the attorney-in-fact will
terminate if he is no longer employed by one of our subsidiaries
in China. The term of each of the powers of attorney is ten
years.
Exclusive Technical Consulting and Services
Agreements.
We provide our
affiliated Chinese entities with technical consulting and
related services and staff training and information services. We
also maintain their network platforms. We are the exclusive
provider of these services. The initial term of these agreements
is ten years. In consideration for our services, our affiliated
entities agree to pay our service fees as follows: Ctrip
Commerce pays us a quarterly fee of RMB240,000 (US$28,996);
Beijing Chenhao pays us a monthly fee based on the number of
airline tickets sold in the month, at the rate of RMB18.0
(US$2.2) per ticket; Shanghai Huacheng pays us a monthly fee
based on the number of packaged-tour products and the number of
airline tickets sold in the month, at the rates of RMB60.0
(US$7.3) per tour and RMB20.0 (US$2.4) per ticket; Guangzhou
Guangcheng pays us a monthly fee based on the number of airline
tickets sold in the month, at the rate of RMB18.0 (US$2.2) per
ticket; and Shanghai Cuiming pays us a monthly service fee based
on the number of packaged-tour products sold in the month, at
the rate of RMB60.0 (US$7.3) per tour. The service fees are
subject to quarterly adjustment based on the actual operating
results of our affiliated entities.
Share Pledge
Agreements.
Qi Ji,
Min Fan and Alex Nanyan Zheng pledge their respective
equity interests in our affiliated Chinese entities as a
guarantee for the payment by our affiliated Chinese entities of
technical and consulting services fees to us under the exclusive
technical consulting and services agreements described above. In
the event any of our affiliated entity breaches any of its
obligations under the service agreement with us, we are entitled
to sell the equity interests held by Qi Ji, Min Fan and/or Alex
Nanyan Zheng, as the case may be, and retain the proceeds from
such sale or require any of them to transfer his equity interest
without consideration to the Chinese citizen(s) designated by
us. We will endeavor to enforce our rights in full under the
share pledge agreement in the event that any affiliated entity
breaches its obligations under the exclusive technical
consulting and services agreement with us.
80
Trademark License
Agreements.
We grant our
affiliated Chinese entities licenses to use our registered
trademarks on their websites for a license fee of RMB3,000
(US$362) per year. The terms of these agreements are
ten years and may be extended by us for one year.
Software License Agreements.
We grant our affiliated Chinese
entities the right to use our software for a royalty fee of
RMB3,000 (US$362) per year. The terms of these agreements are
one year and may be extended by us for one year.
Loan
Agreements.
Due to government
restrictions on foreign ownership of air-ticketing, travel
agencies, Internet content provision and advertising businesses
in China, we have made loans to Qi Ji, Min Fan and
Alex Nanyan Zheng, with the sole and exclusive purpose of
providing funds necessary for the capitalization or acquisition
of our affiliated entities. In the event that the Chinese
government lifts its substantial restrictions on foreign
ownership of the air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising or
Internet content provision business in China, as applicable, we
will exercise our exclusive option to purchase all of the
outstanding equity interests of our affiliated Chinese entities,
as described in the following paragraph, and the loans will be
cancelled in connection with such purchase. However, it is
uncertain when, if at all, the Chinese government will lift any
or all of these restrictions. The following table sets forth the
amount of each loan, the date the loan agreement was entered
into, the principal, interest, maturity date and outstanding
balance of the loan, the borrower and the affiliated Chinese
entity.
Exclusive Option
Agreements.
As consideration for
our entering into the loan agreements described above, each of
Qi Ji, Min Fan and Alex Nanyan Zheng has granted us an
exclusive, irrevocable option to purchase all of their equity
interests in our affiliated Chinese entities at any time we
desire, subject to compliance with the applicable Chinese laws
and regulations. If we exercise these options, we will cancel
the outstanding loans we extended to Qi Ji, Min Fan and Alex
Nanyan Zheng to fund our affiliated Chinese entities.
Operating
Agreements.
We guarantee the
performance by our affiliated Chinese entities of contracts,
agreements or transactions with third parties relating to the
business operations of our affiliated Chinese entities. As
consideration for our entering into these performance
guarantees, our affiliated Chinese entities pledge their
accounts receivable and all of their assets for our benefit. In
addition, our affiliated Chinese entities and their shareholders
agree not to enter into any transaction that would affect the
assets, obligations, rights or operations of our affiliated
Chinese entities without our prior written consent. They also
agree to accept our guidance with respect to day-to-day
operations, financial management systems and the appointment and
dismissal of key employees.
All of the agreements described above were
entered into in September 2003. Prior to September 2003, we had
services agreements with Beijing Chenhao, Shanghai Huacheng and
Ctrip Commerce, whereby we rendered consulting, technology,
administrative, marketing and other services to them, and issued
invoices to them on a monthly basis based on the amount of
service fees determined at our sole discretion. These
81
Stock Option Grants
We have granted options to purchase our ordinary
shares under the 2000 Plan to our employees, of which 1,535,760
options are outstanding. We will not issue any additional
options under the 2000 Plan to our employees. The following
table summarizes, as of November 24, 2003, the option
grants made under our 2000 Plan to several of our current senior
executive officers named below and Qi Ji, a former
executive officer, and to our other employees as a group since
our board of directors adopted the 2000 Plan.
We have reserved an aggregate of 1,187,510 of our
ordinary shares for issuance under the 2003 Plan, of which
980,640 options are issued and outstanding. The following table
summarizes, as of November 24, 2003, the option grants made
under our 2003 Plan to several of our directors and senior
executive officers named below, and to our other employees since
our board of directors adopted the 2003 Plan. The value of the
options granted in October and November 2003, based on the
midpoint of the filing range set forth on the front cover of
this prospectus, is US$427,220.
82
Private Placements
In March 2000, we sold a total of 4,320,000
shares of Series A preferred shares in a private placement
at a price of US$1.0417 per share, including 921,600 shares to
Orchid Asia II, L.P., 1,440,000 shares to China Enterprise
Investments No. 11 Limited (formerly known as Softbank
China Venture Investments No. 11 Limited),
960,000 shares to Ecity Investment Limited, 480,000 IDG
Technology Venture Investment, Inc. (formerly known as
PTV-China Inc.), 480,000 shares to S.I. Technology
Venture Capital Limited and certain individual shareholders. The
holders of Series A preferred shares are entitled to vote
on an as converted basis together with the holders
of our ordinary shares. Each Series A preferred share will
automatically convert into one ordinary share upon the closing
of this offering. Except for IDG Technology Venture, which was
also a holder of our ordinary shares, each of the purchasers of
our Series A preferred shares was an unrelated third party
prior to the issuance and sale of our Series A preferred
shares. The value of the Series A preferred shares was
determined based on arms-length negotiations between us
and the purchasers and approved by our board of directors. The
purpose of the issuance of our Series A preferred shares
was to fund our working capital.
In November 2000, we sold a total of 7,193,464
shares of Series B preferred shares in a private placement
at a price of US$1.5667 per share, including 5,106,274 shares to
Carlyle Asia Venture Partners I, L.P., 638,285 shares to
Softbank Asia Net-Trans (No. 4) Limited,
414,885 shares to IDG Technology Venture Investments, L.P.,
829,770 shares to S.I. Technology Venture Capital Limited,
12,765 shares to Openventure Company Limited,
183,826 shares to Orchid Asia II, L.P. and certain
individuals. Holders of the Series B preferred shares are
entitled to vote on an as converted basis together
with holders of our ordinary shares and have the right to
convert their Series B preferred shares into ordinary
shares at a 1 to 1.5 conversion ratio. Each Series B
preferred share will automatically convert into 1.5 ordinary
shares upon the closing of this offering. Each of the purchasers
of our Series B preferred shares, except for those who also
held our ordinary shares and Series A preferred shares, was
an unrelated third party prior to the issuance and sale of our
Series B preferred shares. The value of the Series B
preferred shares was determined based on arms-length
negotiations between us and the purchasers and approved by our
board of directors. The purpose of the issuance of our
Series B preferred shares was to fund our working capital.
In September 2003, we sold 2,180,755 shares of
Series C preferred shares in a private placement at a price
of US$4.5856 per share to Tiger Technology Private Investment
Partners, L.P. and Tiger Technology II, L.P. A holder of
Series C preferred shares is entitled to vote on an
as converted basis together with holders of our
ordinary shares and has the right to convert shares of
Series C preferred share into ordinary shares at a
1 to 1 conversion ratio. Each Series C preferred share
will automatically convert into one ordinary share upon the
closing of this offering. Each of the purchasers of our
Series C preferred shares was an unrelated third party
prior to the issuance and sale of our Series C preferred
shares. The value of the Series C preferred shares was
determined based on arms-length negotiations between us
and the purchasers and approved by our board of directors.
The purposes of the issuance and sale of our
Series C preferred shares were to introduce new and
well-known investors to facilitate our potential future fund
raising efforts and reward our existing shareholders.
Immediately after the closing of the sale of our Series C
preferred shares, we used the proceeds from such sale to redeem
some of our outstanding shares, including 842,938, 382,482 and
636,891 shares of ordinary shares, Series A preferred
shares and Series B preferred shares, respectively, at
redemption prices of US$4.5282, US$4.5282 and US$6.7924 per
share, respectively, after taking into consideration the legal
and professional service expenses incurred in connection with
the issuance of Series C preferred shares. Each of our then
existing shareholders, including our affiliates Carlyle Asia
Venture Partners I, L.P., IDG Technology Venture
Investment, Inc., S.I. Technology Venture Capital Limited,
Neil Nanpeng Shen, James Jianzhang Liang, Min Fan and Qi Ji,
participated in our partial redemption of outstanding shares
based on the pro rata ownership interest held by such
shareholder prior to the issuance and sale of our Series C
preferred shares. None of our related parties received any
payment for professional services expenses incurred in
connection with our issuance and sale of Series C preferred
shares.
83
Shareholders Agreement
We and our existing shareholders entered into a
shareholders agreement in September 2003. Pursuant to the
shareholders agreement, our board of directors may consist of up
to ten members, including two members nominated collectively by
Carlyle Asia Venture Partners I, L.P., or Carlyle, and CIPA
Co-Investments, L.P., three members nominated by each of the
three largest holders of our Series A preferred shares,
Series B preferred shares and ordinary shares excluding
Carlyle and our founders, respectively, three members nominated
by our founders, and two independent directors nominated by
holders of a majority of our outstanding shares calculated on an
as-converted basis. In addition, holders of our preferred shares
are entitled to certain registration rights with respect to any
public offering of our ordinary shares, as described in
Description of Share Capital Registration
Rights, and they have waived such rights in connection
with this offering. Holders of our preferred shares also have
rights of first refusal to purchase their respective pro rata
portion of any new securities issued by us, except in the case
of our initial public offering and share issuances under our
stock option plans. This right will terminate upon the closing
of this offering. We and our shareholders intend to amend the
shareholders agreement immediately after the consummation of
this offering.
Certain Leased Property in Shanghai
We lease approximately 1,223 square meters of our
premises in Shanghai from a company controlled by the spouse of
our Chief Executive Officer, James Jianzhang Liang. Our lease
term commenced on May 1, 2003 and will expire on
February 1, 2005. The annual rent for this lease is
RMB500,000 (US$60,408).
84
Affiliated
Date of Loan Agreement
Borrower
Entity
Principal
Interest
Maturity Date
Outstanding Balance
(in thousands
(in thousands
(in thousands
(in thousands
of RMB)
of US$)
of RMB)
of US$)
Min Fan
Beijing
Chenhao
387.4
46.8
None
September 10, 2013
387.4
46.8
Qi Ji
Beijing
Chenhao
1,549.5
187.2
None
September 10, 2013
1,549.5
187.2
Min Fan
Ctrip
Commerce
980.0
118.4
None
September 10, 2013
980.0
118.4
Qi Ji
Ctrip
Commerce
1,020.0
123.2
None
September 10, 2013
1,020.0
123.2
Alex Nanyan Zheng
Guangzhou
Guangcheng
50.0
6.0
None
September 10, 2013
50.0
6.0
Min Fan
Guangzhou
Guangcheng
450.0
54.4
None
September 10, 2013
450.0
54.4
Min Fan
Shanghai Cuiming
4,290.0
518.3
None
October 30, 2013
4,290.0
518.3
Ordinary Shares
Underlying Options
Date of
Granted
Exercise Price
Date of Grant
Expiration
(US$/Share)
144,000
0.7716
April 15, 2000
April 15, 2005
144,000
0.7716
April 15, 2000
April 15, 2005
172,800
0.7716
April 15, 2000
April 15, 2005
129,600
0.7716
April 15, 2000
April 15, 2005
945,360
0.7716
April 15, 2000 to
January 1, 2003
April 15, 2005 to
January 1, 2010
1,535,760
Ordinary Shares
Underlying Options
Date of
Granted
Exercise Price
Date of Grant
Expiration
(US$/Share)
230,000
2.11
April 15, 2003
April 15, 2008
120,000
2.11
April 15, 2003
April 15, 2008
120,000
2.11
April 15, 2003
April 15, 2008
30,000
6.00
October 27, 2003
October 27, 2008
30,000
6.00
October 27, 2003
October 27, 2008
241,660
2.11
April 15, 2003
April 15, 2008
50,000
5.00
October 3, 2003
October 3, 2008
20,000
6.00
October 27, 2003
October 27, 2008
103,980
80% of the midpoint of the filing range
October 30, 2003
October 30, 2008
35,000
90% of the midpoint of the filing range
November 14, 2003
November 14, 2008
980,640
DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL
As of the date of this prospectus, our authorized
share capital consists of 49,157,064 ordinary shares, par value
US$0.01 each; 3,937,518 Series A preferred shares, par
value US$0.01 each; 6,556,573 Series B preferred shares,
par value US$0.01 each; and 2,180,755 Series C preferred
shares, par value US$0.01 each. As of the date of this
prospectus, there are 8,677,760 ordinary shares issued and
outstanding; 3,937,518 Series A preferred shares issued and
outstanding; 6,556,573 Series B preferred shares issued and
outstanding; and 2,180,755 Series C preferred shares issued
and outstanding. All of our issued and outstanding
Series A, Series B and Series C preferred shares
will automatically be converted into our ordinary shares on a
basis of one ordinary share to 1, 1.5 and 1 preference share(s),
respectively, upon the closing of this offering.
Between March 2000 and September 2003, we issued
and sold shares of our Series A preferred shares,
Series B preferred shares and Series C preferred
shares in reliance upon Section 4(2) of the Securities Act,
and Regulation D and Regulation S promulgated
thereunder. Immediately after our issuance and sale of
Series C preferred shares, we used the proceeds from such
sale to redeem some of our outstanding shares held by our
existing shareholders. See Related Party
Transactions Private Placements.
We are a Cayman Islands company and our affairs
are governed by our memorandum and articles of association and
the Companies Law (2003 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, which
is referred to as the Companies Law below. Upon the closing of
this offering, we will adopt an amended and restated memorandum
and articles of association. The following are summaries of
(i) material provisions of our proposed amended and
restated memorandum and articles of association that we expect
will become effective upon the closing of this offering and
(ii) the Companies Law, insofar as they relate to the
material terms of our ordinary shares.
Ordinary Shares
General.
All
of our outstanding ordinary shares are fully paid and
non-assessable. Certificates representing the ordinary shares
are issued in registered form. Our shareholders who are
nonresidents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote
their shares.
Dividends.
The holders of our ordinary shares
are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board
of directors subject to the Companies Law.
Voting Rights.
Each ordinary share is entitled to
one vote on all matters upon which the ordinary shares are
entitled to vote. Voting at any meeting of shareholders is by
show of hands unless a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded
by the chairman of our board of directors or any other
shareholder present in person or by proxy and holding at least
ten percent of the shares giving a right to vote at the meeting.
A quorum required for a meeting of shareholders
consists of at least two shareholders present or by proxy or, if
a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly
authorized representative. Shareholders meetings are held
annually and may be convened by our board of directors on its
own initiative or upon a request to the directors by
shareholders holding in the aggregate 10.0% or more of our
voting share capital. Advance notice of at least seven days is
required for the convening of our annual general
shareholders meeting and other shareholders meetings.
An ordinary resolution to be passed by the
shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority
of the votes attaching to the ordinary shares cast in a general
meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative
vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes cast attaching to
the ordinary shares. A special resolution is required for
matters such as a change of name or amending the memorandum and
articles of association. Holders of the ordinary shares may by
ordinary resolution, among other things, make changes in the
amount of our authorized share capital and consolidate and
divide all or any of our share capital into shares of larger
amount than our existing share capital and cancel any shares.
Liquidation.
On a return of capital on winding
up or otherwise (other than on conversion, redemption or
purchase of shares), assets available for distribution among the
holders of ordinary shares shall
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Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares.
Our board of directors may from
time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid
on their shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least
14 days prior to the specified time and place of payment.
The shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are
subject to forfeiture.
Redemption of Shares.
Subject to the provisions of the
Companies Law, we may issue shares on the terms that they are,
or at our option or at the option of the holders are, subject to
redemption on such terms and in such manner as may be determined
by special resolution.
Variations of Rights of Shares.
All or any of the special rights
attached to any class of shares may, subject to the provisions
of the Companies Law, be varied either with the consent in
writing of the holders of three-fourths of the issued shares of
that class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed
at a general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.
Differences in Corporate Law
The Companies Law is modeled after that of the
United Kingdom but does not follow recent United Kingdom
statutory enactments. In addition, the Companies Law differs
from laws applicable to United States corporations and their
shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the significant
differences between the provisions of the Companies Law
applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies
incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements.
Cayman Islands law does not
provide for mergers as that expression is understood under
United States corporate law. However, there are statutory
provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation
of companies, provided that the arrangement in question is
approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders
and 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 would have the right to express to the court the
view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can
be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself
that:
When a take-over offer is made and accepted by
holders of 90.0% of the shares within four months, the offerer
may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the
remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the
offer. An objection may be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman
Islands but is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of
fraud, bad faith or collusion.
If the arrangement and reconstruction is thus
approved, any dissenting shareholders would have no rights
comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily
be available to dissenting shareholders of United States
corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for
the judicially determined value of the shares.
Shareholders Suits.
We are not aware of any reported
class action or derivative action having been brought in a
Cayman Islands court. In principle, we will normally be the
proper plaintiff and a derivative action may not be brought by a
minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities,
which would in
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Indemnification
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to
which a companys 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 or committing a crime.
Our articles of association provide for indemnification of
officers and directors for losses, damages, costs and expenses
incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own
willful neglect or default.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities
arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors,
officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing
provisions, we have been advised that in the opinion of the
Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and
therefore is unenforceable.
Registration Rights
Under the terms of our shareholders agreements
with certain of our shareholders, at any time after the closing
of the first firm commitment underwritten public offering of our
ordinary shares where the shares are subsequently primarily
traded on the Nasdaq National Market or the New York Stock
Exchange or other comparable exchange or market place approved
by our board of directors, any shareholder(s) holding of record
at least 50.0% of registrable shares then outstanding or any
permitted assignee of record of such registrable shares may, on
three occasions only, require us to effect the registration
under the Securities Act of all of the registrable shares that
such shareholder(s) request to be registered. Registrable shares
consist of (i) ordinary shares issued or to be issued
pursuant to conversion of any preferred shares, (ii) any
ordinary shares issued as (or issuable upon the conversion or
exercise of any warrant, right or other security which is issued
as) a dividend or other distribution with respect to, or in
exchange for or in replacement of, any preferred shares and
(iii) any other ordinary shares owned or acquired by any
holder of preferred shares. To effect such registration, the
registrable shares requested by all holders of registrable
shares to be registered must be at least 15.0% of all
registrable shares then outstanding. We are not, however,
obligated to effect any such registration if we have, within the
six-month period preceding the date of any request, already
effected a registration under the Securities Act pursuant to
(a) a request to exercise another registration right,
(b) a request by holders of registrable shares of
registration of registrable shares they hold on Form F-3 or
(c) the piggyback registration right as
described below, other than a registration from which the
registrable shares of the holders of registrable shares have
been excluded (with respect to all or any portion of the
registrable shares the holders of registrable shares requested
be included in such registration).
Further, any time after the first anniversary of
the date of the shareholders agreement, any holder or holders of
a majority of all registrable shares then outstanding or any
permitted assignees of record of registrable shares may require
us to effect a registration on Form F-3 (or any equivalent
registration in a jurisdiction outside of the United States) for
public sale of all or any portion of the registrable shares held
by such holder or holders. We are not, however, obligated to
effect any such registration on Form F-3:
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In addition, holders of registrable shares who
are parties to the shareholders agreement have
piggyback registration rights which may require us
to register all or any part of the registrable shares then held
by such holders when we file any registration statement under
the Securities Act other than a registration statement relating
to any employee benefit plan or corporate reorganization.
The foregoing registration rights are subject to
certain conditions and limitations, including:
We are generally required to bear all of the
expenses of all registrations, except underwriting discounts and
commissions. Registration of any of the ordinary shares held by
shareholders with registration rights would result in those
shares becoming freely tradeable without restriction under the
Securities Act immediately after the effectiveness of the
registration. We have agreed to indemnify the holders of
registration rights in connection with demand, Form F-3 and
piggyback registrations in certain circumstances.
Our obligations to register ordinary shares terminate seven
years after the consummation of an initial public offering, or,
with respect to any holder of registrable shares, such earlier
time after the initial public offering at which such holder can
sell all registrable shares held by it pursuant to
Rule 144(k) of the Securities Act or holds one percent or
less of the outstanding ordinary shares, and all registrable
shares held by such holder can be sold in any three-month period
without registration in compliance with Rule 144 of the
Securities Act.
We and our shareholders intend to amend our
shareholders agreement immediately after this offering, but the
terms relating to the registration rights described in this
prospectus are not expected to be changed in connection with
such amendment.
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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. See Where You Can Find Additional
Information.
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the statutory provisions as to majority vote have
been complied with;
the shareholders have been fairly represented at
the meeting in question;
the arrangement is such as a businessman would
reasonably approve; and
the arrangement is not one that would more
properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the
Companies Law.
a company is acting or proposing to act illegally
or beyond the scope of its authority;
the act complained of, although not beyond the
scope of its authority, could be effected duly if authorized by
more than a simple majority vote which has not been obtained; and
those who control the company are perpetrating a
fraud on the minority.
(i) if Form F-3 is not available for
such offering by the holders of registrable shares or any
permitted assignees of record of registrable shares;
(ii) if the holders of registrable shares or
any permitted assignees of record of registrable shares,
together with the holders of any of our other securities
entitled to inclusion in such
registration, propose to sell registrable shares
and such other securities (if any) at an aggregate price to the
public of less than US$5,000,000;
(iii) if we furnish to the holders of
registrable shares or any permitted assignees of record of
registrable shares a certificate signed by our president or
chief executive officer stating that in the good faith judgment
of our board of directors, it would be materially detrimental to
us and our shareholders for such Form F-3 Registration (or
equivalent registration in a jurisdiction outside of the United
States) to be effected at such time, in which event we have the
right to defer the filing of the Form F-3 registration
statement (or equivalent registration statement in a
jurisdiction outside of the United States) no more than
once during any 12-month period for a period of not more than
90 days after receipt of the request of the holder or
holders of registrable share or any permitted assignees of
record of registrable shares;
(iv) if we have, within the six-month period
preceding the date of such request, already effected a
registration under the Securities Act other than a registration
from which the registrable shares of holders of registrable
shares or any permitted assignees of record of registrable
shares have been excluded (with respect to all or any portion of
the registration shares the holders of registrable shares
requested to be included in such registration) pursuant to the
piggyback registration right described below; or
(v) in any particular jurisdiction in which
we would be required to qualify to do business or to execute a
general consent to service of process in effecting such
registration, qualification or compliance.
the right of the underwriters in any underwritten
offering to limit the number of ordinary shares to be registered
for public sale by shareholders; and
our right to delay for up to 90 days during
any 12-month period the filing of a registration statement if
our board of directors determines that the registration would be
seriously materially adverse to us and our shareholders at that
time.
DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY
SHARES
The Bank of New York will execute and deliver the
American Depositary Receipts representing Ordinary Shares of the
Par Value of US$0.01 per share of Ctrip.com International,
Ltd. (Incorporated under the Laws of Cayman Islands), also
referred to as ADRs. Each ADR is a certificate evidencing a
specific number of American Depositary Shares, also referred to
as ADSs. Each ADS will represent two ordinary shares (or a right
to receive two ordinary shares) deposited with the Hong Kong
office of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited,
as custodian. Each ADR will also represent securities, cash or
other property deposited with The Bank of New York but not
distributed to ADR holders. The depositarys corporate
trust office at which the ADRs will be administered is located
at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286.
You may hold ADSs either directly (by having an
ADR registered in your name) or indirectly through your broker
or other financial institution. If you hold ADSs directly, you
are an ADR holder. This description assumes you hold your ADSs
directly. If you hold the ADSs indirectly, you must rely on the
procedures of your broker or other financial institution to
assert the rights of ADR holders described in this section. You
should consult with your broker or financial institution to find
out what those procedures are.
As an ADR holder, we will not treat you as one of
our shareholders and you will not have shareholder rights. The
depositary will be the holder of the shares underlying your
ADSs. As a holder of ADRs, you will have ADR holder rights. A
deposit agreement among us, the depositary and you, as an ADR
holder, and the beneficial owners of ADRs set out ADR holder
rights as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary.
New York law governs the deposit agreement and the ADRs.
We are providing you with a summary of the
deposit agreement. You should read this summary together with
the deposit agreement and the ADR. You can inspect a copy of the
deposit agreement at the corporate trust office of the
depositary, currently located at 101 Barclay Street, New
York, New York 10286, and at the principal offices of the
custodian, which will act as agent of depositary, currently
located at 1 Queens Road, Central, Hong Kong. We urge
you to review the deposit agreement in its entirety as well as
the form of ADR attached to the deposit agreement.
Dividends and Other Distributions
The Bank of New York has agreed to pay to you the
cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian
receives on shares or other deposited securities after deducting
its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in
proportion to the number of shares your ADSs represent.
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The Bank of New York is not responsible if it
decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a
distribution available to any ADR holders. We have no obligation
to register ADSs, shares, rights or other securities under the
Securities Act. We also have no obligation to take any other
action to permit the distribution of ADRs, shares, rights or
anything else to ADR holders. This means that you may not
receive the distribution we make on our shares or any value for
them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them
available to you.
Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation
The Bank of New York will issue ADRs if you or
your broker deposit shares or evidence of rights to receive
shares with the custodian. Upon payment of its fees and expenses
and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock
transfer taxes or fees, The Bank of New York will register the
appropriate number of ADRs in the names you request and will
deliver the ADRs at its corporate trust office to the persons
you request.
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You may turn in your ADRs at The Bank of New
Yorks office. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of
any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer
taxes or fees, The Bank of New York will deliver:
Voting Rights
You may instruct The Bank of New York to vote the
shares underlying your ADSs but only if we ask The Bank of New
York to ask for your instructions. Otherwise, you will not be
able to exercise your right to vote unless you withdraw the
shares. However, you may not know about the meeting enough in
advance to withdraw the shares.
If we ask for your instructions, The Bank of New
York will notify you of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver
our voting materials to you. The materials will:
We cannot assure you that you will receive the
voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct The
Bank of New York to vote your shares. In addition, The Bank of
New York and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry
out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting
instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise
your right to vote and there may be nothing you can do if your
shares are not voted as you requested.
Notices and Reports
Upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders
of ADSs or other deposited securities, if requested in writing
by the company, The Bank of New York will, as soon as
practicable thereafter, mail to the owners of ADRs a notice
which contains (a) such information as is contained in such
notice of meeting received by The Bank of New York from the
company, (b) a statement that the owners of ADRs as of the
close of business on a specified record date will be entitled,
subject to any applicable provisions of the Cayman Islands law
and of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the
company, to instruct The Bank of New York as to the exercise of
the voting rights, if any, pertaining to the amount of shares or
other deposited securities represented by their respective ADSs,
and (c) a statement as to the manner in which instructions
may be given.
The Bank of New York will make available for
inspection by registered holders at its Corporate Trust Office
any reports and communications, including any proxy soliciting
material, received from the company, which are both
(a) received by The Bank of New York as the holder of the
deposited securities, and (b) made generally available to
the holders of such deposited securities by the company.
However, such inspection shall not be for the purpose of
communicating with registered holders of ADRs in the interest of
a business or object other than the business of our company, or
matters relating to the deposit agreement or the ADRs. The Bank
of New York will also, upon written request, send to the
registered holders copies of such reports when furnished by the
company pursuant to the deposit agreement. Any such reports and
communications, including any proxy soliciting material,
furnished to The Bank of New York by the company will be
furnished in English.
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Fees and Expenses
Payment of Taxes
You will be responsible for any taxes or other
governmental charges payable on your ADRs or on the deposited
securities underlying your ADRs. The Bank of New York may refuse
to transfer your ADRs or allow you to withdraw the deposited
securities underlying your ADRs until such taxes or other
charges are paid. It may apply payments owed to you or sell
deposited securities underlying your ADRs to pay any taxes owed
and you will remain liable for any deficiency. If it sells
deposited securities, it will, if appropriate, reduce the number
of ADRs to reflect the sale and pay to you any proceeds, or send
to you any property, remaining after it has paid the taxes.
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Reclassifications, Recapitalizations and
Mergers
Amendment and Termination
We may agree with The Bank of New York to amend
or extend the deposit agreement and the ADRs without your
consent for any reason. If the amendment will cause any of the
following results, the amendment will become effective
30 days after The Bank of New York notifies you of the
amendment:
At the time an amendment becomes effective, you
are considered, by continuing to hold your ADR, to agree to the
amendment and to be bound by the ADRs and the deposit agreement
as amended. An amendment to the deposit agreement may include
extending such agreement.
The Bank of New York will terminate the deposit
agreement if we ask it to do so. In such case, The Bank of New
York must notify you at least 90 days before termination.
The Bank of New York may also terminate the deposit agreement if
The Bank of New York has told us that it would like to resign
and we have not appointed a new depositary bank within
90 days.
After termination, The Bank of New York and its
agents will be required to do only the following under the
deposit agreement:
One year after termination, The Bank of New York
may sell any remaining deposited securities by public or private
sale. After that, The Bank of New York will hold the proceeds of
the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the
deposit agreement for the pro rata benefit of the ADR holders
that have not surrendered their ADRs. It will not invest the
money and will have no liability for interest. The Bank of New
Yorks only obligations will be an indemnification
obligation and an obligation to account for the proceeds of the
sale and other cash. After termination, our only obligations
will be an indemnification obligation and our obligation to pay
specified amounts to The Bank of New York.
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Limitations On Obligations and Liability to
ADR Holders
The deposit agreement expressly limits our
obligations and the obligations of The Bank of New York, and it
limits our liability and the liability of The Bank of New York.
We and The Bank of New York:
In the deposit agreement, we and The Bank of New
York agree to indemnify each other under designated
circumstances.
Requirements for Depositary Actions
The ADRs are transferable on the books of The
Bank of New York, provided that The Bank of New York may close
the transfer books at any time or from time to time when it
deems expedient in connection with the performance of its
duties. Before The Bank of New York will issue or register
transfer of an ADR, make a distribution on an ADR, or process a
withdrawal of shares, The Bank of New York may require:
The Bank of New York may refuse to deliver,
transfer or register transfers of ADRs generally when our books
or the books of The Bank of New York are closed, or at any time
if The Bank of New York or we think it advisable to do so.
You have the right to cancel your ADRs and
withdraw the underlying shares at any time except:
The right of withdrawal may not be limited by any
other provision of the deposit agreement.
Pre-Release of ADRs
In compliance with the provisions of the deposit
agreement, The Bank of New York may issue ADRs before deposit of
the underlying shares. This is called a pre-release of the ADR.
The Bank of New York may also deliver shares upon cancellation
of pre-released ADRs, even if the ADRs are cancelled before the
pre-
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In addition, The Bank of New York will limit the
number of ADRs that may be outstanding at any time as a result
of pre-release to 30.0% of total shares deposited, although The
Bank of New York may disregard the limit from time to time, if
it thinks it is appropriate to do so.
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Cash.
The
Bank of New York will convert any cash dividend or other cash
distribution we pay on the shares into U.S. dollars, if it
can do so on a reasonable basis and can transfer the
U.S. dollars to the United States. If that is not possible
or if any approval from any government is needed and cannot be
obtained without excessively burdensome or otherwise
unreasonable efforts, or there are foreign exchange controls in
place that prohibit such transfer, the deposit agreement allows
The Bank of New York to distribute RMB only to those ADR holders
to whom it is possible to do so. It will hold RMB it cannot
convert for the account of the ADR holders who have not been
paid. It will not invest RMB and it will not be liable for
interest.
Before making a distribution, any withholding
taxes that must be paid will be deducted. See
Taxation United States Federal Income
Taxation U.S. Holders Taxation of
Dividends and other Distributions on the Shares of ADSs.
The Bank of New York will distribute only whole
U.S. dollars and cents and will round fractional cents to
the nearest whole cent.
If the exchange rates fluctuate
during a time when The Bank of New York cannot convert RMB, you
may lose some or all of the value of the distribution.
Shares.
The
Bank of New York may distribute additional ADRs representing any
shares we may distribute as a dividend or free distribution, if
we furnish it promptly with satisfactory evidence that it is
legal to do so. The Bank of New York will only distribute whole
ADSs. It will sell shares which would require it to issue a
fractional ADS and distribute the net proceeds in
the same way as it does with cash. If The Bank of
New York does not distribute additional ADRs, each ADS will also
represent the new shares.
Rights to Purchase Additional Shares.
If we offer holders of our
ordinary shares any rights to subscribe for additional shares or
any other rights, The Bank of New York may make these rights
available to you. We must first instruct The Bank of New York to
do so and furnish it with satisfactory evidence that it is legal
to do so. If we do not furnish this evidence and/or give these
instructions, and The Bank of New York decides it is practical
to sell the rights, The Bank of New York will sell the rights
and distribute the proceeds, in the same way as it does with
cash. The Bank of New York may allow rights that are not
distributed or sold to lapse. In that case, you will receive no
value for them.
If The Bank of New York makes rights available to
you, it will exercise the rights and purchase the shares on your
behalf. The depositary will then deposit the shares and deliver
the ADSs to you. It will only exercise rights if you pay it the
exercise price and any other charges the rights require you to
pay.
U.S. securities laws may restrict the sale,
deposit, cancellation and transfer of the ADSs issued after
exercise of rights. Under the deposit agreement, The Bank of New
York will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the
distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which
these rights relate are either exempt from registration under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to all
holders of ADSs, or are registered under the provisions of the
Securities Act. We can give no assurance that we can establish
an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we
are under no obligation to file a registration statement with
respect to these rights or underlying securities or to endeavor
to have a registration statement declared effective. In this
case, The Bank of New York may issue the ADSs under a separate
restricted deposit agreement which will contain the same
provisions as the agreement, except for changes needed to put
the restrictions in place.
Other Distributions.
The Bank of New York will send to
you anything else we distribute on deposited securities by means
it thinks are legal, fair and practical. If it cannot make the
distribution in that way, The Bank of New York has a choice. It
may decide to sell what we distributed and distribute the net
proceeds in the same way as it does with cash or it may decide
to hold what we distributed, in which case ADSs will also
represent the newly distributed property.
(1) the deliverable portion of the
underlying shares to an account designated by you; and
(2) the deliverable portion of any other
deposited securities underlying the ADR at the office of the
custodian. Or, at your request, risk and expense, The Bank of
New York will deliver the deliverable portion of the deposited
securities at its corporate trust office.
(1) describe the matters to be voted on; and
(2) explain how you, on a specified date,
may instruct The Bank of New York to vote the shares or other
deposited securities underlying your ADSs as you direct. For
instructions to be valid, The Bank of New York must receive them
on or before the date specified. The Bank of New York will try,
in compliance with Hong Kong law and the provisions of our
memorandum and articles of association, to vote or to have its
agents vote the shares or other deposited securities as you
instruct.
Persons depositing shares or
ADR holders must pay:
For:
US$5.00 (or less) per 100 ADSs (or portion
thereof)
Each issuance of an ADS, including as
a result of a distribution of shares or rights or other property
Each cancellation of an ADS,
including if the deposit agreement terminates
US$0.02 (or less) per ADS (or portion thereof)
Any cash payment
A fee equivalent to the fee that would be payable
if securities distributed to you had been shares and the shares
had been deposited for issuance of ADSs
Distribution of securities
distributed to holders of deposited securities which are
distributed by the depositary to ADR holders
US$0.02 (or less) per ADSs per calendar year (if
the depositary has not collected any cash distribution fee
during that year)
Depositary services
Registration or transfer fees
Transfer and registration of shares
on the shares register of the registrar of the Foreign Registrar
from your name to the name of the depositary or its agent when
you deposit or withdraw common shares
Expenses of the depositary
Conversion of RMB to U.S. dollars
Cable, telex, and facsimile
transmission expenses as are expressly provided in the deposit
agreement
Taxes and other governmental charges the
depositary or the custodian have to pay on any ADS or share
underlying an ADS
As necessary
Any charges incurred by the depositary or its
agents for servicing the deposited securities
As necessary
If we:
Then:
Change the nominal or par value of
our shares
Reclassify, split up or consolidate any of the
deposited securities
Distribute securities on the shares that are not
distributed to you
Recapitalize, reorganize, merge, liquidate, sell all
or substantially all of our assets, or take any similar action
The cash, shares or other securities received by
the depositary will become deposited securities. Each ADS will
automatically represent its equal share of the new deposited
securities.
The depositary may, and will if we ask it to, distribute some or
all of the cash, shares or other securities it received. It may
also issue new ADSs or ask you to surrender your outstanding
ADRs in exchange for new ADRs identifying the new deposited
securities.
adds or increases fees or charges, except for:
taxes and other governmental charges;
registration fees;
cable, telex or facsimile transmission costs;
delivery costs or other such expenses; or
prejudices any important right of ADR holders.
collect distributions on the deposited securities;
sell rights and other property; and
deliver shares and other deposited securities
upon cancellation of ADRs.
are only obligated to take the actions
specifically provided for in the deposit agreement without
negligence or bad faith;
are not liable if either is prevented or delayed
by law or circumstances beyond their control from performing our
obligations under the deposit agreement;
are not liable if either exercises discretion
permitted under the deposit agreement;
have no obligation to become involved in a
lawsuit or other proceeding related to the ADRs or the deposit
agreement on your behalf of any other party; and
may rely upon any documents they believe in good
faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the
proper party.
payment of stock transfer or other taxes or other
governmental charges and transfer or registration fees charged
by third parties for the transfer of any shares or other
deposited securities;
production of satisfactory proof of the identity
and genuineness of any signature or other information it deems
necessary; and
compliance with regulations it may establish,
from time to time, consistent with the deposit agreement,
including presentation of transfer documents.
when temporary delays arise because: (1) The
Bank of New York or we have closed its or our transfer books;
(2) the transfer of shares is blocked to permit voting at a
shareholders meeting; or (3) we are paying a dividend
on the shares;
when you or other ADR holders seeking to withdraw
shares owe money to pay fees, taxes and similar charges; or
when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in
order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that
apply to ADRs or to the withdrawal of shares or other deposited
securities.
before or at the time of the pre-release, the
person to whom the pre-release is being made must represent to
The Bank of New York in writing that it or its customer owns the
shares or ADRs to be deposited;
the pre-release must be fully collateralized with
cash or other collateral that The Bank of New York considers
appropriate; and
The Bank of New York must be able to close out
the pre-release on not more than five business days notice.
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Upon completion of this offering, we will have
outstanding 4,200,000 ADSs representing approximately 28.0% of
our ordinary shares. All of the ADSs sold in this offering will
be freely transferable by persons other than our
affiliates without restriction or further
registration under the Securities Act. Sales of substantial
amounts of our ADSs in the public market could adversely affect
prevailing market prices of our ADSs. Prior to this offering,
there has been no public market for our ordinary shares or the
ADSs, and while we have applied for the ADSs to be quoted on the
Nasdaq National Market, we cannot assure you that a regular
trading market will develop in the ADSs. We do not expect that a
trading market will develop for our ordinary shares not
represented by the ADSs.
Lock-Up Agreements
Our directors, executive officers and
shareholders have signed lock-up agreements under which they
have agreed, subject to some exceptions, not to transfer or
dispose of, directly or indirectly, any of our ordinary shares,
in the form of ADSs or otherwise, or any securities convertible
into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of our ordinary
shares, in the form of ADSs or otherwise, for a period of
180 days in the case of all these persons, excluding the
holders of our Series C preferred shares, and for one year
in the case of the holders of our Series C preferred
shares, after the date this registration statement becomes
effective. After the expiration of the 180-day period, the
ordinary shares or ADSs held by our directors, executive
officers or shareholders may be sold subject to the restrictions
under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or by means of
registered public offerings.
Rule 144
In general, under Rule 144 as currently in
effect, a person (or persons whose shares are aggregated) who
has beneficially owned our ordinary shares for at least one
year, is entitled to sell within any three-month period a number
of ordinary shares that does not exceed the greater of the
following:
Sales under Rule 144 must be through
unsolicited brokers transactions. They are also subject to
manner of sale provisions, notice requirements and the
availability of current public information about us.
Rule 144(k)
Under Rule 144(k), a person who is not our
affiliate at any time during the three months preceding a sale,
and who has beneficially owned the ordinary shares, in the form
of ADSs or otherwise, proposed to be sold for at least two
years, including the holding period of any prior owner other
than an affiliate, is entitled to sell those shares without
complying with the manner of sale, public information, volume
limitation or notice provisions of Rule 144. Therefore,
unless otherwise restricted, 144(k) shares may be
sold at any time.
Rule 701
In general, under Rule 701 of the Securities
Act as currently in effect, each of our employees, consultants
or advisors who purchases ordinary shares, in the form of ADSs
or otherwise, from us in connection with a compensatory stock
plan or other written agreement is eligible to resell such
shares in reliance on Rule 144, but without compliance with
some of the restrictions, including the holding period,
contained in Rule 144.
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Registration Rights
Upon completion of this offering, certain holders
of our ordinary shares or their transferees will be entitled to
request that we register their ordinary shares under the
Securities Act, following the expiration of the lockup
agreements described above. See Description of Share
Capital Registration Rights.
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1.0% of the then outstanding ordinary shares, in
the form of ADSs or otherwise, which will equal approximately
300,309 ordinary shares immediately after this offering; or
the average weekly trading volume of our ordinary
shares in the form of ADSs or otherwise, during the four
calendar weeks preceding the date on which notice of the sale is
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
TAXATION
The following summary of the material Cayman
Islands and United States federal income tax consequences of an
investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares is based upon laws and
relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of
this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This
summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences
relating to an investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares, such
as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
To the extent that the discussion relates to matters of Cayman
Islands tax law, it represents the opinion of Maples and Calder
Asia, special Cayman Islands counsel to us. To the extent the
discussion relates to matters of United States law or legal
conclusions and subject to the qualification herein, it
represents the opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, our
special U.S. counsel.
Cayman Islands Taxation
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. There are no other taxes likely
to be material to us levied by the government of the Cayman
Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on
instruments executed in, or brought within the jurisdiction of
the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is not party to any
double tax treaties. There are no exchange control regulations
or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.
United States Federal Income
Taxation
The following discussion describes the material
United States federal income tax consequences under present law
of an investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares. This summary
applies only to investors that hold the ADSs or ordinary shares
as capital assets and that have the U.S. dollar as their
functional currency. This discussion is based on the tax laws of
the United States as in effect on the date of this prospectus
and on United States Treasury regulations in effect or, in some
cases, proposed, as of the date of this prospectus, 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 does not deal with the
tax consequences to any particular investor or to persons in
special tax situations such as:
99
Prospective purchasers are urged to consult their
tax advisors about the application of the United States Federal
tax rules to their particular circumstances as well as the state
and local and foreign tax consequences to them of the purchase,
ownership and disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares.
The discussion below of the United States federal
income tax consequences to U.S. Holders will apply
if you are the beneficial owner of ADSs or ordinary shares and
you are
If you are not described as a U.S. Holder, you
will be considered a Non-U.S. Holder. Non-U.S.
Holders should consult the discussion below regarding the United
States federal income tax consequences applicable to
Non-U.S. Holders.
The discussion below assumes that the
representations contained in the deposit agreement are true and
that the obligations in the deposit agreement and any related
agreement will be complied with in accordance with the terms. If
you hold ADSs, you should be treated as the holder of the
underlying ordinary shares represented by those ADSs for United
States federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
Taxation
of Dividends and Other Distributions on the ADSs or Ordinary
Shares
Subject to the passive foreign investment company
rules discussed below, the gross amount of dividends paid with
respect to the ADSs or ordinary shares, generally will be
included in your gross income as ordinary income on the date of
receipt by the depositary, in the case of ADSs, or by you, in
the case of ordinary shares, but only to the extent that the
distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings
and profits. For this purpose, earnings and profits will be
computed under United States federal income tax principles. The
dividends will not be eligible for the dividends-received
deduction allowed to corporations in respect of dividends
received from other U.S. corporations. To the extent that the
amount of the distribution exceeds our current and accumulated
earnings and profits, it will be treated first as a tax-free
return of your tax basis in your ADSs or ordinary shares, and to
the extent the amount of the distribution exceeds your tax
basis, the excess will be taxed as capital gain.
Dividends paid in RMB will be included in your
income as a U.S. dollar amount based on the exchange rate in
effect on the date of receipt by the depositary, in the case of
ADSs, or by you, in the case of ordinary shares, regardless of
whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars at
that time. If you do not receive U.S. dollars on the date the
dividend is distributed, you will be required to include either
gain or loss in income when you later exchange the RMB for U.S.
dollars. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference
between the U.S. dollar value of the amount that you include in
income upon receipt of the dividend and the amount that you
receive when you actually exchange the RMB for U.S. dollars. The
gain or loss generally will be ordinary income or loss from
United States sources. If we distribute to you non-cash
property, you will include in income an amount equal to the U.S.
dollar equivalent of the fair market value of the property on
the date that it is distributed.
Under recently enacted legislation, with respect
to non-corporate taxpayers for taxable years beginning after
December 1, 2002 and before January 1, 2009 such
dividends may be taxed at the lower applicable capital gains
rate provided that (1) the ADSs or ordinary shares are
readily tradable on an established securities market in the
United States, (2) we are not a passive foreign investment
company (as
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Dividends will constitute foreign source income
for foreign tax credit limitation purposes. The limitation on
foreign taxes eligible for credit is calculated separately with
respect to specific classes of income. For this purpose,
dividends distributed by us with respect to the ADSs or ordinary
shares will be passive income or, in the case of
certain U.S. Holders, financial services income.
Taxation
of Disposition of Shares
Subject to the passive foreign investment company
rules discussed below, you will recognize taxable gain or loss
on any sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of an ADS or
ordinary share equal to the difference between the amount
realized (in U.S. dollars) for the ADS or ordinary share and
your tax basis (in U.S. dollars) in the ADS or ordinary share.
If the consideration you receive for the ADS or ordinary share
is not paid in U.S. dollars, the amount realized will be the
U.S. dollar value of the payment received. In general, the U.S.
dollar value of such a payment will be determined on the date of
receipt of payment if you are a cash basis taxpayer and on the
date of disposition if you are an accrual basis taxpayer.
However, if the ADSs or ordinary shares are treated as traded on
an established securities market and you are either a cash basis
taxpayer or an accrual basis taxpayer who has made a special
election, you will determine the U.S. dollar value of the amount
realized in a foreign currency by translating the amount
received at the spot rate of exchange on the settlement date of
the sale. The gain or loss generally will be capital gain or
loss. If you are an individual who has held the ADS or ordinary
share for more than one year, you will be eligible for reduced
rates of taxation. The deductibility of capital losses is
subject to limitation. Any such gain or loss that you recognize
will generally be treated as United States source income or loss.
Passive
Foreign Investment Company
We believe that we are not a passive foreign
investment company for United Sates federal income tax purposes
and do not expect to become a passive foreign investment company
in the future. A non-U.S. corporation is considered a passive
foreign investment company for any taxable year if either
We will be treated as owning our proportionate
share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the
income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or
indirectly, more than 25% (by value) of the stock.
We must make a separate determination each year
as to whether we are a passive foreign investment company. As a
result, our passive foreign investment company status may
change. In particular, fluctuation in the market price of our
ADSs or ordinary shares may result in us becoming a passive
foreign investment company.
If we are a passive foreign investment company
for any taxable year during which you hold ADSs or ordinary
shares, you will be subject to special tax rules with respect to
any excess distribution that you receive and any
gain you realize from a sale or other disposition (including a
pledge) of the ADSs or ordinary shares, unless you make a
mark-to-market election as discussed below.
Distributions you receive in a taxable year that are greater
than 125% of the average annual distributions you received
during the shorter of
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The tax liability for amounts allocated to years
prior to the year of disposition or excess
distribution cannot be offset by any net operating losses
for such years, and gains (but not losses) realized on the sale
of the ADSs or ordinary shares cannot be treated as capital,
even if you hold the ADSs or ordinary shares as capital assets.
If we are a passive foreign investment company,
you may avoid taxation under the rules described above by making
a qualified electing fund election to include your
share of our income on a current basis, or a deemed
sale election once we no longer qualify as a passive
foreign investment company. However, you may make a qualified
electing fund election only if we agree to furnish you annually
with certain tax information, and we do not presently intend to
prepare or provide such information.
Alternatively, a U.S. Holder of marketable
stock in a passive foreign investment company may make a
mark-to-market election for stock of a passive foreign
investment company to elect out of the tax treatment discussed
three paragraphs above. If you make a mark-to-market election
for the ADSs or ordinary shares, you will include in income each
year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market
value of the ADSs or ordinary shares as of the close of your
taxable year over your adjusted basis in such ADSs or ordinary
shares. You are allowed a deduction for the excess, if any, of
the adjusted basis of the ADSs or ordinary shares over their
fair market value as of the close of the taxable year. However,
deductions are allowable only to the extent of any net
mark-to-market gains on the ADSs or ordinary shares included in
your income for prior taxable years. Amounts included in your
income under a mark-to-market election, as well as gain on the
actual sale or other disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares,
are treated as ordinary income. Ordinary loss treatment also
applies to the deductible portion of any mark-to-market loss on
the ADSs or ordinary shares, as well as to any loss realized on
the actual sale or disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares,
to the extent that the amount of such loss does not exceed the
net mark-to-market gains previously included for such ADSs or
ordinary shares. Your basis in the ADSs or ordinary shares will
be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts. The tax
rules that apply to distributions by corporations which are not
passive foreign investment companies would apply to
distributions by us.
The mark-to-market election is available only for
stock which is regularly traded on a qualified exchange or other
market, as defined in applicable Treasury regulations. We expect
that the ADSs and the ordinary shares will be listed on Nasdaq
National Market and, consequently, the mark-to-market election
would be available to you were we to be or become a passive
foreign investment company.
If you hold ADSs or ordinary shares in any year
in which we are a passive foreign investment company, you would
be required to file Internal Revenue Service Form 8621
regarding distributions received on the ADSs or ordinary shares
and any gain realized on the disposition of the ADSs or ordinary
shares.
Foreign
Personal Holding Company
Depending on the degree of direct or indirect
ownership of our shares (including shares represented by ADSs)
by individuals who are U.S. citizens or residents (directly,
indirectly or by attribution), we may constitute a foreign
personal holding company. In general, a foreign corporation will
constitute a foreign personal holding company for United States
federal income tax purposes if more than 50% of the equity of the
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Non-U.S. Holders
If you are a Non-U.S. Holder, you generally will
not be subject to United States federal income tax on dividends
paid by us unless the income is effectively connected with your
conduct of a trade or business in the United States.
You generally will not be subject to United
States federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or
other disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares unless such
gain is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or
business within the United States or you are a natural person
who is present in the United States for 183 days or more
and certain other conditions exist.
Dividends and gains that are effectively
connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United
States generally will be subject to tax in the same manner as
they would be if you were a U.S. Holder. Effectively connected
dividends and gains received by a corporate Non-U.S. Holder may
also be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30%
rate or a lower tax treaty rate.
Information Reporting and Backup
Withholding
In general, information reporting for U.S.
Federal income tax purposes will apply to distributions made on
the ADSs or ordinary shares paid within the United States to a
non-corporate United States person and on sales of the ADSs or
ordinary shares to or through a United States office of a broker
by a non-corporate United States person. Payments made outside
the United States will be subject to information reporting in
limited circumstances.
In addition, backup withholding of U.S. Federal
income tax will apply to distributions made on ADSs or ordinary
shares within the United States to a non-corporate United States
person and on sales of ADSs or ordinary shares to or through a
United States office of a broker by a non-corporate United
States person who:
The amount of any backup withholding collected
will be allowed as a credit against United States federal income
tax liability provided that appropriate returns are filed.
A Non-U.S. Holder generally may eliminate the
requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by
providing certification of its foreign status to the payer,
under penalties of perjury, on IRS Form W-8BEN.
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banks;
financial institutions;
insurance companies;
broker dealers;
traders that elect to mark to market;
tax-exempt entities;
persons liable for alternative minimum tax;
persons holding an ADS or ordinary share as part
of a straddle, hedging, conversion or integrated transaction;
holders that actually or constructively own 10%
or more of our voting stock; or
persons holding ADSs or ordinary shares through
partnerships or other pass-through entities.
a citizen or resident of the United States;
a corporation or partnership organized under the
laws of the United States, any State or the District of Columbia;
an estate whose income is subject to United
States federal income taxation regardless of its source;
a trust that (1) is subject to the
supervision of a court within the United States and the control
of one or more United States persons or (2) has a valid
election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to
be treated as a United States person.
at least 75% of its gross income is passive
income, or
at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on
an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a
taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held
for the production of passive income.
the excess distribution or gain will be allocated
ratably over your holding period for the ADSs or ordinary shares,
the amount allocated to the current taxable year,
and any taxable year prior to the first taxable year in which we
were a passive foreign investment company, will be treated as
ordinary income, and
the amount allocated to each other year will be
subject to tax at the highest tax rate in effect for that year
and the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of
tax will be imposed on the resulting tax attributable to each
such year.
fails to provide an accurate taxpayer
identification number,
is notified by the Internal Revenue Service that
backup withholding will be required, or
fails to comply with applicable certification
requirements.
UNDERWRITING
We, together with the selling shareholders,
intend to offer the ADSs in the United States and Canada through
the U.S. underwriters and elsewhere through the international
managers. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated, North Tower, World Financial Center,
New York, New York 10281-1201, is acting as
representative of the U.S. underwriters named below. Subject to
the terms and conditions contained in the U.S. underwriting
agreement among us, the selling shareholders and the U.S.
underwriters, and concurrently with the sale of 2,100,000 ADSs
to the international managers, we and the selling shareholders
have agreed to sell to the U.S. underwriters, and the U.S.
underwriters severally have agreed to purchase from us and the
selling shareholders, the number of ADSs listed opposite their
names below.
We and the selling shareholders have also entered
into an international purchase agreement with the international
managers for sale of the ADSs outside the United States and
Canada for whom Merrill Lynch Far East Limited, 18/F Asia
Pacific Finance Tower, 3 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong,
is acting as the lead manager. Subject to the terms and
conditions contained in the international purchase agreement,
and concurrently with the sale of 2,100,000 ADSs to the
U.S. underwriters, we and the selling shareholders have
agreed to sell to the international managers, and the
international managers severally have agreed to purchase from us
and the selling shareholders, the number of ADSs listed opposite
their names below.
The public offering price per ADS and the total
underwriting discount per ADS are identical under the U.S.
underwriting agreement and the international purchase agreement.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated is
acting as the global coordinator and bookrunner for the offering.
The U.S. underwriters and the international
managers, collectively referred to as the underwriters in the
section, have agreed to purchase all of the ADSs sold under the
U.S. underwriting agreement and the international purchase
agreement if any of these ADSs are purchased. If an underwriter
defaults, the U.S. underwriting agreement and international
purchase agreement provide that, in certain circumstances, the
purchase commitments of the nondefaulting underwriters may be
increased or the U.S. underwriting agreement and the
international purchase agreement may be terminated. The closings
for the sale of the ADSs to be purchased by the U.S.
underwriters and the international managers are conditioned on
one another.
We and the selling shareholders have agreed to
indemnify the U.S. underwriters and the international managers
against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the
Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the U.S.
underwriters and the international managers may be required to
make in respect of those liabilities.
The underwriters are offering the ADSs, subject
to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them,
subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel, including
the validity of the ADSs, and other conditions contained in the
U.S. underwriting agreement and international purchase
agreement, such as the receipt by the underwriters of
officers certificates and legal opinions. The underwriters
reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the
public and to reject orders in whole or in part.
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Commissions and Discounts
The U.S. underwriters have advised us and
the selling shareholders that the U.S. underwriters propose
initially to offer the ADSs to the public at the public offering
price on the cover page of this prospectus, and to certain
dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of
US$ per
ADS. The U.S. underwriters may allow, and the dealers may
reallow, a concession not in excess of US$ per ADS to other
dealers. After the initial public offering, the public offering
price, concession and discount may be changed.
Overallotment Options
The selling shareholders have granted to the
U.S. underwriters and the international managers an option,
exercisable for 30 days from the date of this prospectus,
to purchase up to 250,000 and 250,000, respectively, additional
ADSs at the public offering price less the underwriting
discount. The U.S. underwriters and the international
managers may exercise such option to purchase solely for the
purpose of covering overallotments, if any, incurred in the sale
of the ADSs offered hereby. If the U.S. underwriters
exercise such option, each will become obligated, subject to
conditions contained in the U.S. underwriting agreement or
international purchase agreement, to purchase a number of
additional ADSs proportionate to that
U.S. underwriters initial amount reflected in the
above table.
The following table shows the per ADS initial
public offering price, underwriting discount and the proceeds
before expenses to us. These amounts are shown assuming both no
exercise and full exercise of the overallotment option.
Intersyndicate Agreement
The U.S. underwriters and the international
managers have entered into an intersyndicate agreement that
provides for the coordination of their activities. Under the
intersyndicate agreement, the U.S. underwriters and the
international managers may sell the ADSs to each other for
purposes of resale at the initial public offering price, less an
amount not greater than the selling concession. Under the
intersyndicate agreement, the U.S. underwriters and any
dealer to whom they sell the ADSs will not offer to sell or sell
the ADSs to non-U.S. or non Canadian persons or to persons they
believe intend to resell to non-U.S. or non-Canadian persons,
except in the case of transactions under the intersyndicate
agreement. Similarly, the international managers and any dealer
to whom they sell the ADSs will not offer to sell or sell the
ADSs to U.S. persons or Canadian persons or to persons they
believe intend to resell to U.S. or Canadian persons, except in
the case of transactions under the intersyndicate agreement.
No Sale of Similar Securities
We and our executive officers, directors and
shareholders have agreed, with exceptions, not to sell or
transfer any of our ordinary shares or ADSs for 180 days in
the case of all of these persons, excluding the holders of our
Series C preferred shares, and for one year in the case of
the holders of our Series C preferred shares, after the
date of this prospectus without first obtaining the written
consent of the global coordinator and bookrunner. Specifically,
we and these other individuals have agreed not to directly or
indirectly:
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This lock-up provision applies to the ordinary
shares, ADSs and to securities convertible into or exchangeable
or exercisable for or repayable with the ordinary shares or
ADSs. It also applies to the ordinary shares and ADSs owned now
or acquired later by the person executing the agreement or for
which the person executing the agreement later acquires the
power of disposition.
Quotation on the Nasdaq National
Market
We expect the ADSs to be approved for quotation
on the Nasdaq National Market, subject to notice of issuance,
under the symbol CTRP.
Before this offering, there has been no public
market for our ordinary shares or ADSs. The public offering
price will be determined through negotiations among us and the
global coordinator and bookrunner. In addition to prevailing
market conditions, the factors to be considered in determining
the initial public offering price are:
An active trading market for the ADSs may not
develop. It is also possible that after the offering the ADSs
will not trade in the public market at or above the public
offering price.
The underwriters do not expect to sell more than
5.0% of the ADSs in the aggregate to accounts over which they
exercise discretionary authority.
Price Stabilization, Short Positions and
Penalty Bids
Until the distribution of the ADSs is completed,
SEC rules may limit underwriters and selling group members from
bidding for and purchasing our ADSs. However, the U.S.
representative may engage in transactions that stabilize the
price of the ADSs, such as bids or purchases to peg, fix or
maintain that price.
If the underwriters create a short position in
the ADSs in connection with the offering, i.e., if they sell
more shares than are listed on the cover of this prospectus, the
U.S. representative may reduce that short position by purchasing
the ADSs in the open market. The U.S. representative may also
elect to reduce any short position by exercising all or part of
the overallotment option described above. The underwriters may
sell more ADSs than could be covered by exercising all of the
overallotment option, in which case, they would have to cover
these sales through open market purchases. Purchases of the ADSs
to stabilize its price or to reduce a short position may cause
the price of the ADSs to be higher than it might be in the
absence of such purchases.
The U.S. representative may also impose a penalty
bid on underwriters and selling group members. This means that
if the U.S. representative purchase ADSs in the open market to
reduce the underwriters short position or to stabilize the
price of such ADSs, they may reclaim the amount of the selling
concession
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Neither we nor the selling shareholders nor any
of the underwriters makes any representation or prediction as to
the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions
described above may have on the price of the ADSs. In addition,
neither we nor the selling shareholders nor any of the
underwriters makes any representation that the U.S.
representative or the lead manager will engage in these
transactions or that these transactions, once commenced, will
not be discontinued without notice.
Other Relationships
Some of the underwriters and their affiliates
have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment
banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of
business with us. They have received customary fees and
commissions for these transactions.
Selling Restrictions
This prospectus does not constitute an offer of,
or an invitation by or on behalf of, us or by or on behalf of
the underwriters, to subscribe for or purchase, any of the ADSs
in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make
such an offer or solicitation in that jurisdiction. The
distribution of this prospectus and the offering of the ADSs in
certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. We and the
underwriters require persons into whose possession this
prospectus comes to inform themselves about and to observe any
such restrictions.
We will not offer or sell any ordinary shares or
ADSs to any member of the public in the Cayman Islands.
Electronic Distributions
A prospectus in electronic format may be made
available on Web sites maintained by one or more of the
underwriters for sale to their online brokerage account holders.
Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters
that will make Internet distributions on the same basis as other
allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the
information on these Web sites is not part of this prospectus or
the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a
part, has not been approved or endorsed by us or any underwriter
in its capacity as underwriter, and should not be relied upon by
investors.
In addition, a prospectus in electronic format is
being made available on an Internet website maintained by
E*TRADE Securities, Inc. SoundView Technology Corporation,
pursuant to a Relationship Agreement with E*TRADE, may offer
shares that it underwrites to customers of E*TRADE. The
underwriters may allocate a number of shares to SoundView
Technology Corporation for sale to online brokerage account
holders of E*TRADE Securities, Inc. These online brokerage
account holders will have the opportunity to purchase shares
using the Internet in accordance with procedures established by
E*TRADE Securities, Inc.
Settlement Cycle
We expect that delivery of the ADSs will be made
against payment therefor on or about the date specified in the
last paragraph of the cover page of this prospectus, which is
the business
day in New York following the date of this prospectus. Pursuant
to Rule 15c6-1 under the Securities Exchange Act trades in
the secondary market generally are required to settle in three
business days unless the parties to any such trade expressly
agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade the
ADSs on the date of this prospectus or the next four succeeding
business days will be required, by virtue of the fact that these
securities will settle in T+3, to specify an alternate
settlement cycle at the time of any such trade to prevent a
failed settlement and should consult their own advisors.
107
Number
U.S. Underwriter
of ADSs
Number
International Manager
of ADSs
Per ADS
Without Option
With Option
US$
US$
US$
US$
US$
US$
US$
US$
US$
offer, pledge, sell or contract to sell any
ordinary shares and ADSs,
sell any option or contract to purchase any
ordinary shares and ADSs,
purchase any option or contract to sell any
ordinary shares and ADSs,
grant any option, right or warrant for the sale
of any ordinary shares and ADSs,
lend or otherwise dispose of or transfer any
ordinary shares and ADSs, or
enter into any swap or other agreement that
transfers, in whole or in part, the economic consequence of
ownership of any ordinary shares and ADS whether any such swap
or transaction is to be settled by delivery of shares, ADS or
other securities, in cash or otherwise.
the valuation multiples of publicly traded
companies that the global coordinator and bookrunner believes to
be comparable to us,
our financial information,
the history of, and the prospects for, our
company and the industry in which we compete,
an assessment of our management, our past and
present operations, and the prospects for, and timing of, our
future revenues,
the present state of our development, and
the above factors in relation to market values
and various valuation measures of other companies engaged in
activities similar to ours.
LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the ADSs and certain other legal
matters with respect to U.S. federal and New York laws in
connection with this offering will be passed upon for us by
Latham & Watkins LLP. Certain legal matters with
respect to U.S. federal and New York laws in connection
with this offering will be passed upon for the underwriters by
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. The validity of the
ordinary shares represented by the ADSs offered in this offering
will be passed upon for us by Maples and Calder Asia. Legal
matters as to Chinese law will be passed upon for us by
Commerce & Finance Law Offices and for the underwriters
by Jingtian & Gongcheng. Legal matters as to Hong Kong
law will be passed upon for us by Boughton Peterson Yang
Anderson. Latham & Watkins LLP may rely upon Maples and
Calder Asia with respect to matters governed by Cayman
Islands law, Commerce & Finance Law Office with
respect to matters governed by Chinese law, and upon Boughton
Peterson Yang Anderson with respect to matters governed by Hong
Kong law. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP may rely upon
Maples and Calder Asia with respect to matters governed by
Cayman Islands law and Jingtian & Gongcheng with
respect to matters governed by Chinese law.
EXPERTS
Our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002, and as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, included in this prospectus have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, independent public accountants, as stated in their reports appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance upon the reports of PricewaterhouseCoopers given on their authority as experts in auditing and accounting.
The offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers are located at 19th Floor, Shui On Plaza, 333 Huai Hai Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200021, China.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement on Form F-1, including relevant exhibits and schedules under the Securities Act with respect to the ADSs and underlying ordinary shares, to be sold in this offering. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information contained in the registration statement. You should read the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules for further information with respect to us and our ADSs.
Immediately upon completion of this offering, we will become subject to periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act as applicable to foreign private issuers. Accordingly, we will be required to file reports, including annual reports on Form 20-F, and other information with the SEC. As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules of the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements to shareholders. All information filed with the SEC can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents upon payment of a duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference rooms. Additional information may also be obtained over the Internet at the SECs website at www.sec.gov. Our SEC filings, including this registration statement, and other information may also be inspected at the offices of the Nasdaq National Market, Reports Section, 1735 K Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006.
We will furnish the depositary referred to under Description of American Depositary Shares with annual reports, which will include annual audited consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The depositary has agreed that, at our request, it will promptly mail these reports to all registered holders of ADSs. We will also furnish to the depositary all notices of shareholders meetings and other reports and communications that are made generally available to our shareholders. The depositary will arrange for the mailing of these documents to record holders of ADSs. Please see Description of American Depositary Shares for further details on the responsibilities of the depositary.
108
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page | ||||
|
||||
Year-End Financial Statements
|
||||
Report of Independent Auditors
|
F-2 | |||
Consolidated Statements of Operations and
Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the Years Ended
December 31, 2000 (unaudited), 2001 and 2002
|
F-3 | |||
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of
December 31, 2000 (unaudited), 2001 and 2002
|
F-4 | |||
Consolidated Statements of Changes of
Shareholders Equity (Deficit) for the Years Ended
December 31, 2000 (unaudited), 2001 and 2002
|
F-5 | |||
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the
Years Ended December 31, 2000 (unaudited),
2001 and 2002
|
F-7 | |||
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
for the Years Ended December 31, 2000 (unaudited), 2001 and
2002
|
F-8 | |||
Interim Financial Statements
|
||||
Report of Independent Auditors
|
F-32 | |||
Consolidated Statements of Operations and
Comprehensive Income for the Nine-Month Periods Ended
September 30, 2002 (unaudited) and 2003
|
F-33 | |||
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of
September 30, 2002 (unaudited) and 2003
|
F-34 | |||
Consolidated Statements of Changes in
Shareholders Equity (Deficit) for the Nine-Month Periods
Ended September 30, 2002 (unaudited) and 2003
|
F-35 | |||
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the
Nine-Month Periods Ended September 30, 2002 (unaudited) and
2003
|
F-36 | |||
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statememts
for the Nine-Month Periods Ended September 30, 2002
(unaudited) and 2003
|
F-37 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS OF
In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated
balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of
operations and comprehensive income (loss), of changes in
shareholders equity (deficit) and of cash flows expressed
in Renminbi present fairly, in all material respects, the
financial position of Ctrip.com International, Ltd. as of
December 31, 2001 and 2002, and the results of its
operations and its cash flows for the years ended
December 31, 2001 and 2002, in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
These financial statements are the responsibility of Ctrip.com
International, Ltd.s management; our responsibility is to
express an opinion on these financial statements based on our
audits. We conducted our audits of these statements in
accordance with generally accepted auditing standards in the
United States of America, which require that we plan and perform
the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the
financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit
includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the
amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing
the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, and evaluating the overall financial statements
presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable
basis for our opinion.
As discussed in Note 8 to the consolidated
financial statements, Ctrip.com International, Ltd. changed its
method of accounting for goodwill in the year ended
December 31, 2002, to conform to Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 142,
Goodwill and Other
Intangible Assets.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers
Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China
F-2
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these consolidated financial statements.
F-3
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these consolidated financial statements.
F-4
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN
SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these consolidated financial statements.
F-5
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN
SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
(DEFICIT) (Continued)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these consolidated financial statements.
F-6
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH
FLOWS
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these consolidated financial statements.
F-7
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
1. ORGANIZATION
AND NATURE OF OPERATIONS
The accompanying consolidated financial
statements include the financial statements of Ctrip.com
International, Ltd. (the Company) and its
subsidiaries, which consist of Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited
(Ctrip Hong Kong), Ctrip Computer Technology
(Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Ctrip Computer Technology) and
Home Inns & Hotels Management (Hong Kong) Limited
(Home Inns Hong Kong). The Company and its
subsidiaries are collectively referred to as the
Group.
The Company was incorporated in the Cayman
Islands on March 3, 2000 as an exempt company with limited
liability under the Companies Law Cap. 22. After the
incorporation of the Company, ordinary shares of Ctrip.com
International, Ltd. were exchanged for ordinary shares of Ctrip
Hong Kong, which owns all the equity interest of Ctrip Computer
Technology. Since this reorganization was treated as a
transaction among common shareholders, the accompanying
consolidated financial statements have been prepared as if the
Company had been in operation since the incorporation of Ctrip
Hong Kong.
Ctrip Hong Kong and Home Inns Hong Kong were
incorporated in Hong Kong on June 11, 1999 and May 28,
2001, respectively. Ctrip Computer Technology was incorporated
in the Peoples Republic of China (the PRC) on
January 19, 1994.
The Group is principally engaged in the provision
of travel related services including hotel reservations,
air-ticketing, packaged-tour services, as well as, to a lesser
extent, Internet-related advertising and other related services.
The Group has also been engaged in hotel management operations
in the PRC through Home Inns Hong Kong.
2. PRINCIPAL
ACCOUNTING POLICIES
a. Basis of
presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial
statements have been prepared in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles in the United States of America
(US GAAP).
The preparation of financial statements in
conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates
and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities, disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at
the balance sheet dates and the reported amounts of revenues and
expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could
materially differ from those estimates.
b. Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the
financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries. All
significant transactions and balances between the Company and
its subsidiaries have been eliminated upon consolidation.
Investments in joint venture companies are accounted for by the
equity method. The Companys share of income (loss) of the
joint venture companies is included in the consolidated
statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).
A subsidiary is an entity in which the Company,
directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the
voting power; has the power to appoint or remove the majority of
the members of the board of directors; to cast a majority of
votes at the meeting of the board of directors or to govern the
financial and operating policies of the investee under a statue
or agreement among the shareholders or equity holders.
A joint venture company is an entity under a
contractual arrangement whereby the Company and other unrelated
parties undertake economic activities, which is subject to joint
control and none of the participating parties has unilateral
control over the economic activities.
F-8
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
c. Variable
interest entities
As of December 31, 2002, the Company
conducts a small part of its operations through a series of
agreements with certain variable interest entities (VIE or
VIEs) including Shanghai Ctrip Commerce, Shanghai Huacheng
and Beijing Chenhao. These VIEs are used solely to facilitate
the Companys participation in Internet content provision,
advertising business, travel agency and air-ticketing services
in the PRC where foreign ownership is restricted (Note 15).
The Company did not have any ownership or voting interests in
these VIEs. In reliance on the existing agreements between the
Company and the VIEs as of December 31, 2002, the Company
generally had economic control of these entities. However, the
VIEs were not consolidated because, given the restrictions and
uncertainties in the Chinese regulatory environment, it was
questionable whether the contractual agreements that were in
place as of December 31, 2002 were enforceable in the PRC
courts.
Shanghai Ctrip Commerce is a domestic company
incorporated in Shanghai, the PRC. Shanghai Ctrip Commerce holds
an Internet content provider (ICP) license and
advertising license and is primarily engaged in provision of
advertising business on the Internet website. A director and
senior executive of the Company hold 51% and 49% of the equity
interest in Shanghai Ctrip Commerce, respectively. The
registered capital of Shanghai Ctrip Commerce is RMB2,000,000.
Shanghai Huacheng is also a domestic company
incorporated in Shanghai, the PRC. Shanghai Huacheng holds a
domestic travel agency license and an air transport sales agency
license and mainly provides local guided tour services. Shanghai
Ctrip Commerce holds 90% of the equity interest in Shanghai
Huacheng. The registered capital of Shanghai Huacheng is
RMB500,000.
Beijing Chenhao is also a domestic company
incorporated in Beijing, the PRC. Beijing Chenhao holds an air
transport sales agency license and is mainly engaged in the
provision of air-ticketing services. A director and senior
executive of the Company hold 80% and 20% of the equity interest
in Beijing Chenhao, respectively. The registered capital of
Beijing Chenhao is RMB500,000.
As of December 31, 2002, the cumulative
losses incurred by the VIEs were less than RMB450,000. The
aggregate maximum legal exposure for the Companys
involvement with its VIEs as of December 31, 2002 is
RMB2,950,000, representing the capital injected by the director
or senior executives. The capital injected by the director or
senior executives are funded by the Company and were recorded as
long-term loans to related parties.
d. Foreign
currencies
The Companys functional currency is the
Renminbi (RMB). Transactions denominated in
currencies other than RMB are translated into RMB at the
exchange rates quoted by the Peoples Bank of China (the
PBOC) prevailing at the dates of the transactions.
Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions
are included in the consolidated statements of operations and
comprehensive income (loss). Monetary assets and liabilities
denominated in foreign currencies are translated into RMB using
the applicable exchange rates quoted by the PBOC at the balance
sheet dates. All such exchange gains and losses are included in
the statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).
The exchange differences for the translation of group companies
balances where RMB is not their functional currency are included
in translation adjustments, which is a separate component of
shareholders equity (deficit) on the consolidated
financial statements.
Translations of amounts from RMB into United
States dollars (US$) are solely for the convenience
of the reader and were calculated at the rate of US$1.00 =
RMB8.2771, on September 30, 2003, representing the noon
buying rate in the City of New York for cable transfers of RMB,
as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of
New York. No representation is intended to imply that the
F-9
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
RMB amounts could have been, or could be,
converted, realized or settled into US$ at that rate on
September 30, 2003, or at any other rate.
e. Cash
Cash represents cash on hand and demand deposits
placed with banks or other financial institutions. Included in
the cash balance as of December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are
amounts denominated in US$ totaling US$10,142,030; US$4,266,819
and US$1,102,635, respectively (equivalent to approximately
RMB83,946,597; RMB35,316,888 and RMB9,126,620, respectively).
f. Short-term
investment
As of December 31, 2001, short-term
investment represented time deposits placed with a bank, with an
original maturity of over three months (Note 9).
g. Property,
equipment and software
Property, equipment and software are stated at
cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization.
Depreciation and amortization are computed using the
straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives,
taking into account any estimated residual value:
h. Goodwill
and other intangible assets
In June 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board (FASB) issued Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 141,
Business Combination
and
SFAS No. 142,
Goodwill and Other Intangible
Assets
. SFAS No. 141 requires that all business
combinations be accounted for under the purchase method and that
certain acquired intangible assets in a business combination be
recognized as assets apart from goodwill. SFAS No. 142
requires that ratable amortization of goodwill be replaced with
periodic tests of the goodwills impairment and that
identifiable intangible assets other than goodwill be amortized
over their estimated useful lives. The Company adopted SFAS
No. 142 in 2002 and performed the initial steps of the
transitional impairment tests as required.
Separately identifiable intangible assets that
have determinable lives continue to be amortized, and consist
primarily of a customer list and a travel supplier agreement. As
required under SFAS No. 142, the Company continues to
amortize intangible assets on a straight-line basis over their
estimated useful lives, which range from one to five years. The
Company has prospectively ceased the amortization of goodwill
upon the adoption of SFAS No. 142.
No impairment on goodwill and other intangible
assets was recognized each of the years ended December 31,
2000, 2001 and 2002.
F-10
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
i. Impairment
of long-lived assets
Prior to January 1, 2002, the Company
evaluated the recoverability of long-lived assets in accordance
with SFAS No. 121,
Accounting for the Impairment
of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed
of
. As of January 1, 2002, the Company has
adopted SFAS Opinion No. 144,
Accounting for the
Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets
, which
addresses the financial accounting and reporting for the
recognition and measurement of impairment losses for long-lived
assets. In accordance with these standards, long-lived assets
are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may
not be recoverable. The Company recognizes impairment of
long-lived assets in the event that the net book value of such
assets exceeds the future undiscounted cash flows attributable
to such assets. No impairment of long-lived assets was
recognized for each of the years ended December 31, 2000,
2001 and 2002.
j. Long-term
loans to related parties
Long-term loans to related parties were made to a
director and senior executives of the Company to fund their
acquisition or establishment of certain VIEs that are used
solely to facilitate the Companys participation in
Internet content provision, advertising business, travel agency
and air-ticketing services in the PRC where foreign ownership is
restricted. The Company expects that it will continue to be
involved in, and provide financial support to, the VIEs.
Accordingly, to the extent losses not recoverable are incurred
by the VIEs, the Company will accrue for such losses by
recording a valuation allowance against long-term loans to
related parties.
k. Financial
instruments
Financial instruments of the Company primarily
comprise of cash, restricted short-term investment, accounts
receivable, due from related parties, short-term bank loan,
accounts payable, long-term loans to related parties, due to
related parties, advances from customers and other payables. As
of December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, their carrying value
approximated their fair value.
l. Provisions
for customer reward program
The Company invites its customers to participate
in a reward program, which provides travel awards and other
gifts to members based on accumulated membership points that
vary depending on the services rendered and fees paid. The
estimated incremental costs to provide free travel and other
gifts are recognized as sales and marketing expense in the
statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) and
accrued for as a current liability as members accumulate points.
As members redeem awards or their entitlements expire, the
provision is reduced correspondingly. As of December 31,
2000, 2001 and 2002, the Company made provisions of RMB109,762,
RMB 911,526 and RMB 2,297,403, respectively, based on the
estimated liabilities under the customer reward program.
m. Revenue
recognition
The Group conducts its principal businesses
primarily through Ctrip Computer Technology. Some of the
operations of Ctrip Computer Technology are conducted through a
series of services and other agreements with certain VIEs,
including Shanghai Ctrip Commerce, Shanghai Huacheng and Beijing
Chenhao.
Ctrip Computer Technology is subject to business
tax and related surcharges on the services provided in the PRC.
Such tax is levied on the Ctrip Computer Technology based on
gross revenues at the applicable rate of 5.5%. In the statements
of operations and comprehensive income, business tax and related
surcharges are deducted from gross revenues to arrive at net
revenues.
F-11
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Hotel
reservation services
The Company receives commissions from travel
suppliers for hotel room reservations through the Companys
transaction and service platform. Commissions from hotel
reservation services rendered are recognized after hotel
customers have completed their stay at the applicable hotel and
upon confirmation of pending payment of the commissions by the
hotel. Contracts with certain travel suppliers contain incentive
commissions typically subject to achieving specific performance
targets and such incentive commissions are recognized when it is
reasonably assured that the Company is entitled to such
incentive commissions. The Company generally receives incentive
commissions from monthly arrangements with hotels based on the
number of hotel room reservations where customers have completed
their stays. The Company presents revenues from such
transactions on a net basis in the statements of operations and
comprehensive income (loss) as the Company does not assume any
inventory risks and generally has no obligations for cancelled
hotel reservations.
Air-ticketing
services
The Company receives commissions from travel
suppliers for air-ticketing services through the Companys
transaction and service platform under various services
agreements with related and unrelated parties. Commissions from
air-ticketing services rendered are recognized after air tickets
are issued and delivered to customers. Contracts with certain
travel suppliers contain incentive commissions typically subject
to achieving specific performance targets and such incentive
commissions are recognized when they are reasonably assured that
the Company is entitled to such incentive commissions. The
Company presents revenues from such transactions on a net basis
in the statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss)
as the Company does not assume any inventory risks and generally
has no obligations for cancelled airline ticket reservations.
Under the service agreement entered into between
Ctrip Computer Technology and Beijing Chenhao, a related party,
the Company derives a portion of the revenues on air-ticketing
services from services provided to Beijing Chenhao at a fee
agreed by both parties. During the years ended December 31,
2000, 2001 and 2002, service fees charged to Beijing Chenhao
amounted to nil, nil and RMB1,208,673, respectively.
Packaged
tour
The Company receives referral fees from related
and unrelated travel agencies for packaged tour services.
Referral fees are recognized at net commission after the
services are rendered. Under the service agreement entered into
between Ctrip Computer Technology and Shanghai Huacheng, a
related party, the Company derives a portion of the revenues on
packaged tour services from services provided to Shanghai
Huacheng at a fee agreed by both parties. During the years ended
December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, service fees charged to
Shanghai Huacheng amounted nil, nil and RMB217,530, respectively.
Other
businesses
Other businesses comprise Internetrelated
advertising services and the sale of VIP membership cards.
Under the service agreement entered into between
Ctrip Computer Technology and Shanghai Ctrip Commerce, a related
party, the Company derives its advertising revenue from the fees
earned from services provided to Shanghai Ctrip Commerce at the
price mutually agreed by both parties. Accordingly, the Company
recognizes advertising revenue from Shanghai Ctrip Commerce
based on the service agreement at the same time as Shanghai
Ctrip Commerce recognizes its advertising revenue when services
are rendered. During the years ended December 31, 2000,
2001 and 2002, service fees charged to Shanghai Ctrip Commerce
amounted to RMB410,878, RMB395,788 and RMB684,675, respectively.
F-12
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Revenue from the sale of VIP membership cards is
recognized when the products are sold, provided that no
significant obligations remain for the Company.
n. Costs of
services
Costs of services consist primarily of payroll
compensation, telecommunication expenses, depreciation, rentals
and related expenses incurred by the Companys transaction
and service platform which are directly attributable to the
rendering of the Companys travel related services and
other businesses.
o. Product
development
Product development costs include expenses
incurred by the Company to develop the Companys travel
supplier networks as well as to maintain, monitor and manage the
Companys websites. The Company recognizes website and
software development costs in accordance with Statement of
Position (SOP) No. 98-1,
Accounting
for the Costs of Computer Software Developed or Obtained for
Internal Use
. As such, the Company expenses all costs
that are incurred in connection with the planning and
implementation phases of development and costs that are
associated with repair or maintenance of the existing websites
or the development of software and websites content. Costs
incurred in the development phase are capitalized and amortized
over the estimated product life. Since the inception of the
Company, the amount of costs qualifying for capitalization has
been immaterial and as a result, all website and software
development costs have been expensed as incurred.
Sales and marketing costs consist primarily of
costs of advertising expenses, commission fees, production costs
of marketing materials, expenses associated with the
Companys customer reward program and payroll and related
compensation for the Companys sales and marketing
personnel. Advertising expenses, totaled RMB8,910,378,
RMB4,372,030 and RMB4,949,206 during the years ended
December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively, are charged
to the statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss)
when incurred.
q. Share-based
compensation
The Company accounts for share-based compensation
arrangements in accordance with Accounting Principles Board
(APB) Opinion No. 25,
Accounting for
Stock Issued to Employees
(APB
No. 25), and complies with the disclosure provisions
of SFAS No. 123,
Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation
(SFAS No. 123). In
general, compensation cost under APB No. 25 is recognized
based on the difference, if any, between the estimated fair
value of the Companys ordinary shares and the amount an
employee is required to pay to acquire the ordinary shares, as
determined on the date the option is granted. Total compensation
cost as determined at the grant date of option is recorded in
shareholders equity as additional paid-in-capital with an
offsetting entry recorded to deferred share-based compensation.
Deferred share-based compensation is amortized on a
straight-line basis and charged to expense over the vesting
period of the underlying options.
If the compensation cost for the Companys
share-based compensation plan had been determined based on the
estimated fair value at the grant dates for the share option
awards as prescribed by SFAS
F-13
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
No. 123, the Companys net loss
attributable to ordinary shareholders and loss per share would
have resulted in the pro forma amounts disclosed below:
The effects of applying SFAS No. 123
methodology in this pro forma disclosure are not indicative of
future amounts. Additional share option awards in future years
are expected.
r. Operating
leases
Leases where substantially all the rewards and
risks of ownership of assets remain with the leasing company are
accounted for as operating leases. Payments made under operating
leases net of any incentives received by the Company from the
leasing company are charged to the statements of operations and
comprehensive income (loss) on a straight-line basis over the
lease periods.
s. Taxation
Deferred income taxes are provided using the
balance sheet liability method. Under this method, deferred
income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences of
significant temporary differences by applying enacted statutory
rates applicable to future years to differences between the
financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of
existing assets and liabilities. The tax base of an asset or
liability is the amount attributed to that asset or liability
for tax purposes. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in
tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes
the enactment date. A valuation allowance is provided to reduce
the amount of deferred tax assets if it is considered more
likely than not that some portion of, or all of, the deferred
tax assets will not be realized.
t. Other
income
Other income primarily consists of financial
subsidies. During the year ended December 31, 2002, the
Company received financial subsidies totaling RMB783,900 from a
local government authority and such amount is recorded as other
income in the statement of operations and comprehensive income.
There are no defined rules and regulations to govern the
criteria necessary for companies to enjoy such benefits and the
amount of financial subsidy are determined at the discretion of
the relevant government authority. Financial subsidies are
recognized as other income when received.
u. Statutory
reserves
In accordance with the Regulations on Enterprises
with Foreign Investment of China and its articles of
association, Ctrip Computer Technology, a wholly foreign owned
enterprise, is required to allocate at least
F-14
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
10% of its after-tax profit according to Chinese
accounting standards and regulations to the general reserve.
Ctrip Computer Technology may stop allocations to the general
reserve if such reserve has reached 50% of its registered
capital. Appropriations to the enterprise expansion fund and
staff welfare and bonus fund are at the discretion of the board
of directors of Ctrip Computer Technology. These reserves can
only be used for specific purposes and are not transferrable to
the Company in form of loans, advances, or cash dividends.
During the years ended December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, no
appropriations to statutory reserves have been made as Ctrip
Computer Technology was in an accumulated deficit position.
v. Dividends
Dividends are recognized when declared. The
dividends recognized in 2002 totaling RMB27,323,996,
representing a return of capital, was distributed to holders of
ordinary shares, Series A and Series B convertible
preferred shares on a pro rata as-converted basis.
The allocation for the dividends to the then
existing holders of ordinary shares, Series A and
Series B Convertible preferred shares were RMB10,561,674,
RMB4,792,341 and RMB11,969,981, respectively.
w. Earning
(loss) per share
In accordance with SFAS No. 128
Computation of Earnings Per Share
(SFAS
No. 128), basic earning (loss) per share is computed
by dividing net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders by
the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding
during the period. Diluted earning (loss) per share is
calculated by dividing net loss attributable to ordinary
shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary and
dilutive ordinary equivalent shares outstanding during the
period. Ordinary equivalent shares consist of the ordinary
shares issuable upon the conversion of the convertible
preference shares (using the as-converted method) and ordinary
shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding share options
(using the treasury stock method). Ordinary equivalent shares in
the diluted earning (loss) per share computation are excluded in
net loss periods as their effect would be anti-dilutive.
w. Segment
reporting
The Company follows SFAS No. 131
Disclosures about Segment of an Enterprise and Related
Information
.
The Company operates and manages its business as
a single segment. The Company primarily generates its revenues
from customers in China. Accordingly, no geographical segments
are presented.
x. Recent
accounting pronouncements
In June 2001, the FASB issued SFAS No. 143
Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations
which addresses accounting and reporting for obligations
associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets and
the associated asset retirement costs. SFAS No. 143
requires an entity to recognize an asset retirement obligation
in the period in which it is incurred, and the entity shall
capitalize the asset retirement cost by increasing the carrying
amount of the related asset by the same amount as the liability
and subsequently allocate that retirement cost to expense over
the assets useful life. SFAS No. 143 is effective for
fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2002. The Company
does not expect that the adoption of SFAS No. 143 will have
a material effect on the Companys financial position or
results of operations.
In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 148,
Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation Transition and Disclosure
.
SFAS No. 148 amends SFAS No. 123,
Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation
, to provide alternative
methods of transition for companies that voluntarily change to a
fair value-based method of accounting for share-based employee
compensation. SFAS No. 148 also amends the disclosure
provisions of SFAS No. 123. The provisions of SFAS
No. 148 are effective for fiscal years ending after
F-15
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
December 15, 2002. The Company has elected
to continue to account for share-based compensation under the
provisions of APB No. 25 and has followed the disclosure
requirements under SFAS No. 148.
In April 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 145
Rescission of FASB Statements No. 4, 44 and 64,
Amendment of FASB Statement No. 13, and Technical
Corrections
. SFAS No. 145 requires gains and
losses on extinguishments of debt to be classified as income or
loss from continuing operations, rather than as extraordinary
items, as previously required under SFAS Opinion No. 4
Reporting Gains and Losses from Extinguishment of Debt,
an amendment of APB Opinion No. 30
. Extraordinary
treatment will be required for certain extinguishments, as
provided in APB Opinion No. 30
Reporting the
Results of Operations Reporting the Effects of
Disposal of a Segment of a Business, and Extraordinary, Unusual
and Infrequently Occurring Events and Transactions
.
The statement also amended SFAS No. 13
Accounting
for Leases
for certain sale-leaseback transactions and
sublease accounting. SFAS No. 145 is effective since
January 1, 2003. The adoption of SFAS No. 145 did not
have a material effect on the Companys financial position
or results of operations.
In June 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 146,
Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal
Activities
. SFAS No. 146 nullifies Emerging
Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue No. 94-3,
Liability Recognition for Certain Employee Termination
Benefits and Other Costs to Exit an Activity
, under
which a liability for an exit cost was recognized at the date of
an entitys commitment to an exit plan. SFAS No. 146
requires that a liability for a cost associated with an exit or
disposal activity be recognized at fair value when the liability
is incurred. The provisions of this statement are effective for
exit or disposal activities that are initiated after
December 31, 2002. The Company does not believe that this
announcement will have a significant impact on its financial
statements.
In November 2002, the FASB issued FASB
Interpretation No. 45,
Guarantors Accounting
and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, including Indirect
Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others
(FIN 45). FIN 45 requires the recognition of a
liability for certain guarantee obligations issued or modified
after December 31, 2002. FIN 45 also clarifies
disclosure requirements to be made by a guarantor for certain
guarantees. The disclosure provisions of FIN 45 are effective
for interim periods and fiscal years ending after
December 15, 2002. The Company has adopted the disclosure
provisions of FIN 45 as of December 31, 2002.
In November 2002, the EITF reached a consensus on
Issue No. 00-21,
Revenue Arrangements with
Multiple Deliverables
(EITF
No. 00-21). This issue addresses how revenue
arrangements with multiple deliverables should be divided into
separate units of accounting and how the arrangement
consideration should be allocated to the identified separate
accounting units. EITF No. 00-21 is effective for fiscal
periods beginning after June 15, 2003. The Company does not
believe that this announcement will have a significant impact on
its financial statements.
In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB
Interpretation No. 46,
Consolidation of Variable
Interest Entities, an Interpretation of ARB
No. 51
(FIN 46). FIN 46 requires
certain VIEs to be consolidated by the primary beneficiary of
the entity if the equity investors in the entity do not have the
characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do not
have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its
activities without additional subordinated financial support
from other parties. FIN 46 is effective for all new VIEs created
or acquired after January 31, 2003. For VIEs created or
acquired prior to February 1, 2003, FIN 46 must be adopted
for the first interim or annual period beginning after
June 15, 2003. The Company will fully adopt this
announcement during the year ending December 31, 2003 in
which the financial statements of Guangzhou Guangcheng, a
Variable Interest Entity established on April 28, 2003 in
the PRC (Note 19), will be consolidated into the
Companys financial statements on the date of
establishment, where the financial statements of Shanghai Ctrip
Commerce, Shanghai Huacheng and Beijing Chenhao, all of which
were established prior to January 31, 2003, will be
consolidated into the Companys financial statements
starting the third quarter of 2003. The Company does not believe
that this announcement will have a significant impact on
F-16
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
the presentation of its historical financial
statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2000,
2001 and 2002.
In June 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 149
Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments
and Hedging Activities
. SFAS No. 149 amends and
clarifies financial accounting and reporting for derivative
instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded
in other contracts and for hedging activities under SFAS
No. 133
Accounting for Derivative Instruments and
Hedging Activities
. It is effective for contracts
entered into or modified after June 30, 2003 and for
hedging relationships designated after June 30, 2003. All
provisions of SFAS No. 149 should be applied prospectively.
The Company does not expect that the adoption of SFAS
No. 149 will have a material effect on the Companys
financial position or results of operations.
In June 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 150
Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with
Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity
. SFAS
No. 150 establishes standards for how an issuer classifies
and measures certain financial instruments with characteristics
of both liabilities and equity. It requires that an issuer
classify a financial instrument that is within its scope as a
liability (or as an asset in some circumstances). It is
effective for financial instruments entered into or modified
after May 31, 2003, and otherwise is effective at the
beginning of the first interim period beginning after
June 15, 2003. It is to be implemented by reporting the
cumulative effect of a change in an accounting principle for
financial instruments created before the issuance date of SFAS
No. 150 and still existing at the beginning of the interim
period of adoption. Restatement is not permitted. The Company
does not expect that the adoption of SFAS No. 150 will have
a material effect on the Companys financial position or
results of operations.
z. Certain
risks and concentration
Financial instruments that potentially subject
the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist
primarily of cash, restricted cash, accounts receivable, due
from related parties and prepayments and other current assets.
As of December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, substantially all
of the Companys cash, restricted cash and short-term
investments were held in major financial institutions located in
the PRC and in Hong Kong, which management believes are of high
credit quality. Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and
denominated in RMB, and are derived from revenues earned from
operations arising in the PRC. Due from related parties mainly
represent amounts lent to directors for the purpose of
acquisitions of operations/ businesses and the establishment of
various VIEs for the benefits of the Companys operations.
No individual customer accounted for more than
10% of net revenues during the years ended December 31,
2000, 2001 and 2002. No individual customer accounted for more
than 10% of accounts receivable as of December 31, 2000,
2001 and 2002.
3. MAJOR
ACQUISITION
On October 18, 2000, the Company acquired
Beijing Modern Express Business Travel Services Co. Ltd.
(Beijing Modern Express), a company incorporated in
the PRC, for a total consideration of approximately
RMB11,008,749, consisting of 880,698 of the Companys
ordinary shares with an estimated fair value of RMB3,008,749 and
a cash consideration of RMB8,000,000. The ordinary shares were
issued in July 2001. Accordingly, the estimated fair value of
the ordinary shares on the date of acquisition has been
recognized as deferred acquisition costs as of December 31,
2000. The acquisition has been accounted for as a purchase
business combination and the results of operations from the
acquisition date have been included in the Companys
consolidated financial statements.
F-17
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
The allocation of the purchase price is as
follows:
The net cash impact due to the acquisition of
Beijing Modern Express is as follows:
The excess of purchase price over fair values of
tangible and identified intangible acquired assets and
liabilities assumed was recorded as goodwill. The estimated
useful lives of goodwill and intangible assets acquired are as
follows:
The Company ceased amortization of goodwill after
the adoption of SFAS No. 142.
The following unaudited pro forma consolidated
financial information reflects the results of operations for the
year ended December 31, 2000, as if the acquisition had
occurred on January 1, 2000. These pro forma results have
been prepared for comparative purposes only and do not purport
to be indicative of what operating results would have been had
the acquisition actually taken place on January 1, 2000,
and may not be indicative of future operating results.
In February 2002, the Company acquired the
air-ticketing business of Beijing Haian Air-ticketing
Service Company for a total cash consideration of RMB2,600,000.
F-18
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
4. RESTRICTED
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT
As of December 31, 2001, restricted
short-term investment represents time deposits held with a bank,
with an original maturity of over three months, in the amount of
US$3,000,000 pledged for a RMB denominated short-term bank loan
of RMB4,000,000.
5. PREPAYMENTS
AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS
Components of prepayments and other current
assets as of December 31 are as follows:
6. INVESTMENTS IN
JOINT VENTURE COMPANIES
During the year ended December 31, 2002,
Home Inns Hong Kong, an investment holding company, together
with a Chinese joint venture partner, established joint venture
companies engaged in hotel management operations in the PRC.
Certain details of the joint venture companies as of
December 31, 2002 are as follows:
The operations of the joint venture companies
have not been included in the consolidated financial statements
as the Group does not exercise effective control over these
companies. The joint venture companies are accounted for under
the equity method of accounting as the Company does have
significant influence over the operations of these companies due
to certain substantive participating rights held by the minority
shareholders.
F-19
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Combined financial information of the joint
venture companies as of and for the year ended December 31,
2002 is as follows:
In the statements of operations and comprehensive
income (loss), other expenses incurred for joint venture
companies mainly consist payroll compensation and other expenses
incurred by the Company in relation to the development of hotel
management operations prior to the establishment of Home Inns
Beijing.
Subsequent to the issuance of convertible
preferred shares by Home Inns Hong Kong on February 28,
2003, the Company ceased to have control over Home Inns Hong
Kong. Accordingly, investment in Home Inns Hong Kong is
accounted for by equity method thereafter (Note 19).
According to a board resolution on
August 27, 2003, all the Companys equity interest in
Home Inns Hong Kong has been distributed out of the
Companys reserves to the existing holders of Series A
and Series B Convertible Preferred Shares and ordinary
shares as share dividends on an as-converted basis
(Note 19).
7. PROPERTY,
EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE
Property, equipment and software and its related
accumulated depreciation and amortization as of December 31
are as follows:
8. GOODWILL AND
OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Goodwill and other intangible assets are
attributable to the purchase of Beijing Modern Express and
Beijing Haian Air-ticketing Service Company (Note 3).
F-20
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Gross carrying amount, accumulated amortization
and net book value of the goodwill and other intangible assets
as of December 31 are as follows:
The table below shows the effect on net loss
attributable to ordinary shareholders and loss per share had
SFAS No. 142 been adopted in prior periods:
F-21
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
The annual estimated amortization expense for the
acquired intangible assets for the next five years is as follows:
9. SHORT-TERM
BANK LOAN
As of December 31, 2001, short-term bank
loan represented a RMB4,000,000 bank loan secured by bank
deposits of US$3,000,000. The annual interest rate applicable to
the bank loan was 6.138%. The short-term bank loan was drawn for
working capital purposes.
10. TAXATION
Cayman
Islands
Under the current laws of Cayman Islands, the
Company is not subject to tax on income or capital gain. In
addition, upon payments of dividends by the Company to its
shareholders, no Cayman Islands withholding tax will be imposed.
Hong
Kong
The Companys subsidiaries did not have
assessable profits that were earned in or derived from Hong Kong
during the years ended December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Therefore, no Hong Kong profit tax has been provided for.
China
The Companys subsidiary and joint venture
companies registered in the PRC are subject to PRC Enterprise
Income Tax (EIT) on the taxable income as reported
in their respective statutory financial statements adjusted in
accordance with relevant income tax laws. In accordance with
Income Tax Law of China for Enterprises with Foreign
Investment and Foreign Enterprises, the applicable EIT
rates are 30% plus a local income tax of 3%.
Subsequent to December 31, 2002, Ctrip
Computer Technology has applied to the relevant government
authorities to obtain the status of a High New Technology
Development Enterprise. Upon approval by the relevant
government authorities and tax bureau, Ctrip Computer Technology
would enjoy a preferential EIT rate of 15%. However, as of the
date of the issuance of these financial statements, there is no
assurance that such preferential tax rate will be granted to
Ctrip Computer Technology.
F-22
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Composition of
income tax benefit (expense)
The current and deferred portion of income tax
benefit (expense) included in the consolidated statements of
operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the years ended
December 31 are as follows:
Reconciliation
of the differences between statutory tax rate and the effective
tax rate
A reconciliation between the statutory EIT rate
and the Groups effective tax rate for the years ended
December 31 is as follows:
Significant
components of deferred tax assets
The Company has not recorded a valuation
allowance related to deferred tax assets. During the years ended
December 31, 2000 and 2001, the Company had operating loss
and credit carryforwards for income tax purposes aggregating
RMB22,605,630 and RMB26,484,642, which expire in 2004 through
2005 and expire in 2004 through 2006, respectively. The tax loss
carryforwards were fully utilized during the year ended
December 31, 2002.
11. SERIES A
CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED SHARES
In March 2000, the Company entered into a
Series A Preferred Share Subscription Agreement, whereby
the Company authorized and issued 432,000 shares of the
Companys Series A Convertible Preferred Shares
(Series A Preferred Shares) at an issue price
of $10.4167 per share. In June 6, 2000, the Company
increased the number of Series A Preferred Shares from
432,000 shares to 4,320,000 shares by decreasing the par value
from US$0.10 each to US$0.01 each. The authorized and issued
Series A Preferred Shares was increased to 4,320,000 shares
accordingly.
F-23
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
The holders of Series A Preferred Shares had
various rights and preferences as follows:
Each holder of Series A Preferred Shares had
voting rights equal to the number of ordinary shares then
issuable upon its conversion into ordinary shares. Each holder
of Series A Preferred Shares generally voted together with
holders of the ordinary shares.
Dividends
The holders of the Series A Preferred Shares
shall be entitled to receive out of any funds legally available
therefore, when and if declared by the Board of Directors of the
Company, dividends equal to five percent (5%) of initial
conversion price. No dividends or distribution shall be payable
except out of the profits of the Company, realized or
unrealized, or out of the share premium account or as otherwise
permitted.
Liquidation
In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of the Company, either voluntary or involuntary,
after setting aside or paying in full the Series B
Preferred Shares liquidation preference, the holders of the
Series A Preferred Shares shall be entitled to receive,
prior and in preference to any distribution of any of the assets
or surplus funds of the Company to the holders of the ordinary
shares or any other class or series of shares by reason of their
ownership of such shares, the amount equal to US$1.0417 (the
Series A Preferred Shares Liquidation
Preference) for each shares held and, plus declared but
unpaid dividends.
Conversion
Each Series A Preferred Share shall
automatically be converted into ordinary shares at the then
effective conversion price, respectively, upon the closing of an
underwritten public offering of the ordinary shares of the
Company in the United States at a price not less than US$4.70
per share proportionally adjusted for share subdivisions, share
dividends, reorganizations, reclassifications, consolidations,
or mergers, with the gross proceeds to the Company in excess of
US$25,000,000, or in a similar public offering of the ordinary
shares of the Company in a jurisdiction and on a recognized
securities exchange outside of the United States, provided that
such public offering is reasonably equivalent to the
aforementioned public offering in the United States in terms of
price, offering proceeds and regulatory approval. Otherwise, a
holder of Series A Preferred Shares may opt to convert all
but not part at any time after issuance date into such number of
fully paid and non-assessable ordinary shares at a conversion
price of US$1.04167 (each Series A Convertible Preferred
Share is convertible into one ordinary share). No beneficial
conversion feature charge was recognized for the issuance of
Series A Preferred Shares as the estimated fair value of
the ordinary shares is less than the conversion price on the
date of issuance.
12. SERIES B
REDEEMABLE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED SHARES
In November 2000, the Company entered into a
Series B Preferred Shares Subscription Agreement, whereby
the Company authorized and issued 7,193,464 shares of the
Companys Series B Mandatorily Redeemable Convertible
Preferred Shares (Series B Preferred Shares) at
an issue price of US$1.5667 per share.
The holders of Series B Preferred Shares had
various rights and preferences as follows:
Voting
Each holder of Series B Preferred Shares had
voting rights equal to the number of ordinary shares then
issuable upon its conversion into ordinary shares. However,
subsequent to the adjustment of the Series B
F-24
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Preferred Shares conversion price as of
December 31, 2001, each holder of Series B Preferred
Shares shall be entitled to one and a half (1.5) times the
number of votes equal to the number of ordinary shares. Each
holder of Series B Preferred Shares generally voted
together with holders of the ordinary shares.
Dividends
No dividends, whether in cash, in property or in
ordinary shares of the Company can be declared on outstanding
ordinary shares unless the Board of Directors has declared a
dividend for Series B Preferred Share. No dividends or
distribution shall be payable except out of the profits of the
Company, realized or unrealized, or out of the share premium
account or as otherwise permitted.
Liquidation
In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of the Company, either voluntary or involuntary, the
holders of Series B Preferred Shares shall be entitled to
receive, prior and in preference to any distribution of any of
the assets or surplus of the Company to the holders of
Series A Preferred Shares and ordinary shares or any other
class or series of shares by reason of their ownership of such
shares, the amount equal to US$1.5667.
Conversion
Each share of Series B Preferred Shares
shall automatically be converted into ordinary shares at the
then effective conversion price, upon the closing of an
underwritten public offering of the ordinary shares of the
Company in the United States at a price not less than US$4.70
per share proportionally adjusted for share subdivisions, share
dividends, reorganizations, reclassifications, consolidations,
or mergers, with the gross proceeds to the Company in excess of
US$25,000,000, or in a similar public offering of the ordinary
shares of the Company in a jurisdiction and on a recognized
securities exchange outside of the United States, provided that
such public offering is reasonably equivalent to the
aforementioned public offering in the United States in terms of
price, offering proceeds and regulatory approval. Otherwise, a
holder of Series B Preferred Shares may opt to convert each
share at any time after issue date into such number of fully
paid and non-assessable ordinary shares at a conversion price of
US$1.5667 prior to December 31, 2001. Subsequently, the
conversion price was adjusted to US$1.0445 (each Series B
Convertible Preferred Share is convertible into
1.5 ordinary shares) in accordance with a formula as
determined by the Subscription Agreement of Series B
Preference Shares with reference to the net revenue as shown in
year 2001 audited consolidated financial statements, prepared
under accounting principles generally accepted in Hong Kong. No
beneficial conversion feature charge was recognized for the
issuance of Series A Preferred Shares as the estimated fair
value of the ordinary shares is less than the conversion price
on the date of issuance.
Redemption
At any time commencing five calendar years after
the Series B Preferred Shares issue date, each
Series B Preferred Share shall be redeemable at the option
of the holders of a majority of the then outstanding shares of
Series B Preferred Shares, out of funds legally available,
therefore including capital, at a redemption price equal to
US$3.13334 per share plus all declared but unpaid dividends.
On September 4, 2003, holders of
Series B Preferred Shares agreed to forfeit its redemption
rights for no consideration (Note 19).
13. SHARE OPTION
PLAN
On April 15, 2000, the Company adopted a
share option plan that provides for the issuance of up to
144,000 ordinary shares in effect for a term of
10 years unless sooner terminated by shareholders and Board
of
F-25
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Directors. Under the share option plan, the
directors may, at their discretion, grant any senior executives
(including directors) and employees of the Company and/or its
subsidiaries to take up share options to subscribe for shares.
These share options are vested over a period of 3 years and
can be exercised within 5 years from the date of grant. On
June 6, 2000, the Company increased the number of ordinary
shares from 2,000,000 shares to 20,000,000 shares by
decreasing the par value from US$0.10 each to US$0.01 each. The
total number of ordinary shares reserved for the share option
plan increased from 144,000 to 1,440,000 accordingly. On
July 1, 2001, the total number of ordinary shares reserved
for the share option plan was increased to
1,728,000 shares. All share options granted under this plan
have an exercise price of US$0.7716. Up to the date of the
issuance of these financial statements, 1,538,160 options
were granted under this share option plan.
The following table summarizes the Companys
share option activity:
In connection with the share options granted
during the years ended December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002,
the Company recognized deferred share-based compensation
totaling nil, RMB96,263 and RMB1,077,460, respectively, which is
being amortized over the vesting period of three years.
Share-based compensation expense recognized during the years
ended December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, totaled nil,
RMB21,950 and RMB462,140, respectively.
The Company calculated the estimated fair value
of share options on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes
pricing method with the following assumptions:
If compensation cost for the Companys
share-based compensation plan been determined based on the
estimated fair value at the grant dates for the share option
awards as prescribed by SFAS No. 123, the Companys
net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders during the years
ended December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002 will be
RMB26,172,612, RMB29,602,456 and RMB2,364,927, respectively.
14. EMPLOYEE
BENEFITS
The full-time employees of Ctrip Computer
Technology which was established in the PRC are entitled to
staff welfare benefits including medical care, welfare
subsidies, unemployment insurance and pension benefits. Ctrip
Computer Technology is required to accrue for these benefits
based on certain percentages of the employees salaries in
accordance with the relevant regulations and make contributions
to
F-26
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
the state-sponsored pension and medical plans out
of the amounts accrued for medical and pension benefits. The
total provision accrued for such employee benefits amounted to
RMB1,026,011, RMB2,793,619 and RMB3,458,859 for the years ended
December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. The Chinese
government is responsible for the medical benefits and ultimate
pension liability to these employees.
15. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Certain VIEs were considered related parties as
these VIEs were owned by a director and senior executives of the
company. These VIEs own certain licenses that are necessary for
a certain part of the Groups operation. The Company has
entered into various service agreements with these VIEs which
generally charge a fee agreed by both parties (Note 2(c)).
Under the service agreements, the Company
provides consulting and other support on technology,
administrative, marketing and other services to the VIE and
charges a service fee for those services rendered. Under the
terms of the service agreements with Beijing Chenhao and Ctrip
Commerce, Beijing Chenhao and Ctrip Commerce are not allowed to
(i) receive similar services from other parties or
(ii) transfer, sell, leave, or pledge its assets without
the consent of the Company. The terms of the service agreements
with Shanghai Huacheng and Beijing Chenhao expire in April 2004
and June 2004, respectively. The service agreement with Ctrip
Commerce can be terminated by the Company without cause.
During the years ended December 31,
significant related party transactions are as follows:
As of December 31, balances with related
parties are as follows:
F-27
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
The amounts due from and due to related parties
as of December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, mainly arose from
the transactions disclosed above and in Note 2(i), revenue
received and expenses paid on behalf on each other. They are
unsecured, interest-free and have no fixed repayment terms.
16. OTHER
PAYABLES AND ACCRUALS
Components of other payables and accruals as of
December 31 are as follows:
17. LOSS PER
SHARE
Basic loss per share and diluted loss per share
have been calculated in accordance with SFAS No. 128 as
follows:
Potentially dilutive securities that were not
included in the computation of diluted loss per share because of
their antidilutive effects include Series A Preferred
Shares, the Series B Preferred Shares and share options
granted to employees.
F-28
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
18. COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES
Operating lease
commitments
The Group has entered into leasing arrangements
relating to office premises, equipment and others that are
classified as operating leases. Future minimum lease payments
for non-cancelable operating leases at December 31 are as
follows:
Rental expense totaled approximately
RMB2,843,141, RMB4,798,074 and RMB4,687,822 during the years
ended December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively, and
is charged to the statements of operations and comprehensive
income (loss) when incurred.
Capital
commitments
As of December 31, 2002, capital commitments
for office decoration amounted to RMB579,045.
Contingencies
The Company is incorporated in Cayman Islands and
considered as a foreign entity under PRC laws. Due to the
restrictions on foreign ownership of the air-ticketing, travel
agency, advertising and Internet content provision businesses,
the Company conducts these businesses partly through various
VIEs. These VIEs hold the licenses and approvals that are
essential for the Companys business operations. In the
opinion of the Companys PRC legal counsel, the current
ownership structures and the contractual arrangements with these
VIEs and their shareholders as well as the operations of these
VIEs are in compliance with all existing PRC laws, rules and
regulations. However, there may be changes and other
developments in PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, the
Company cannot be assured that PRC government authorities will
not take a view in the future contrary to the opinion of the
Companys legal counsel. If the current ownership
structures of the Company and its contractual arrangements with
VIEs were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC
laws or regulations, the Company may be required to restructure
its ownership structure and operations in China to comply with
changing and new Chinese laws and regulations.
19. SUBSEQUENT
EVENTS
a. On February 28, 2003, Home Inns Hong
Kong entered into a Series A Preferred Shares Purchase
Agreement, whereby Home Inns Hong Kong authorized and issued
86,207 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Shares
at an issue price of US$46.40 per share. Following the issue of
the preferred shares and according to the shareholders
agreement, the equity interest of the Company on an as converted
basis dropped to 31.16% and the investors are entitled to
appoint the majority of directors on the board of Home Inns Hong
Kong. The Company ceased to have control over Home Inns Hong
Kong on February 28, 2003, and accordingly the investment
in Home Inns Hong Kong is accounted for by equity method
thereafter.
F-29
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
b. On February 28, 2003, Home Inns Hong
Kong has contributed an additional registered capital of
RMB28,945,000 into Home Inns Beijing. The effective equity
interest of Home Inns Hong Kong in Home Inns Beijing increased
from 55% to 76%.
c. On March 13, 2003, Ctrip.com Travel
Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Ctrip Travel
Information), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company,
was established in Shanghai, PRC. Effective April 2003, Ctrip
Computer Technology transferred a certain portion of the hotel
reservation business to Ctrip Travel Information. The EIT rate
applicable to Ctrip Travel Information is 15% as it is
registered in Pudong New District, Shanghai.
d. On April 15, 2003, the Company
adopted a new share option plan which provides for the issuance
of up to 1,187,510 ordinary shares. Under the share option
plan, the directors may, at their discretion, grant any senior
executives (including directors) and employees of the Company
and/or its subsidiaries to take up share options to subscribe
for shares. These share options are vested over a period of
3 years and can be exercised within 5 years from the
date of grant. Up to the date of the issuance of these financial
statements, 711,660 share options were granted with an
exercise price of US$2.11 under this new share option plan.
e. On April 28, 2003, Guangzhou
Guangcheng Commercial Service Co., Ltd. (Guangzhou
Guangcheng), a VIE incorporated in Guangzhou, PRC, was
established by Shanghai Ctrip Commerce and a senior executive,
each holding 90% and 10% of the equity interest in Guangzhou
Guangcheng, respectively. Guangzhou Guangcheng is in the process
of applying for an air-ticketing license.
f. On August 4, 2003, the Company,
through its senior executive, entered into an agreement to
acquire 66% of equity interests of Shanghai Cuiming
International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. (Shanghai
Cuiming), a company incorporated in Shanghai, PRC, with a
consideration of RMB1,980,000. Shanghai Cuiming holds a travel
agency license for both cross border and domestic package-tour
business. The Company is in the process of entering into a
service agreement with Shanghai Cuiming. However, these
transactions have not yet been completed as of the date of the
issuance of these financial statements.
g. On August 27, 2003, the board
resolved to distribute, out of the Companys reserves, all
equity interest of the Company in Home Inns Hong Kong to the
existing holders of Series A and Series B Convertible
Preferred Shares and ordinary shares as share dividends on an
as-converted basis.
h. On September 4, 2003, the Company
entered into a Series C Preferred Shares Purchase
Agreement, whereby the Company authorized and issued
2,180,755 shares of Series C Convertible Preferred
Shares, with a par value of US$0.01, at an issue price of
US$4.5856 per share. Series C Convertible Preferred Shares
are non-redeemable and are automatically convertible into one
ordinary share at an initial conversion price of US$4.5856
(subject to anti-dilution adjustment) upon (i) the election
of a majority of the outstanding shares of Series C
Convertible Preferred Shares or (ii) the consummation of an
underwritten public offering with aggregate proceeds in excess
of US$25,000,000. Holders of Series C Convertible Preferred
Shares are entitled to participate with holders of ordinary
shares in any dividends or similar distributions on an
as-converted basis. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution
or winding-up of the Company, holder of Series C
Convertible Preferred Shares are entitled to receive, prior and
in preference to any distribution of any of the assets or
surplus funds of the Company to the holders of the ordinary
shares or any other class of series of shares. No beneficial
conversion feature charge was recognized for the issuance of
Series C Convertible Preferred Shares as the estimated fair
value of the ordinary shares is less than the conversion price
on the date of issuance.
i. In September 2003, as part of the
Series C Convertible Preferred Share issuance, the
shareholders of the Companys Series B Preferred
Shares forfeited their redemption rights for no consideration in
anticipation of the public offering of the Companys
ordinary shares.
F-30
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
j. In September 2003, immediately after the
issuance of Series C Convertible Preferred Shares, the net
proceeds received from investors were fully utilized to
repurchase 842,938, 382,482 and 636,891 shares of Companys
ordinary shares, Series A Convertible Preferred Shares and
Series B Convertible Preferred Shares at US$4.5282,
US$4.5282 and US$6.7924, respectively, on a pro-rata
as-converted basis. The repurchase price per share for each
class of shares was determined based on the issuance price of
Series C Preferred Shares adjusted for legal and other
professional service expenses and conversion features, where
applicable. The excess of the repurchase price over the carrying
amount of the Series A and Series B Convertible
Preferred Shares was treated as a deemed dividend and amounted
to RMB11,223,324 and RMB24,112,826, respectively. The purchased
shares were retired upon repurchase.
F-31
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS OF
In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated
balance sheet and the related consolidated statements of
operations and comprehensive income, of changes in
shareholders equity and of cash flows expressed in
Renminbi present fairly, in all material respects, the financial
position of Ctrip.com International, Ltd. as of
September 30, 2003, and the results of its operations and
its cash flows for the nine-month period ended
September 30, 2003, in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States of America. These
financial statements are the responsibility of Ctrip.com
International, Ltd.s management; our responsibility is to
express an opinion on these financial statements based on our
audit. We conducted our audit of these statements in accordance
with generally accepted auditing standards in the United States
of America, which require that we plan and perform the audit to
obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes
examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and
disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the
accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, and evaluating the overall financial statements
presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable
basis for our opinion.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers
Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China
F-32
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these financial statements.
F-33
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these financial statements.
F-34
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN
SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these financial statements.
F-35
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH
FLOWS
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these financial statements.
F-36
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
1. ORGANIZATION
AND NATURE OF OPERATIONS
The accompanying consolidated financial
statements include the financial statements of Ctrip.com
International, Ltd. (the Company), its
subsidiaries and certain variable interest entities
(VIEs or), which primarily consist of Ctrip.com
(Hong Kong) Limited (Ctrip Hong Kong),
Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Ctrip
Computer Technology) and Ctrip Travel Information
Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Ctrip Travel
Information). The Company and its subsidiaries and
consolidated VIEs are collectively referred to as the
Group.
The Group is principally engaged in the provision
of travel related services including hotel reservations,
air-ticketing, packaged tour services, as well as, to
a lesser extent, Internet-related advertising and other
related services. The Group had also been engaged in hotel
management operations in the Peoples Republic of China
(the PRC) through Home Inns & Hotels Management
(Hong Kong) Limited (Home Inns Hong Kong),
a company established on May 28, 2001.
Subsequent to the issuance of convertible
preferred shares by Home Inns Hong Kong on
February 28, 2003, the Company ceased to have control over
Home Inns Hong Kong. Accordingly, investment in Home Inns
Hong Kong is accounted for by equity method until
August 27, 2003 when all equity interest of the Company in
Home Inns Hong Kong was distributed to the then existing
holders of Series A and Series B Convertible Preferred
Shares and ordinary shares as share dividends on a pro rata
as-converted basis.
2. PRINCIPAL
ACCOUNTING POLICIES
a. Basis of
presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial
statements have been prepared in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles in the United States of
America (US GAAP).
The preparation of financial statements in
conformity with US GAAP requires management to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of
assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent assets and
liabilities at the balance sheet dates and the reported amounts
of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual
results could materially differ from those estimates.
b. Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the
financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries and
certain VIEs. All significant transactions and balances among
the Company, its subsidiaries and VIEs have been eliminated upon
consolidation. Investments in joint venture companies are
accounted for by the equity method. The Companys share of
income (loss) of the joint venture companies is included in
the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive
income.
A subsidiary is an entity in which the Company,
directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the
voting power; has the power to appoint or remove the majority of
the members of the board of directors; to cast a majority
of votes at the meeting of the board of directors or to govern
the financial and operating policies of the investee under a
statue or agreement among the shareholders or equity holders.
The Company has adopted FASB Interpretation
No. 46,
Consolidation of Variable Interest
Entities, an Interpretation of ARB No. 51
(FIN 46). FIN 46 requires certain VIEs to
be consolidated by the primary beneficiary of the entity if the
equity investors in the entity do not have the characteristics
of a controlling financial interest or do not have
sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its
activities without additional subordinated financial support
from other parties. Accordingly, the financial statements of
Guangzhou Guangcheng Commercial Service Co., Ltd.
(Guangzhou Guangcheng), a VIE established on
F-37
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
April 28, 2003 is consolidated in the
Companys financial statements since its incorporation.
Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Ctrip
Commerce), Shanghai Huacheng Southwest Travel Agency Co.,
Ltd. (Shanghai Huacheng) and Beijing Chenhao Xingye
Air Ticketing Service Co., Ltd. (Beijing Chenhao),
all of which were established prior to January 31, 2003,
are consolidated in the Companys financial statements
beginning July 1, 2003. The Company has voting control
over the VIEs based on the irrevocable powers of attorney and
other related agreements between the Company and the principal
shareholders of the VIEs, which consist of a director and two
officers of the Company (Note 2c). Such director and
officers collectively own a 100% interest in all of the VIEs
except for Shanghai Huacheng, which is 10% owned by a third
party. This 10% interest is accounted for as a minority interest
in the consolidated financial statements. The Company has
consolidated the assets and liabilities of its VIEs in
accordance with transition guidance under FIN 46. Upon
consolidation, there were no material difference between the
carrying value (as defined in FIN 46) added to the balance
sheet and the previously recognized long-term loan balances.
c. Variable
interest entities
As of September 30, 2003, the Company
conducts a small part of its operations through a series of
agreements with its VIEs, including Shanghai Ctrip Commerce,
Shanghai Huacheng, Beijing Chenhao and Guangzhou Guangcheng.
These VIEs are used solely to facilitate the Companys
participation in Internet content provision, advertising
business, travel agency and air-ticketing services in the PRC
where foreign ownership is restricted.
Shanghai Ctrip Commerce is a domestic company
incorporated in Shanghai, the PRC. Shanghai Ctrip Commerce holds
an Internet content provider (ICP) license and
advertising license and is primarily engaged in provision of
advertising business on the Internet website. A director
and senior executive of the Company hold 51% and 49% of the
equity interest in Shanghai Ctrip Commerce, respectively. The
registered capital of Shanghai Ctrip Commerce as of
September 30, 2003 is RMB2,000,000.
Shanghai Huacheng is also a domestic company
incorporated in Shanghai, the PRC. Shanghai Huacheng holds
a domestic travel agency license and an air transport sales
agency license and mainly provides local guided tour services.
Shanghai Ctrip Commerce holds 90% of the equity interest in
Shanghai Huacheng. The registered capital of Shanghai Huacheng
as of September 30, 2003 is RMB500,000.
Beijing Chenhao is also a domestic company
incorporated in Beijing, the PRC. Beijing Chenhao holds an air
transport sales agency license and is mainly engaged in the
provision of air-ticketing services. A director and senior
executive of the Company hold 80% and 20% of the equity interest
in Beijing Chenhao, respectively. The registered capital of
Beijing Chenhao as of September 30, 2003 is RMB2,000,000.
Guangzhou Guangcheng is also a domestic
company incorporated in Guangzhou, the PRC, which has not
commenced operations as of September 30, 2003. Guangzhou
Guangcheng holds an air transport sales agency license and is
mainly engaged in the provision of air-ticketing services. Two
senior executives of the Company hold 100% of the equity
interest in Guangzhou Guangcheng. The registered capital of
Guangzhou Guangcheng as of September 30, 2003 is RMB500,000.
The capital injected by the director or senior
executives are funded by the Company and were recorded as
long-term loans to related parties prior to the adoption of
FIN 46. The Company does not have any ownership interest in
these VIEs.
As of September 30, 2003, the Company has
various agreements with its consolidated VIEs, including loan
agreements, exclusive technical consulting and services
agreements, share pledge agreements, exclusive option agreements
and other operating agreements.
F-38
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Details of certain key agreements with our VIEs
are as follows:
Powers of Attorney:
The equity owners of the VIEs
irrevocably appointed the Companys officers to vote on
their behalf on all matters they are entitled to vote on,
including matters relating to the transfer of any or all of
their respective equity interests in VIEs and the appointment of
the chief executive officer of the VIEs.
Share Pledge Agreements.
The equity owners pledge their
respective equity interests in the VIEs as a guarantee for the
payment by the VIEs of technical and consulting services fees
under the exclusive technical consulting and services agreements
described above.
Exclusive Technical Consulting and Services
Agreements.
The Company provides
the VIEs with technical consulting and related services and
information services. The Company is the exclusive provider of
these services. The initial term of these agreements is
ten years. In consideration for those services, the VIEs
agree to pay the Company service fees. Those service fees are
recognized as revenues prior to adoption of FIN 46. Upon
adoption of FIN 46, the service fees are eliminated upon
consolidation.
Loan Agreements.
Loans were granted to certain
directors and officers with the sole and exclusive purpose of
providing funds necessary for the capitalization and acquisition
of the VIEs. As soon as the Chinese government lifts its
substantial restrictions on foreign ownership of the
air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising, or Internet content
provision business in China, as applicable, the Company will
exercise its exclusive option to purchase all outstanding equity
interest of the VIEs and the Loan Agreements will be canceled.
d. Foreign
currencies
The Companys functional currency is the
Renminbi (RMB). Transactions denominated in
currencies other than RMB are translated into RMB at the
exchange rates quoted by the Peoples Bank of China (the
PBOC) prevailing at the dates of the transactions.
Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions
are included in the consolidated statements of operations and
comprehensive income. Monetary assets and liabilities
denominated in foreign currencies are translated into RMB using
the applicable exchange rates quoted by the PBOC at the balance
sheet dates. All such exchange gains and losses are included in
the statements of operations and comprehensive income. The
exchange differences for translation of group companies balances
where RMB is not their functional currency are included in
translation adjustments, which is a separate component of
shareholders equity (deficit) on the consolidated
financial statements.
Translations of amounts from RMB into United
States dollars (US$) are solely for the convenience
of the reader and were calculated at the rate of US$1.00 =
RMB8.2771, on September 30, 2003, representing the noon
buying rate in the City of New York for cable transfers of RMB,
as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of
New York. No representation is intended to imply that the
RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted, realized or
settled into US$ at that rate on September 30, 2003, or at
any other rate.
e. Cash
Cash represents cash on hand and demand deposits
placed with banks or other financial institutions. Included in
the cash balance as of September 30, 2002 and 2003 are
amounts denominated in US$ amounted to US$4,462,843 and
US$1,497,468, respectively (equivalent to approximately
RMB36,939,398 and RMB12,394,692, respectively).
F-39
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
f. Property,
equipment and software
Property, equipment and software are stated at
cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization.
Depreciation and amortization are computed using the
straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives,
taking into account any estimated residual value:
g. Goodwill
and other intangible assets
In June 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board (FASB) issued Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 141,
Business Combination
(SFAS
No. 141) and SFAS No. 142,
Goodwill and
Other Intangible Assets
(SFAS
No. 142). SFAS No. 141 requires that all
business combinations be accounted for under the purchase method
and that certain acquired intangible assets in a business
combination be recognized as assets apart from goodwill. SFAS
No. 142 requires that ratable amortization of goodwill be
replaced with periodic tests of the goodwills impairment
and that identifiable intangible assets other than goodwill be
amortized over their estimated useful lives. The Company adopted
SFAS No. 142 in 2002 and performed the initial steps of the
transitional impairment tests as required.
Separate identifiable intangible assets that have
determinable lives continue to be amortized, and consist
primarily of a customer list and a travel supplier agreement. As
required under SFAS No. 142, the Company continues to
amortize intangible assets on a straight-line basis over their
estimated useful lives, which range from one to five years. The
Company has prospectively ceased the amortization of goodwill
upon the adoption of SFAS No. 142.
No impairment on goodwill and other intangible
assets was recognized each of the nine-month periods ended
September 30, 2002 and 2003.
h. Impairment
of long-lived assets
Prior to January 1, 2002, the Company
evaluated the recoverability of long-lived assets in accordance
with SFAS No. 121,
Accounting for the Impairment
of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed
of.
As of January 1, 2002, the Company has
adopted SFAS No. 144,
Accounting for the Impairment
or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets
, which addresses the
financial accounting and reporting for the recognition and
measurement of impairment losses for long-lived assets. In
accordance with these standards, long-lived assets are reviewed
for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances
indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be
recoverable. The Company recognizes impairment of long-lived
assets in the event that the net book value of such assets
exceeds the future undiscounted cash flows attributable to such
assets. No impairment of long-lived assets was recognized during
the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2002 and 2003.
i. Long-term
loans to related parties
Long-term loans to related parties were made to
directors and senior executives of the Company to fund their
acquisition or establishment of certain VIEs that are used
solely to facilitate the Companys participation in
Internet content provision, advertising business, travel agency
and air-ticketing services in the
F-40
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
PRC where foreign ownership is restricted. The
Company expects that it will continue to be involved in, and
provide financial support to, the VIEs. Accordingly, to the
extent losses not recoverable are incurred by the VIEs and prior
to the adoption of FIN 46, the Company will accrue for such
losses by recording a valuation allowance against long-term
loans to related parties. Upon adoption of FIN 46, the VIEs are
consolidated and our long-term loans to the related parties are
eliminated upon consolidation (Note 13).
j. Financial
instruments
Financial instruments of the Company primarily
comprise of cash, accounts receivable, due from related parties,
long-term loans to related parties, accounts payable, due to
related parties, advances from customers and other payables. As
of September 30, 2002 and 2003, their carrying value
approximated their fair value.
k. Provisions
for customer reward program
The Company invites its customers to participate
in a reward program, which provides travel awards and other
gifts to members based on accumulated membership points that
vary depending on the services rendered and fees paid. The
estimated incremental costs to provide free travel and other
gifts are recognized as sales and marketing expense in the
statements of operations and comprehensive income and accrued
for as a current liability as members accumulate points. As
members redeem awards or their entitlements expire, the
provision is reduced correspondingly. As of September 30,
2002 and 2003, the Company made provisions of RMB1,869,656 and
RMB3,470,457, respectively, based on the estimated liabilities
under the customer reward program.
l. Revenue
recognition
The Group conducts its principal businesses
primarily through Ctrip Computer Technology and Ctrip Travel
Information. Some of the operations of Ctrip Computer Technology
are conducted through a series of services and other agreements
with certain VIEs, including Shanghai Ctrip Commerce, Shanghai
Huacheng and Beijing Chenhao.
Ctrip Computer Technology, Ctrip Travel
Information and the VIEs are subject to business tax and related
surcharges on the services provided in the PRC. Such tax is
levied on the group companies in the PRC based on gross revenues
at the applicable rate of 5.5%. In the statements of operations
and comprehensive income, business tax and related surcharges
are deducted from gross revenues to arrive at net revenues.
Hotel
reservation services
The Company receives commissions from travel
suppliers for hotel room reservations through the Companys
transaction and service platform. Commissions from hotel
reservation services rendered are recognized after hotel
customers have completed their stay at the applicable hotel and
upon confirmation of pending payment of the commissions by the
hotel. Contracts with certain travel suppliers contain incentive
commissions typically subject to achieving specific performance
targets and such incentive commissions are recognized when it is
reasonably assured that the Company is entitled to such
incentive commissions. The Company generally receives incentive
commissions from monthly arrangements with hotels based on the
number of hotel room reservations where customers have completed
their stay. The Company presents revenues from such transactions
on a net basis in the statements of operations and comprehensive
income as the Company does not assume any inventory risks and
generally has no obligations for cancelled hotel reservations.
F-41
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Air-ticketing
services
The Company receives commissions from travel
suppliers for air-ticketing services through the Companys
transaction and service platform under various services
agreements with related and unrelated parties. Commissions from
air-ticketing services rendered are recognized after air tickets
are issued and delivered to customers. Contracts with certain
travel suppliers contain incentive commissions typically subject
to achieving specific performance targets and such incentive
commissions are recognized when they are reasonably assured that
the Company is entitled to such incentive commissions. The
Company presents revenues from such transactions on a net basis
in the statements of operations and comprehensive income as the
Company does not assume any inventory risks and generally has no
obligations for cancelled airline ticket reservations.
Under the service agreement entered into between
Ctrip Computer Technology and Beijing Chenhao, a unconsolidated
VIE prior to July 1, 2003, the Company derives a portion of
the revenues on air-ticketing services from services provided to
Beijing Chenhao at a fee agreed between Ctrip Computer
Technology and the Beijing Chenhao. During the nine-month
periods ended September 30, 2002 and 2003, service fees
charged to Beijing Chenhao amounted to RMB548,673 and
RMB1,358,612, respectively.
Packaged tour
services
The Company receives referral fees from related
and unrelated travel agencies for packaged tour services through
the Companys transaction and service platform. Referral
fees are recognized at net commission after the services are
rendered. Under the service agreement entered into between Ctrip
Computer Technology and Shanghai Huacheng, a unconsolidated VIE
prior to July 1, 2003, the Company derives a portion of the
revenues on the packaged tour services from services provided to
Shanghai Huacheng at a fee agreed by both parties. During the
periods ended September 30, 2002 and 2003, service fees
charged to Shanghai Huacheng amounted to RMB175,746 and
RMB140,000, respectively.
Other
businesses
Other businesses comprise Internet-related
advertising services and the sale of VIP membership cards.
Under the service agreement entered into between
Ctrip Computer Technology and Shanghai Ctrip Commerce, a
unconsolidated VIE prior to July 1, 2003, the Company
derives its advertising revenue from the fees earned from
services provided to Shanghai Ctrip Commerce at the price
mutually agreed by both parties. During the periods ended
September 30, 2002 and 2003, service fees charged to
Shanghai Ctrip Commerce amounted to RMB331,925 and RMB678,502,
respectfully.
Shanghai Ctrip Commerce receives advertising
revenue, which principally represent the sale of banners or
sponsorship on the website from customers. Advertising revenues
are recognized ratably over the fixed term of the agreement as
services are provided.
Revenue from the sale of VIP membership cards is
recognized when the products are sold, provided that no
significant obligations remain for the Company.
m. Costs of
services
Costs of services consist primarily of payroll
compensation, telecommunication expenses, depreciation and
amortization, rentals and related expenses incurred by the
Companys transaction and service platform which are
directly attributable to the rendering of the Companys
travel related services and other businesses.
F-42
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
n. Product
development
Product development costs include expenses
incurred by the Company to develop the Companys travel
supplier networks as well as to maintain, monitor and manage the
Companys websites. The Company recognizes website and
software development costs in accordance with Statement of
Position (SOP) No. 98-1,
Accounting
for the Costs of Computer Software Developed or Obtained for
Internal Use
. As such, the Company expenses all costs
that are incurred in connection with the planning and
implementation phases of development and cost that are
associated with repair or maintenance of the existing websites
or the development of software and websites content. Costs
incurred in the development phase are capitalized and amortized
over the estimated product life. Since the inception of the
Company, the amount of costs qualifying for capitalization has
been immaterial and as a result, all website and software
development costs have been expensed as incurred.
o. Sales and
marketing
Sales and marketing costs consist primarily of
costs of advertising expenses, commission fees, production costs
of marketing materials, expenses associated with the
Companys customer reward program and payroll and related
compensation for the Companys sales and marketing
personnel. Advertising expenses, amounted to RMB4,572,594 and
RMB2,634,119 during the nine-month periods ended
September 30, 2002 and 2003, respectively, are charged to
the statements of operations and comprehensive income when
incurred.
p. Share-based
compensation
The Company accounts for share-based compensation
arrangements in accordance with Accounting Principles Board
(APB) Opinion No. 25,
Accounting
for Stock Issued to Employees
(APB No. 25), and complies with the
disclosure provisions of SFAS No. 123,
Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation
(SFAS No. 123). In general, compensation
cost under APB No. 25 is recognized based on the
difference, if any, between the estimated fair value of the
Companys ordinary shares and the amount an employee is
required to pay to acquire the ordinary shares, as determined on
the date the option is granted. Total compensation cost as
determined at the grant date of option is recorded in
shareholders equity as additional paid-in-capital with an
offsetting entry recorded to deferred share-based compensation.
Deferred share-based compensation is amortized on a
straight-line basis and charged to expense over the vesting
period of the underlying options.
If the compensation cost for the Companys
share-based compensation plan had been determined based on the
estimated fair value at the grant dates for the share option
awards as prescribed by SFAS No. 123, the
Companys net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders
and loss per share would have resulted in the pro forma amounts
for the nine-month periods ended September 30 disclosed
below:
F-43
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
The effects of applying SFAS No. 123
methodologies in this pro forma disclosure are not indicative of
future amounts. Additional share option awards in future years
are expected.
q. Operating
leases
Leases where substantially all the rewards and
risks of ownership of assets remain with the leasing company are
accounted for as operating leases. Payments made under operating
leases net of any incentives received by the Company from the
leasing company are charged to the statements of operations and
comprehensive income on a straight-line basis over the lease
periods.
r. Taxation
Deferred income taxes are provided using the
balance sheet liability method. Under this method, deferred
income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences of
significant temporary differences by applying enacted statutory
rates applicable to future years to differences between the
financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of
existing assets and liabilities. The tax base of an asset or
liability is the amount attributed to that asset or liability
for tax purposes. The effect on deferred taxes of a change
in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes
the enactment date. A valuation allowance is provided to
reduce the amount of deferred tax assets if it is considered
more likely than not that some portion of, or all of, the
deferred tax assets will not be realized.
s. Other
income
Other income primarily consists of financial
subsidies. During the nine-month period ended September 30,
2003, the Company received financial subsidies totaling
RMB3,354,450 from a local government authority of which
RMB922,950 of the subsidies were granted for entities impacted
by SARS. Such amount is recorded as other income in the
statement of operations and comprehensive income. There are no
defined rules and regulations to govern the criteria necessary
for companies to enjoy such benefits, and the amount of
financial subsidy are determined at the discretion of the
relevant government authority. Financial subsidies are
recognized as other income when received.
t. Statutory
reserves
In accordance with the regulations in China and
the articles of association, the Companys subsidiaries and
the VIEs are required to allocate at least 10% of its after-tax
profit according to Chinese accounting standards and regulations
to the general reserve. The allocations to the general reserve
can be stopped if such reserve has reached 50% of their
registered capital. Appropriations to the enterprise expansion
fund and staff welfare and bonus fund are at the discretion of
the board of directors of Ctrip Computer Technology and Ctrip
Travel Information, the subsidiaries of the Company. The VIEs
are required to allocate at least 5% of its after-tax profit to
the statutory welfare fund. These reserves can only be used for
specific purposes and are not transferable to the Company in the
form of loans, advances, or cash dividends. As of and for the
nine-month period ended September 30, 2003, no
appropriation to statutory reserves have been made as the
Chinese subsidiaries and VIEs were in an accumulated deficit
position as of the most recent fiscal year end, as applicable,
and no reserve requirements are necessary during interim periods
in accordance with Chinese regulations.
u. Dividends
Dividends are recognized when declared. On
August 27, 2003, the Board of Directors of the Company
resolved to distribute all equity interest of the Company in
Home Inns Hong Kong to the then existing holders of
Series A and Series B Convertible Preferred Shares and
ordinary shares respectively as dividends on a pro rata
as-converted basis, based on the carrying value of the equity
interest which was
F-44
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
RMB4,611,623. The allocation for the dividends to
the then existing holders of Series A and Series B
Preferred Shares and ordinary shares were RMB808,827,
RMB2,020,237 and RMB1,782,559, respectively. The number of
shares of Home Inns Hong Kong distributed to the holders of
Series A and B Preferred Shares and ordinary shares were
1,543,427 shares, 3,855,067 shares and
3,401,506 shares, respectively.
v. Earning
(loss) per share
In accordance with SFAS No. 128
Computation of Earnings Per Share
(SFAS No. 128), basic earning
(loss) per share is computed by dividing net profit
(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders by the
weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during
the period. Diluted earning (loss) per share is calculated
by dividing net profit (loss) attributable to ordinary
shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary and
dilutive ordinary equivalent shares outstanding during the
period. Ordinary equivalent shares consist of the ordinary
shares issuable upon the conversion of the convertible
preference shares (using the as-converted method) and ordinary
shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding share options
(using the treasury stock method). Ordinary equivalent shares in
the diluted earning (loss) per share computation are
excluded in net loss periods, as their effect would be
anti-dilutive.
w. Segment
reporting
The Company follows SFAS No. 131
Disclosures about Segment of an Enterprise and Related
Information
.
The Company operates and manages its business as
a single segment. The Company primarily generates its revenues
from customers in China. Accordingly, no geographical segments
are presented.
x. Recent
accounting pronouncements
In June 2001, the FASB issued SFAS No. 143
Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations
(SFAS No. 143) which addresses accounting
and reporting for obligations associated with the retirement of
tangible long-lived assets and the associated asset retirement
costs. SFAS No. 143 requires an entity to recognize an
asset retirement obligation in the period in which it is
incurred, and the entity shall capitalize the asset retirement
cost by increasing the carrying amount of the related asset by
the same amount as the liability and subsequently allocate that
retirement cost to expense over the assets useful life.
SFAS No. 143 is effective for fiscal years beginning
after June 15, 2002. The Company does not expect that the
adoption of SFAS No. 143 will have a material effect
on the Companys financial position or results of
operations.
In June 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 146,
Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal
Activities
(SFAS No. 146).
SFAS No. 146 nullifies Emerging Issues Task Force
(EITF) Issue No. 94-3,
Liability
Recognition for Certain Employee Termination Benefits and Other
Costs to Exit an Activity
, under which a liability for
an exit cost was recognized at the date of an entitys
commitment to an exit plan. SFAS No. 146 requires that
a liability for a cost associated with an exit or disposal
activity be recognized at fair value when the liability is
incurred. The provisions of this statement are effective for
exit or disposal activities that are initiated after
December 31, 2002. The Company does not believe that this
announcement will have a significant impact on its financial
statements.
In April 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 145
Rescission of FASB Statements No. 4, 44 and 64,
Amendment of FASB Statement No. 13, and Technical
Corrections
(SFAS No. 145). SFAS
No. 145 requires gains and losses on extinguishments of
debt to be classified as income or loss from continuing
operations, rather than as extraordinary items, as previously
required under SFAS Opinion No. 4
Reporting Gains
and Losses from Extinguishment of Debt, an amendment of APB
Opinion No. 30
. Extraordinary treatment will be
required for certain extinguishments, as provided in APB Opinion
No. 30
Reporting the Results of
Operations Reporting the Effects of Disposal of a
Segment of a Business, and Extraordinary,
F-45
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Unusual and Infrequently Occurring Events and
Transactions
. The statement also
amended SFAS No. 13
Accounting for
Leases
for certain sale-leaseback transactions and
sublease accounting. SFAS No. 145 is effective since
January 1, 2003. The adoption of SFAS No. 145 did not
have a material effect on the Companys financial position
or results of operations.
In November 2002, the FASB issued FASB
Interpretation No. 45,
Guarantors Accounting
and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, including Indirect
Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others
(FIN
45). FIN 45 requires the recognition of a liability for
certain guarantee obligations issued or modified after
December 31, 2002. FIN 45 also clarifies disclosure
requirements to be made by a guarantor for certain guarantees.
The disclosure provisions of FIN 45 are effective for interim
periods and fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002.
The adoption of FIN 45 did not have a material effect on the
Companys financial position or results of operations.
In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 148,
Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation Transition and Disclosure
(SFAS No. 148). SFAS No. 148 amends SFAS
No. 123,
Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation
, to provide alternative methods of
transition for companies that voluntarily change to a fair
value-based method of accounting for share-based employee
compensation. SFAS No. 148 also amends the disclosure
provisions of SFAS No. 123. The provisions of SFAS
No. 148 are effective for fiscal years ending after
December 15, 2002. The Company has elected to continue to
account for share-based compensation under the provisions of APB
No. 25 and has followed the disclosure requirements under
SFAS No. 148.
In June 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 149
Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments
and Hedging Activities
(SFAS
No. 149). SFAS No. 149 amends and clarifies
financial accounting and reporting for derivative instruments,
including certain derivative instruments embedded in other
contracts and for hedging activities under SFAS No. 133
Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging
Activities
. It is effective for contracts entered into
or modified after June 30, 2003 and for hedging
relationships designated after June 30, 2003. All
provisions of SFAS No. 149 should be applied prospectively. The
adoption of SFAS No. 149 did not have a material effect on
the Companys financial position or results of operations.
In June 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 150
Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with
Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity
(SFAS No. 150). SFAS No. 150 establishes
standards for how an issuer classifies and measures certain
financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities
and equity. It requires that an issuer classify a financial
instrument that is within its scope as a liability (or as an
asset in some circumstances). It is effective for financial
instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003,
and otherwise is effective at the beginning of the first interim
period beginning after June 15, 2003. It is to be
implemented by reporting the cumulative effect of a change in an
accounting principle for financial instruments created before
the issuance date of SFAS No. 150 and still existing at the
beginning of the interim period of adoption. Restatement is not
permitted. The adoption of SFAS No. 150 did not have a material
effect on the Companys financial position or results of
operations.
y. Certain
risks and concentration
Financial instruments that potentially subject
the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist
primarily of cash, accounts receivable, due from related parties
and prepayments and other current assets. As of
September 30, 2002 and 2003, substantially all of the
Companys cash was held in major financial institutions
located in the PRC and in Hong Kong, which management believes
are of high credit quality. Accounts receivable are typically
unsecured and denominated in RMB, and are derived from revenues
earned from operations arising in the PRC.
F-46
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
No individual customer accounted for more than
10% of net revenues during the nine-month periods ended
September 30, 2002 and 2003. No individual customer
accounted for more than 10% of accounts receivable as of
September 30, 2002 and 2003.
3. PREPAYMENTS
AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS
Components of prepayments and other current
assets as of September 30 are as follows:
4. INVESTMENTS IN
JOINT VENTURE COMPANIES
In 2002, Home Inns Hong Kong, an investment
holding company, together with a Chinese joint venture partner,
established joint venture companies engaged in hotel investment
and management and franchise operations in the PRC. Certain
details of the joint venture companies as of September 30,
2002 are as follows:
The operations of the joint venture companies
have not been included in the consolidated financial statements
as the Group does not exercise effective control of these
companies due to certain substantive participating rights held
by the minority shareholders.
F-47
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Combined financial information of the joint
venture companies, attributable to the Company as of and for the
nine-month periods ended September 30 is as follows:
* Comprised result of operations of the joint
venture companies up to August 27, 2003.
On August 27, 2003, all equity interest in
Home Inns Hong Kong and its interest in the joint venture
companies was distributed to the then existing holders of
Series A and Series B Convertible Preferred Shares and
ordinary shares as share dividends on a pro rata as-converted
basis.
In the statements of operations and comprehensive
income, other expenses incurred for joint venture companies
mainly consist payroll compensation and other expenses incurred
by the Company in relation to the development of hotel
management, investment and franchise operations prior to the
establishment of Home Inns Beijing.
5. PROPERTY,
EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE
Property, equipment and software and its related
accumulated depreciation and amortization as of
September 30 are as follows:
6. GOODWILL AND
OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Goodwill and other intangible assets are
primarily attributable to the purchase of Beijing Modern Express
Business Travel Services Co., Ltd. and other acquisitions.
F-48
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Gross carrying amount, accumulated amortization
and net book value of the goodwill and other intangible assets
as of September 30 are as follows:
The annual estimated amortization expense for the
acquired other intangible assets for the next five years is as
follows:
7. TAXATION
Cayman
Islands
Under the current laws of Cayman Islands, the
Company is not subject to tax on income or capital gain. In
addition, upon payments of dividends by the Company to its
shareholders, no Cayman Islands withholding tax will be imposed.
Hong
Kong
The Companys subsidiaries did not have
assessable profits that were earned in or derived from
Hong Kong during the nine-month periods ended
September 30, 2002 and 2003. Therefore, no Hong Kong
profit tax has been provided for.
F-49
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
China
The Companys subsidiaries, its VIEs and
joint venture companies registered in the PRC are subject to PRC
Enterprise Income Tax (EIT) on the taxable income as
reported in their respective statutory financial statements
adjusted in accordance with relevant income tax laws. In
accordance with Income Tax Law of China for Enterprises
with Foreign Investment and Foreign Enterprises, the
applicable EIT rates are 30% plus a local income tax of 3%
except for Ctrip Travel Information where the applicable EIT
rate is 15% as it is registered in Pudong New District, Shanghai.
In September 2003, Ctrip Computer Technology has
received approval from relevant government authorities to be
classified as a High New Technology Development
Enterprise. This classification may entitle Ctrip Computer
Technology to enjoy a preferential EIT rate of 15% for which
Ctrip Computer Technology has applied. However, as of the date
of the issuance of these financial statements, there is no
assurance that such preferential tax rate will be granted to
Ctrip Computer Technology.
Composition of
income tax expense
The current and deferred portion of income tax
expense included in the consolidated statements of operations
and comprehensive income for the nine-month periods ended
September 30 are as follows:
Reconciliation
of the differences between statutory tax rate and the effective
tax rate
A reconciliation between the statutory EIT rate
and the Groups effective tax rate for nine-month periods
ended September 30 are as follows:
Significant components of deferred tax
assets
F-50
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
The Company has not recorded a valuation
allowance related to deferred tax assets. During the nine-month
period ended September 30, 2002, the Company had operating
loss and credit carryforwards for income tax purposes
aggregating RMB9,639,155, which will expire in 2004 through
2005. The tax loss carryforwards were fully utilized during the
year ended December 31, 2002.
8. SERIES A
CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED SHARES
In March 2000, the Company entered into a
Series A Preferred Share Subscription Agreement, whereby
the Company authorized and issued 432,000 shares of the
Companys Series A Convertible Preferred Shares
(Series A Preferred Shares) at an issue price
of $10.4167 per share. On June 6, 2000, the Company
increased the number of Series A Preferred Shares from
432,000 shares to 4,320,000 shares by decreasing the par value
from US$0.10 each to US$0.01 each. The authorized and issued
Series A Preferred Shares was increased to 4,320,000 shares
accordingly.
The holders of Series A Preferred Shares had
various rights and preferences as follows:
Voting
Each holder of Series A Preferred Shares had
voting rights equal to the number of ordinary shares then
issuable upon its conversion into ordinary shares. Each holder
of Series A Preferred Shares generally voted together with
holders of the ordinary shares.
Dividends
The holders of the Series A Preferred Shares
shall be entitled to receive out of any funds legally available
therefore, when and if declared by the Board of Directors of the
Company, dividends at the rate or in the amounts as the Board of
Directors of the Company considers appropriate on an
as-converted basis. No dividends or distribution shall be
payable except out of the profits of the Company, realized or
unrealized, or out of the additional paid-in capital account or
as otherwise permitted.
Liquidation
In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of the Company, either voluntary or involuntary,
after setting aside or paying in full the Series C and
Series B Convertible Preferred Shares liquidation
preference, the holders of the Series A Preferred Shares
shall be entitled to receive, prior and in preference to any
distribution of any of the assets or surplus funds of the
Company to the holders of the ordinary shares or any other class
or series of shares by reason of their ownership of such shares
plus declared but unpaid dividends. If the remaining proceeds
thus distributed among the holders of the Series A
Preferred Share be insufficient to permit the payment to such
holders of the full aforesaid preferential amounts, then the
entire remaining proceeds legally available for distribution
shall be distributed ratably among the holders of the
Series A Preferred Share in proportion to the full
preferential amount that each such holder is otherwise entitled
to receive.
Conversion
Each Series A Preferred Share shall
automatically be converted into ordinary shares at the then
effective conversion price, respectively, upon the closing of an
underwritten public offering of the ordinary shares of the
Company in the United States with the gross proceeds in
excess of US$25,000,000, or in a similar public offering of the
ordinary shares of the Company in a jurisdiction and on a
recognized securities exchange outside of the
United States, provided that such public offering is
reasonably equivalent to the aforementioned public offering in
the United States in terms of price, offering proceeds and
regulatory approval. Otherwise, a holder of Series A
Preferred Shares may opt to convert all but not part at any time
F-51
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
after issuance date into such number of fully
paid and non-assessable ordinary shares at an initial conversion
price of US$1.04167 (each Series A Convertible Preferred
Share is convertible into one ordinary share). In the event that
the Company shall issue additional options, warrants,
convertible securities and ordinary shares without consideration
or for a consideration per share less than the applicable
conversion price in effect, then the conversion price shall be
reduced, concurrently with such issue, to a new price in
accordance with a formula determined by old price, the total
price with such issue and the number of outstanding ordinary
shares immediately before and after such issue.
No beneficial conversion feature charge was
recognized for the issuance of Series A Preferred Shares as
the estimated fair value of the ordinary shares is less than the
conversion price on the date of issuance.
9. SERIES B
CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED SHARES
In November 2000, the Company entered into a
Series B Preferred Shares Subscription Agreement, whereby
the Company authorized and issued 7,193,464 shares of the
Companys Series B Mandatorily Redeemable Convertible
Preferred Shares (Series B Preferred Shares) at
an issue price of US$1.5667 per share.
The holders of Series B Preferred Shares had
various rights and preferences as follows:
Voting
Each holder of Series B Preferred Shares had
voting rights equal to the number of ordinary shares then
issuable upon its conversion into ordinary shares. However,
subsequent to the adjustment of the Series B Preferred
Shares conversion price as of December 31, 2001, each
holder of Series B Preferred Shares shall be entitled to
one and a half (1.5) times the number of votes equal to the
number of ordinary shares. Each holder of Series B
Preferred Shares generally voted together with holders of the
ordinary shares.
Dividends
The holders of the Series B Preferred Shares
shall be entitled to receive out of any funds legally available
therefore, when and if declared by the Board of Directors of the
Company, dividends at the rate or in the amounts as the Board of
Directors of the Company considers appropriate on an
as-converted basis. No dividends or distribution shall be
payable except out of the profits of the Company, realized or
unrealized, or out of the additional paid-in capital account or
as otherwise permitted.
Liquidation
In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of the Company, either voluntary or involuntary,
after setting aside or paying in full the Series C
Convertible Preferred Shares liquidation preference, the holders
of the Series B Preferred Shares shall be entitled to
receive, prior and in preference to any distribution of any of
the assets or surplus funds of the Company to the holders of the
ordinary shares or any other class or series of shares by reason
of their ownership of such shares plus declared but unpaid
dividends. If the remaining proceeds thus distributed among the
holders of the Series B Preferred Share be insufficient to
permit the payment to such holders of the full aforesaid
preferential amounts, then the entire remaining proceeds legally
available for distribution shall be distributed ratably among
the holders of the Series B Preferred Share in proportion
to the full preferential amount that each such holder is
otherwise entitled to receive.
Conversion
Each Series B Preferred Share shall
automatically be converted into ordinary shares at the then
effective conversion price, respectively, upon the closing of an
underwritten public offering of the ordinary
F-52
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
shares of the Company in the United States with
the gross proceeds in excess of US$25,000,000, or in a similar
public offering of the ordinary shares of the Company in a
jurisdiction and on a recognized securities exchange outside of
the United States, provided that such public offering is
reasonably equivalent to the aforementioned public offering in
the United States in terms of price, offering proceeds and
regulatory approval. Otherwise, a holder of Series B
Preferred Shares may opt to convert all but not part at any time
after issuance date into such number of fully paid and
non-assessable ordinary shares at an initial conversion price of
US$1.04445 (each Series B Convertible Preferred Share is
convertible into 1.5 ordinary shares). In the event that
the Company shall issue additional options, warrants,
convertible securities and ordinary shares without consideration
or for a consideration per share less than the applicable
conversion price in effect, then the conversion price shall be
reduced, concurrently with such issue, to a new price in
accordance with a formula determined by old price, the total
price with such issue and the number of outstanding ordinary
shares immediately before and after such issue.
No beneficial conversion feature charge was
recognized for the issuance of Series B Preferred Shares as
the estimated fair value of the ordinary shares is less than the
conversion price on the date of issuance.
Redemption
Prior to the issuance of Series C
Convertible Preferred Shares, each Series B Preferred Share
shall be redeemable at the option of the holders of a majority
of the then outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Shares
at any time commencing five calendar years after the
Series B Preferred Shares issue date, out of funds legally
available, therefore including capital, at a redemption price
equal to US$3.13334 per share plus all declared but unpaid
dividends.
Upon the issuance of Series C Convertible
Preferred Shares, holders of Series B Preferred Shares
agreed to forfeit its redemption rights for no consideration.
The following pro forma information presents
earnings information as if the redemption feature had been
forfeited as of January 1, 2003, resulting in an adjustment
to accretion charges for the nine-month period ended
September 30, 2003 as follows:
F-53
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
10. SERIES C
CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED SHARES
In September 2003, the Company entered into a
Series C Preferred Shares Subscription Agreement, whereby
the Company authorized and issued 2,180,755 shares of the
Companys Series C Convertible Preferred Shares
(Series C Preferred Shares) at an issue price
of US$4.5856 per share.
The holders of Series C Preferred Shares had
various rights and preferences as follows:
Voting
Each holder of Series C Preferred Shares had
voting rights equal to the number of ordinary shares then
issuable upon its conversion into ordinary shares. Each holder
of Series C Preferred Shares generally voted together with
holders of the ordinary shares.
Dividends
The holders of the Series C Preferred Shares
shall be entitled to receive out of any funds legally available
therefore, when and if declared by the Board of Directors of the
Company, dividends at the rate or in the amounts as the Board of
Directors of the Company considers appropriate on an
as-converted basis; provided, however, that, for the 2003 fiscal
year, each share of the Series C Preferred Share shall be
entitled to, when and if declared by the Board of Directors of
the Company, only a pro rata share of dividends calculated by
multiplying (a) the amount of dividends payable on each
share of ordinary shares by (b) a fraction the numerator of
which shall be the total number of days in such fiscal year such
share of Series C Preferred Share has been held by its holder
and the denominator of which shall be 365.
No dividends or distribution shall be payable
except out of the profits of the Company, realized or
unrealized, or out of the additional paid-in capital account or
as otherwise permitted.
Liquidation
In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of the Company, either voluntary or involuntary, the
holders of the Series C Preferred Shares shall be entitled
to receive, prior and in preference to any distribution of any
of the assets or surplus funds of the Company to the holders of
the Series B Preferred Share, the Series A Preferred
Share and the ordinary shares or any other class or series of
shares by reason of their ownership of such shares, the amount
equal to US$4.5856 for each share held and, plus declared but
unpaid dividends. If the remaining proceeds thus distributed
among the holders of the Series C Preferred Share be
insufficient to permit the payment to such holders of the full
aforesaid preferential amounts, then the entire remaining
proceeds legally available for distribution shall be distributed
ratably among the holders of the Series B Preferred Share
in proportion to the full preferential amount that each such
holder is otherwise entitled to receive.
Conversion
Each Series C Preferred Share shall
automatically be converted into ordinary shares at the then
effective conversion price, respectively, upon the closing of an
underwritten public offering of the ordinary shares of the
Company in the United States with the gross proceeds in excess
of US$25,000,000, or in a similar public offering of the
ordinary shares of the Company in a jurisdiction and on a
recognized securities exchange outside of the United States,
provided that such public offering is reasonably equivalent to
the aforementioned public offering in the United States in terms
of price, offering proceeds and regulatory approval. Otherwise,
a holder of Series C Preferred Shares may opt to convert
all but not part at any time after issuance date into such
number of fully paid and non-assessable ordinary shares at an
initial conversion price of US$4.5856 (each Series C
Convertible Preferred Share is convertible into one ordinary
share). In the event that the Company shall issue additional
options, warrants, convertible securities and ordinary shares
F-54
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
without consideration or for a consideration per
share less than the applicable conversion price in effect, then
the conversion price shall be reduced, concurrently with such
issue, to a new price in accordance with a formula determined by
old price, the total price with such issue and the number of
outstanding ordinary shares immediately before and after such
issue.
No beneficial conversion feature charge was
recognized for the issuance of Series C Preferred Shares as
the estimated fair value of the ordinary shares is less than the
conversion price on the date of issuance.
In September 2003, immediately after the issuance
of Series C Convertible Preferred Shares, the net proceeds
received from investors were fully utilized to repurchase
842,938, 382,482 and 636,891 shares of Companys ordinary
shares, Series A and B Preferred Shares at US$4.5282,
US$4.5282 and US$6.7924, respectively, on a pro-rata
as-converted basis. The repurchase price per share for each
class of shares was determined based on the issuance price of
Series C Preferred Shares adjusted for the legal and
professional fees and conversion features, where applicable. The
purchased shares were retired upon repurchase. The amount not
yet paid to the shareholders as related to the repurchase was
RMB4,843,800 as of September 30, 2003. Such outstanding
balances were fully paid in October 2003.
As the purchase price of the Series A and
Series B Preferred Shares were higher than the carrying
value on the date of the repurchase, the excess of the purchase
price over the carrying value were recognized as deemed
dividends to the holders of Preferred Shares upon repurchase.
The amount of deemed dividend was RMB11,223,324 and
RMB24,112,826 for Series A and Series B Preferred
Shares, respectively.
11. SHARE OPTION
PLAN
On April 15, 2000, the Company adopted a
share option plan that provides for the issuance of up to
144,000 ordinary shares in effect for a term of 10 years
unless sooner terminated by shareholders and Board of Directors.
Under the share option plan, the directors may, at their
discretion, grant any senior executives (including directors)
and employees of the Company and/or its subsidiaries to take up
share options to subscribe for shares. These share options are
vested over a period of 3 years and can be exercised within
5 years from the date of grant. On June 6, 2000, the
Company increased the number of ordinary shares from 2,000,000
shares to 20,000,000 shares by decreasing the par value from
US$0.10 each to US$0.01 each. The total number of ordinary
shares reserved for the share option plan increased from 144,000
to 1,440,000 accordingly. On July 1, 2001, the total number
of ordinary shares reserved for the share option plan was
increased to 1,728,000 shares. All share options granted under
this plan have an exercise price of US$0.7716. Up to the date of
the issuance of these financial statements, 1,535,760 options
were granted under this share option plan.
The following table summarizes the Companys
share option activity as of and for the nine-month periods ended
September 30:
On April 15, 2003, the Company adopted a new
share option plan which provides for the issuance of up to
1,187,510 ordinary shares (2003 Option Plan). Under
the share option plan, the directors may, at
F-55
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
their discretion, grant any senior executives
(including directors) and employees of the Company and/or its
subsidiaries to take up share options to subscribe for shares.
These share options are vested over a period of 3 years and
can be exercised within 5 years from the date of grant. As
of September 30, 2003, 711,660 options were granted with an
exercise price of US$2.11 under this new share option plan.
The following table summarizes the Companys
share option activity as of and for the nine-month periods ended
September 30:
In connection with the share options granted
during the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2002 and
2003, the Company recognized deferred share-based compensation
amounted to RMB1,216,953 and RMB3,454,731, respectively, which
is being amortized over the vesting period of three years.
Share-based compensation expense recognized during the
nine-month periods ended September 30, 2002 and 2003,
amounted to RMB336,127 and RMB1,030,843, respectively.
The Company calculated the estimated fair value
of share options on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes
pricing method with the following assumptions:
If compensation cost for the Companys
share-based compensation plan been determined based on the
estimated fair value at the grant dates for the share option
awards as prescribed by SFAS No. 123, the Companys
net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders during the
nine-month periods ended September 30, 2002 and 2003 will
be RMB3,732,140 and RMB21,674,070, respectively.
Subsequent to September 30, 2003, the
Company granted 273,980 options under the 2003 Option Plan to
certain directors, senior executives and employees, with varying
exercise prices of US$5.00, US$6.00, and 80% of the midpoint of
the filing range for the Companys anticipated initial
public offering. Compensation expense will be recognized over
the three-year vesting period based on the difference between
the fair value of the ordinary shares and the exercise price of
the options granted. The Company does not believe that future
compensation expense related to these options will have a
material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
F-56
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
12. EMPLOYEE
BENEFITS
The full-time employees of Ctrip Computer
Technology, Ctrip Travel Information and the VIEs, which were
established in the PRC, are entitled to staff welfare benefits
including medical care, welfare subsidies, unemployment
insurance and pension benefits. Ctrip Computer Technology, Ctrip
Travel Information are required to accrue for these benefits
based on certain percentages of the employees salaries in
accordance with the relevant regulations and make contributions
to the state-sponsored pension and medical plans out of the
amounts accrued for medical and pension benefits. The total
provision accrued for such employee benefits amounted to
RMB2,133,882 and RMB3,134,498 for the nine-month periods ended
September 30, 2002 and 2003, respectively. The Chinese
government is responsible for the medical benefits and ultimate
pension liability to these employees.
13. RELATED PARTY
TRANSACTIONS
Prior to the adoption of FIN 46, certain
VIEs were considered related parties as these VIEs were owned by
directors and senior executives of the Company. Upon adoption of
FIN 46, these entities are included in the consolidated
financial statements of the Company.
During the nine-month periods ended
September 30, significant related party transactions are as
follows:
As of September 30, balances with related
parties are as follows:
F-57
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
The amounts due from and due to related parties
as of September 30, 2002 and 2003, mainly arose from the
transactions disclosed above and revenue received and expenses
paid on behalf on each other. They are unsecured, interest-free
and have no fixed repayment terms.
The long-term loans to related parties as of
September 30, 2003 represented loans granted to a senior
executive to acquire 66% of equity interests of Shanghai Cuiming
International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. (Shanghai
Cuiming), a company incorporated in Shanghai, the PRC, at
a consideration of RMB1,980,000 and the subsequent additional
investment of RMB2,310,000. Shanghai Cuiming holds a travel
agency license for both cross border and domestic package-tour
business. After the Companys additional investment, its
maximum exposure to loss as related to Shanghai Cuiming will be
RMB4,290,000. The Company is in the process of entering into
various agreements with Shanghai Cuiming. Upon execution of
those agreements, Shanghai Cuiming will be a consolidated VIE of
the Company. However, these transactions have not yet been
completed as of the date of the issuance of these financial
statements.
14. OTHER
PAYABLES AND ACCRUALS
Components of other payables and accruals as of
September 30 are as follows:
Amounts payable to holders of Series A and
Series B Preferred Shares and ordinary shares were
subsequently paid in October 2003.
F-58
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
15. LOSS PER
SHARE
Basic loss per share and diluted loss per share
have been calculated in accordance with SFAS No. 128 for
the nine-month periods ended September 30 as follows:
During the nine-month period ended
September 30, 2002, potentially dilutive securities that
were not included in the computation of diluted loss per share
because of their anti-dilutive effect were the Series A and
B Preferred Shares and share options granted to employees.
During the nine-month period ended
September 30, 2003, potentially dilutive securities that
were not included in the computation of diluted loss per share
because of its anti-dilutive effect were the Series A,
Series B and Series C Preferred Shares and share
options granted to employees
16. PRO FORMA FOR
CONVERSION OF PREFERRED SHARES
Each Series A, Series B and
Series C Convertible Preferred Share shall automatically be
converted into ordinary shares at the then effective conversion
price, upon the closing of an underwritten public offering of
the ordinary shares of the Company in the United States with the
gross proceeds to the Company in excess of US$25,000,000, or in
a similar public offering of the ordinary shares of the Company
in a jurisdiction and on a recognized securities exchange
outside of the United States, provided that such public offering
is reasonably equivalent to the aforementioned public offering
in the United States in terms of price, offering proceeds and
regulatory approval. The conversion price of Series A,
Series B and Series C Preferred Shares is US$1.0417,
US$1.044467 and US$4.5856, respectively. The pro forma balance
sheet as of September 30, 2003 presents an as adjusted
financial position as if the conversion of the preferred shares
into ordinary shares occurred on September 30, 2003.
F-59
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
17. COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES
Operating lease
commitments
The Group has entered into leasing arrangements
relating to office premises, equipment and others that are
classified as operating leases. Future minimum lease payments
for non-cancelable operating leases at September 30 are as
follows:
Rental expense amounted to approximately
RMB3,635,255 and RMB2,385,667 during the nine-month periods
ended September 30, 2002 and 2003, respectively, and are
charged to the statements of operations and comprehensive income
when incurred.
Contingencies
The Company is incorporated in Cayman Islands and
considered as a foreign entity under PRC laws. Due to the
restrictions on foreign ownership of the air-ticketing, travel
agency, advertising and Internet content provision businesses,
the Company conducts these businesses partly through various
VIEs. These VIEs hold the licenses and approvals that are
essential for the Companys business operations. In the
opinion of the Companys PRC legal counsel, the current
ownership structures and the contractual arrangements with these
VIEs and their shareholders as well as the operations of these
VIEs are in compliance with all existing PRC laws, rules and
regulations. However, there may be changes and other
developments in PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, the
Company cannot be assured that PRC government authorities will
not take a view in the future contrary to the opinion of the
Companys legal counsel. If the current ownership
structures of the Company and its contractual arrangements with
VIEs were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC
laws or regulations, the Company may be required to restructure
its ownership structure and operations in China to comply with
changing and new Chinese laws and regulations.
F-60
Through and
including (the
25
th
day after the date of this prospectus), all
dealers effecting transactions in these securities, whether or
not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a
prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers obligation
to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with
respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
4,200,000 American Depositary Shares
Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
Representing 8,400,000 Ordinary
Shares
PROSPECTUS
Merrill Lynch & Co.
,
2003
2000
Note
(unaudited)
2001
2002
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
US$
(Note 2d)
88,907,851
42,463,537
38,931,118
4,703,473
4
24,829,800
1,705,447
7,369,159
13,969,400
1,687,717
15
2,610,807
315,425
5
1,601,089
3,896,008
3,406,593
411,568
10
36,222
9,837,979
593,143
71,661
92,250,609
88,396,483
59,511,061
7,189,844
6
5,102,176
616,421
15
2,000,000
2,000,000
2,100,000
253,712
829,109
701,527
1,332,456
160,981
7
5,288,388
9,571,311
18,707,187
2,260,114
8
7,702,552
6,915,849
9,515,849
1,149,660
8
2,359,281
1,339,373
986,132
119,140
10
7,459,858
117,889,797
108,924,543
97,254,861
11,749,872
9
4,000,000
1,797,037
589,304
1,001,359
120,979
15
212,017
1,807,567
1,250,862
151,123
2,214,082
2,779,213
2,381,713
287,748
147,167
706,147
1,937,586
234,090
235,746
258,394
1,891,494
228,521
2L
109,762
911,526
2,297,403
277,561
3
3,008,749
16
2,011,168
1,909,604
2,333,114
281,876
9,735,728
12,961,755
13,093,531
1,581,898
827,961
100,030
12
94,153,866
108,469,978
124,962,504
15,097,378
18
715,392
788,314
788,314
95,240
11
357,696
357,696
357,696
43,215
37,883,425
26,621,353
13
(96,263
)
(1,077,460
)
(130,174
)
22,851
62,284
101,188
12,226
(24,979,161
)
(40,240,574
)
(41,798,873
)
(5,049,941
)
14,000,203
(12,507,190
)
(41,629,135
)
(5,029,434
)
117,889,797
108,924,543
97,254,861
11,749,872
Ordinary shares of
Ctrip.com
Ordinary shares of
(Hong Kong)
Ctrip.com,
Series A Convertible
Limited
International Ltd.
Preferred Share
(US$1 par value)
(US$0.01 par value)
(US$0.01 par value)
Additional
Deferred
Cumulative
Total
Number
Par
Number
Par
Number
Par
paid-in
share-based
translation
Accumulated
shareholders
of shares
value
of shares
value
of shares
value
capital
compensation
adjustments
deficit
equity (deficit)
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
1,000
7,334
(1,001,726
)
(994,392
)
(1,000
)
(7,334
)
8,640,000
715,392
2,593,525
3,301,583
4,320,000
357,696
35,870,437
36,228,133
(2,195,177
)
(2,195,177
)
1,614,640
1,614,640
22,851
22,851
(23,977,435
)
(23,977,435
)
8,640,000
715,392
4,320,000
357,696
37,883,425
22,851
(24,979,161
)
14,000,203
(14,316,112
)
(14,316,112
)
880,698
72,922
2,935,827
3,008,749
118,213
(96,263
)
21,950
39,433
39,433
(15,261,413
)
(15,261,413
)
9,520,698
788,314
4,320,000
357,696
26,621,353
(96,263
)
62,284
(40,240,574
)
(12,507,190
)
Ordinary shares of
Ctrip.com
Series A Convertible
International, Ltd.
Preferred Share
(US$0.01 par value)
(US$0.01 par value)
Additional
Deferred
Cumulative
Total
Number of
Par
Number
Par
paid-in
share-based
translation
Accumulated
shareholders
shares
value
of shares
value
capital
compensation
adjustments
deficit
equity (deficit)
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
9,520,698
788,314
4,320,000
357,696
26,621,353
(96,263
)
62,284
(40,240,574
)
(12,507,190
)
(16,492,526
)
(16,492,526
)
1,443,337
(981,197
)
462,140
(11,572,164
)
(15,751,832
)
(27,323,996
)
38,904
38,904
14,193,533
14,193,533
9,520,698
788,314
4,320,000
357,696
(1,077,460
)
101,188
(41,798,873
)
(41,629,135
)
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
2002
US$
RMB
RMB
RMB
(Note 2d)
(23,977,435
)
(15,261,413
)
14,193,533
1,714,795
21,950
462,140
55,834
494,900
1,480,249
3,233,381
390,642
(70,997
)
(8,578
)
370,822
1,806,611
353,241
42,677
397,824
48,063
(1,705,447
)
(5,663,712
)
(6,600,241
)
(797,410
)
(2,610,807
)
(315,425
)
(929,332
)
(2,294,919
)
489,415
59,129
(829,109
)
127,582
(630,929
)
(76,226
)
(7,087,874
)
(2,341,899
)
9,244,836
1,116,917
1,797,037
(1,207,733
)
1,245,705
150,500
1,421,186
1,595,550
(556,705
)
(67,258
)
2,051,304
565,131
(397,500
)
(48,024
)
128,329
558,980
1,231,439
148,777
235,096
22,648
1,633,100
197,303
109,762
801,764
1,385,877
167,435
(663,462
)
(101,564
)
423,510
51,167
(28,584,223
)
(19,890,775
)
23,426,822
2,830,318
(4,561,965
)
(5,763,172
)
(13,202,907
)
(1,595,113
)
(2,000,000
)
(100,000
)
(12,081
)
(24,829,800
)
24,829,800
2,999,819
(7,086,150
)
(2,600,000
)
(314,120
)
(5,500,000
)
(664,484
)
(13,648,115
)
(30,592,972
)
3,426,893
414,021
4,000,000
(4,000,000
)
(483,261
)
Convertible Preferred Shares and Series B
Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares,
net of issuance costs of RMB1,025,627
and RMB1,341,133, respectively
128,186,822
898,958
108,608
(27,323,996
)
(3,301,156
)
128,186,822
4,000,000
(30,425,038
)
(3,675,809
)
22,851
39,433
38,904
4,700
85,977,335
(46,444,314
)
(3,532,419
)
(426,770
)
2,930,516
88,907,851
42,463,537
5,130,243
88,907,851
42,463,537
38,931,118
4,703,473
62,058
41,261
4,985
3,008,749
20 years
Lesser of the term of the lease or the estimated
useful lives of the assets
5 years
5 years
3-5 years
5 years
p.
Sales and marketing
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
(26,172,612
)
(29,577,525
)
(19,061,315
)
21,950
462,140
(46,881
)
(528,074
)
(26,172,612
)
(29,602,456
)
(19,127,249
)
(3.03
)
(3.26
)
(2.00
)
(3.03
)
(3.26
)
(2.01
)
913,850
272,463
904,238
1,766,206
800,000
7,866,449
(1,514,457
)
11,008,749
8,000,000
(913,850
)
7,086,150
Years
10
5
1
For the year ended
December 31,
2000
(unaudited)
RMB
13,016,096
31,264,161
23,501,437
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
1,180,709
10,700
55,556
120,226
792,034
437,240
475,692
1,016,383
986,848
236,717
665,543
414,993
397,403
486,871
462,987
453,923
709,865
1,601,089
3,896,008
3,406,593
Percentage
of equity
interest
Place and date of
attributable
Name
incorporation
to the Group
Principal activities
The PRC
June 28, 2002
55% (indirectly)
Hotel management
The PRC November 29, 2002
55% (indirectly)
Hotel management
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
7,189,803
230,729
1,085,036
1,951,462
1,052,285
2,203,388
3,662,707
3,380,837
6,580,180
7,838,315
657,243
1,153,199
2,649,313
780,700
843,163
471,363
(813,406
)
(2,293,655
)
(5,055,776
)
5,288,388
9,571,311
18,707,187
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
7,866,449
7,866,449
10,466,449
(163,897
)
(950,600
)
(950,600
)
7,702,552
6,915,849
9,515,849
1,766,206
1,766,206
1,766,206
800,000
800,000
800,000
2,566,206
2,566,206
2,566,206
(73,592
)
(426,833
)
(780,074
)
(133,333
)
(800,000
)
(800,000
)
(206,925
)
(1,226,833
)
(1,580,074
)
2,359,281
1,339,373
986,132
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
7,702,552
6,915,849
7,866,449
2,600,000
(163,897
)
(786,703
)
7,702,552
6,915,849
9,515,849
2000
2001
RMB
RMB
(26,172,612
)
(29,577,525
)
163,897
786,703
(26,008,715
)
(28,790,822
)
(3.03
)
(3.26
)
0.02
0.09
(3.01
)
(3.17
)
Amortization
RMB
353,241
353,241
279,650
986,132
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
(797,788
)
7,087,874
2,341,899
(9,244,836
)
7,087,874
2,341,899
(10,042,624
)
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
33
%
33
%
33
%
(7
)%
(21
)%
7
%
(3
)%
1
%
1
%
23
%
13
%
41
%
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
7,459,858
8,739,932
36,222
1,098,047
593,143
7,496,080
9,837,979
593,143
Voting
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
1,422,280
1,330,100
1,868,680
207,080
253,440
(446,400
)
(299,260
)
(134,820
)
1,422,280
1,330,100
1,448,720
394,978
803,425
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
2.65
%
2.65
%
2.65
%
5
5
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
US$
nil
US$
0.0145
US$
0.8628
US$
nil
US$
0.3375
US$
1.1311
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
1,208,673
217,530
410,878
395,788
684,675
163,548
51,000
186,000
100,000
1,614,640
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
747,283
1,863,524
2,610,807
2,000,000
2,000,000
2,100,000
212,017
1,504,283
1,250,862
303,284
212,017
1,807,567
1,250,862
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
265,000
492,000
403,046
765,440
1,124,176
1,466,130
869,400
111,328
293,428
463,938
2,011,168
1,909,604
2,333,114
2000
(unaudited)
2001
2002
RMB
RMB
RMB
(26,172,612
)
(29,577,525
)
(19,061,315
)
8,640,000
9,080,349
9,520,698
8,640,000
9,080,349
9,520,698
(3.03
)
(3.26
)
(2.00
)
Office
Equipment
premises
and others
Total
RMB
RMB
RMB
2,417,629
4,547,548
6,965,177
1,805,552
430,802
2,236,354
54,291
7,500
61,791
4,277,472
4,985,850
9,263,322
September 30,
September 30,
2003
2003
September 30,
(unaudited
(unaudited
2002
September 30,
pro forma -
September 30,
pro forma -
Note
(unaudited)
2003
Note 16)
2003
Note 16)
RMB
RMB
RMB
US$
US$
(Note 2d)
(Note 2d)
61,488,096
70,352,608
70,352,608
8,499,669
8,499,669
12,962,938
25,536,956
25,536,956
3,085,254
3,085,254
13
5,912,762
545,270
545,270
65,877
65,877
3
3,348,439
8,110,991
8,110,991
979,931
979,931
7
3,682,407
684,155
684,155
82,656
82,656
87,394,642
105,229,980
105,229,980
12,713,387
12,713,387
4
5,314,195
13
2,100,000
4,290,000
4,290,000
518,298
518,298
850,997
9,276,454
9,276,454
1,120,737
1,120,737
5
11,420,189
22,965,842
22,965,842
2,774,624
2,774,624
6
9,515,849
9,515,849
9,515,849
1,149,660
1,149,660
6
1,074,442
721,201
721,201
87,132
87,132
117,670,314
151,999,326
151,999,326
18,363,838
18,363,838
2,312,223
14,393,027
14,393,027
1,738,897
1,738,897
13
1,511,946
3,749,423
5,013,383
5,013,383
605,693
605,693
1,241,576
10,492,243
10,492,243
1,267,623
1,267,623
197,591
2,002,790
2,002,790
241,968
241,968
2k
1,869,656
3,470,457
3,470,457
419,284
419,284
14
1,480,392
7,538,601
7,538,601
910,778
910,778
12,362,807
42,910,501
42,910,501
5,184,243
5,184,243
512,476
57,266
57,266
6,919
6,919
9
120,610,333
17
788,314
718,522
2,039,447
86,808
246,396
8
357,696
326,025
39,389
9
542,886
65,589
10
180,570
21,815
15,937,815
140,114,159
139,842,715
16,927,929
16,895,134
11
(1,216,953
)
(3,454,731
)
(3,454,731
)
(417,384
)
(417,384
)
102,087
187,858
187,858
22,696
22,696
(31,784,261
)
(29,583,730
)
(29,583,730
)
(3,574,166
)
(3,574,166
)
(15,815,302
)
109,031,559
109,031,559
13,172,676
13,172,676
117,670,314
151,999,326
151,999,326
18,363,838
18,363,838
Series A Convertible
Series B Convertible
Series C Convertible
Ordinary shares
Preferred Share
Preferred Share
Preferred Share
(US$0.01 par value)
(US$0.01 par value)
(US$0.01 par value)
(US$0.01 par value)
Deferred
Cumulative
Total
Number
Number
Number
Number
Additional
share-based
translation
Accumulated
shareholders
of shares
Par value
of shares
Par value
of shares
Par value
of shares
Par value
paid-in capital
compensation
adjustments
deficit
equity (deficit)
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
RMB
9,520,698
788,314
4,320,000
357,696
26,621,353
(96,263
)
62,284
(40,240,574
)
(12,507,190
)
1,456,817
(1,120,690
)
336,127
(12,140,355
)
(12,140,355
)
39,803
39,803
8,456,313
8,456,313
9,520,698
788,314
4,320,000
357,696
15,937,815
(1,216,953
)
102,087
(31,784,261
)
(15,815,302
)
9,520,698
788,314
4,320,000
357,696
(1,077,460
)
101,188
(41,798,873
)
(41,629,135
)
(12,365,534
)
(12,365,534
)
(4,611,623
)
(4,611,623
)
7,193,464
595,621
136,732,417
137,328,038
2,180,755
180,570
82,619,430
82,800,000
(842,938
)
(69,792
)
(382,482
)
(31,671
)
(636,891
)
(52,735
)
(82,645,802
)
(82,800,000
)
3,408,114
(2,377,271
)
1,030,843
86,670
86,670
29,192,300
29,192,300
8,677,760
718,522
3,937,518
326,025
6,556,573
542,886
2,180,755
180,570
140,114,159
(3,454,731
)
187,858
(29,583,730
)
109,031,559
For the
nine-month
For the
For the
period ended
nine-month
nine-month
September 30,
period ended
period ended
2002
September 30,
September 30,
(unaudited)
2003
2003
US$
RMB
RMB
(Note 2d)
8,456,313
29,192,300
3,526,875
336,127
1,030,843
124,541
2,319,203
3,908,674
472,227
(31,594
)
17,540
2,119
264,931
264,931
32,008
187,931
(573,423
)
(69,278
)
(5,593,779
)
(11,567,556
)
(1,397,537
)
(5,912,762
)
3,700,243
447,046
547,569
(4,704,398
)
(568,363
)
(149,470
)
(7,943,998
)
(959,756
)
6,155,572
(91,012
)
(10,996
)
2,556,569
13,391,668
1,617,918
(295,621
)
(1,250,862
)
(151,123
)
970,210
2,631,670
317,946
535,429
8,554,657
1,033,533
(60,803
)
111,296
13,446
958,130
1,173,054
141,723
(429,212
)
(241,447
)
(29,170
)
10,814,743
37,604,180
4,543,159
24,829,800
199,962
24,158
(5,003,857
)
(8,078,728
)
(976,034
)
(100,000
)
(2,190,000
)
(264,585
)
(1,789,594
)
(216,210
)
(2,600,000
)
(5,500,000
)
11,625,943
(11,858,360
)
(1,432,671
)
544,070
(4,000,000
)
82,800,000
10,003,504
(77,211,000
)
(9,328,267
)
(3,455,930
)
5,589,000
675,237
39,803
86,670
10,471
19,024,559
31,421,490
3,796,196
42,463,537
38,931,118
4,703,473
61,488,096
70,352,608
8,499,669
3,345,114
404,141
41,261
4,611,623
557,154
4,843,800
585,205
20 years
Lesser of the term of the lease or the estimated
useful lives of the assets
5 years
5 years
3-5 years
5 years
2002
(unaudited)
2003
RMB
RMB
(3,684,042
)
(21,338,448
)
336,127
1,030,843
(384,225
)
(1,366,465
)
(3,732,140
)
(21,674,070
)
(0.39
)
(2.26
)
(0.39
)
(2.30
)
2002
(unaudited)
2003
RMB
RMB
338,377
3,257,118
2,397,804
183,056
103,005
587,887
139,941
1,343,651
867,906
500,891
914,135
394,577
431,082
3,348,439
8,110,991
Percentage of
equity interest
Place and date of
attributable to the
Name
incorporation
Group
Principal activities
The PRC
June 28, 2002
55% (indirectly)
Hotel management, investment and franchise
The PRC November 29, 2002
55% (indirectly)
Hotel management, investment and franchise
2002
2003*
(unaudited)
(unaudited)
RMB
RMB
12,496,267
(5,270,673
)
2,436,579
9,662,173
1,211,224
21,138,389
*
(341,693
)
715,479
*
2002
(unaudited)
2003
RMB
RMB
7,189,803
1,894,247
3,786,031
3,198,193
4,883,843
7,672,375
10,880,620
2,325,638
4,749,983
471,363
471,363
(4,141,627
)
(8,995,801
)
11,420,189
22,965,842
2002
(unaudited)
2003
RMB
RMB
10,466,449
10,466,449
(950,600
)
(950,600
)
9,515,849
9,515,849
1,766,206
1,766,206
800,000
800,000
2,566,206
2,566,206
(691,764
)
(1,045,005
)
(800,000
)
(800,000
)
(1,491,764
)
(1,845,005
)
1,074,442
721,201
Amortization
RMB
353,241
353,241
14,719
721,201
2002
(unaudited)
2003
RMB
RMB
(11,057,303
)
(6,155,572
)
91,012
(6,155,572
)
(10,966,291
)
2002
(unaudited)
2003
33%
33%
9%
2%
(7%
)
42%
28%
September 30,
2002
September 30,
(unaudited)
2003
RMB
RMB
3,180,921
501,486
684,155
3,682,407
684,155
2002
(unaudited)
2003
1,330,100
1,448,720
253,440
113,200
(119,900
)
(26,160
)
1,463,640
1,535,760
696,599
1,173,411
2003
711,660
711,660
For the
nine-month
For the
period ended
nine-month
September 30,
period ended
2002
September 30,
(unaudited)
2003
2.65%
2.65%
5
5
0
0
0
0
US$0.8628
US$0.6701
US$1.1311
US$1.3396
2002
(unaudited)
2003
RMB
RMB
548,673
1,358,612
175,746
140,000
331,925
678,502
57,900
426,384
208,333
2002
(unaudited)
2003
RMB
RMB
519,690
1,958,885
2,478,575
3,434,187
545,270
5,912,762
545,270
2,100,000
4,290,000
1,511,946
2002
(unaudited)
2003
RMB
RMB
4,843,800
439,046
493,831
934,890
1,058,529
745,200
106,456
397,241
1,480,392
7,538,601
2002
(unaudited)
2003
RMB
RMB
(3,684,042
)
(21,338,448
)
(3,684,042
)
(21,338,448
)
9,520,698
9,439,526
9,520,698
9,439,526
(0.39
)
(2.26
)
Office
Equipment and
premises
others
Total
RMB
RMB
RMB
2,432,119
3,984,660
6,416,779
623,704
536,985
1,160,689
3,055,823
4,521,645
7,577,468
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN
PROSPECTUS
Item 13.
Other
Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following table sets forth the various
expenses incurred or to be incurred by us in connection with
this offering, other than underwriting discounts and commissions.
Item
14.
Indemnification of Directors
and Officers
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to
which a companys 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 or committing a crime.
Our articles of association provide for indemnification of
officers and directors for losses, damages, costs and expenses
incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own
willful negligence or default.
Pursuant to the form of indemnification
agreements filed as Exhibit 10.2 to this registration
statement, we will agree to indemnify our directors and officers
against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such
persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being
such a director or officer.
The forms of the U.S. underwriting agreement and
the international purchase agreement to be filed as
Exhibits 1.1 and 1.2 to this registration statement will
also provide for indemnification of us and our officers and
directors.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities
arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors,
officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing
provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the
Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is
therefore unenforceable.
Item
15.
Recent Sales of Unregistered
Securities
During the past three years, we have issued the
following securities. We believe that each of the following
issuances was exempt from registration under the Securities Act
in reliance on Regulation D, Regulation S or
Rule 701 under the Securities Act or pursuant to Section
4(2) of the Securities Act regarding transactions not involving
a public offering.
II-1
II-2
II-3
(b) Financial Statement Schedules
Schedules have been omitted because the
information required to be set forth therein is not applicable
or is shown in the Consolidated Financial Statements or the
Notes thereto.
Item
17.
Undertakings
The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to
provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the
underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and
registered in such names as required by the underwriters to
permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities
arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to
directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant
pursuant to the provisions described in Item 6, or
otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion
of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification
is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and
is therefore unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment
by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director,
officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is
asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant
will, unless in the opinion of its U.S. counsel the matter has
been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in
the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.
The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that:
II-4
II-5
Amount Borne by Us
US$
7,602
180,000
450,000
700,000
30,000
150,000
Number of
Number of
Securities
Ordinary Shares
Purchaser
Date of Issuance
Originally Issued
as Converted(4)
Consideration
(US$)
November 13, 2000
4,814,008
(1)
7,221,012
7,542,107
November 13, 2000
292,266
(1)
438,399
457,893
November 13, 2000
414,885
(1)
622,328
650,000
November 13, 2000
183,826
(1)
275,739
288,000
Number of
Number of
Securities
Ordinary Shares
Purchaser
Date of Issuance
Originally Issued
as Converted(4)
Consideration
(US$)
November 13, 2000
829,770
(1)
1,244,655
1,300,000
November 13, 2000
638,285
(1)
957,428
1,000,000
November 13, 2000
12,765
(1)
19,148
20,000
November 13, 2000
5,745
(1)
8,618
9,000
November 13, 2000
670
(1)
1,005
1,050
November 13, 2000
383
(1)
575
600
November 13, 2000
670
(1)
1,005
1,050
November 13, 2000
191
(1)
287
300
July 1, 2001
17,614
(2)
17,614
N/A
(5)
July 1, 2001
616,489
(2)
616,489
N/A
(5)
July 1, 2001
140,911
(2)
140,911
N/A
(5)
July 1, 2001
61,649
(2)
61,649
N/A
(5)
July 1, 2001
26,421
(2)
26,421
N/A
(5)
July 1, 2001
17,614
(2)
17,614
N/A
(5)
September 4, 2003
2,173,122
(3)
2,173,122
9,965,000
September 4, 2003
7,633
(3)
7,633
35,000
April 15, 2000 to January 1, 2003
1,535,760
(6)
N/A
N/A
April 15, 2003 to November 14, 2003
980,640
(7)
N/A
N/A
(1)
Series B preferred shares.
(2)
Ordinary shares.
(3)
Series C preferred shares.
(4)
Calculated based on the conversion ratio
effective on November 24, 2003.
(5)
Shares were issued as part of our consideration
for acquiring Beijing Modern Express in October 2000.
(6)
Stock options issued under our 2000
Employees Stock Option Plan.
(7)
Stock options issued under our 2003
Employees Stock Option Plan.
Item 16.
Exhibits and Financial Statement
Schedules
(a)
Exhibits
Exhibits
Description of Document
1.1**
Form of U.S. Underwriting Agreement.
1.2**
Form of International Purchase Agreement.
3.1
Memorandum and Articles of Association of the
Registrant, as currently in effect.
3.2*
Form of Amended and Restated Memorandum and
Articles of Association of the Registrant.
4.1*
Registrants specimen American Depositary
Receipt.
4.2*
Registrants specimen certificate for
ordinary shares.
Exhibits
Description of Document
4.3
Deposit Agreement, dated as
of ,
2003, among the Registrant, The Bank of New York and holders of
the American Depositary Receipts.
4.4
Shareholders Agreement, dated as of
September 4, 2003, among the Registrant and other parties
therein.
5.1*
Form of Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP
regarding the validity of the ADSs being registered.
5.2*
Form of Opinion of Maples and Calder Asia
regarding the issue of the ordinary shares being registered.
10.1
Form of Ctrip.com International, Ltd. Stock
Option Plan.
10.2
Form of Indemnification Agreement with the
Registrants directors and executive officers.
10.3
Translation of Form of Labor Contract for
Employees of the Registrants subsidiaries in China.
10.4
Employment Agreement, effective as of
September 1, 2003 between the Registrant and
James Jianzhang Liang.
10.5
Employment Agreement, effective as of
September 1, 2003 between the Registrant and
Neil Nanpeng Shen.
10.6
Employment Agreement, effective as of
September 1, 2003 between the Registrant and Min Fan.
10.7
Translation of Form of Consulting Services
Agreement between Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
and an Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant, as currently
in effect.
10.8
Translation of Form of Loan Agreement between
Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and a Shareholder of an Affiliated
Chinese Entity of the Registrant, as currently in effect.
10.9
Translation of Form of Exclusive Option Agreement
among Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited, an Affiliated Chinese
Entity of the Registrant and the Shareholder of the Entity, as
currently in effect.
10.10
Translation of Form of Share Pledge Agreement
among Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and a
Shareholder of an Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant,
as currently in effect.
10.11
Translation of Form of Trademark License
Agreement between Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
and an Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant, as currently
in effect.
10.12
Translation of Form of Software License Agreement
between Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and an
Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant, as currently in
effect.
10.13
Translation of Form of Operating Agreement
between Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and an
Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant, as currently in
effect.
10.14
Translation of Lease Agreement dated May 1,
2003 between Ctrip Travel Information Technology (Shanghai) Co.,
Ltd. and Yu Zhong (Shanghai) Consulting Co., Ltd.
10.15
Translation of Form of Power of Attorney by a
shareholder of an Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant,
as currently in effect.
10.16
Confidentiality and Non-Competition Agreement,
effective as of September 10, 2003, between the Registrant
and Qi Ji.
10.17
Consulting Services Agreement, dated November
2000, between Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd. and Ctrip
Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (terminated).
10.18
Consulting Services Agreement, effective as of
July 15, 2002, between Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai)
Co., Ltd. and Beijing Chenhao Xinye Air-Ticketing Service Co.,
Ltd. (terminated).
10.19
Travel Information Services Agreement, effective
as of May 1, 2002, between Ctrip Computer Technology
(Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Huacheng Southwest Travel
Agency Co., Ltd. (terminated).
21.1
Subsidiaries of the Registrant.
Exhibits
Description of Document
23.1*
Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Independent
Auditors.
23.2*
Consent of Maples and Calder Asia (see Exhibit
5.2).
23.3*
Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP (see Exhibit
5.1).
23.4*
Consent of Commerce & Finance Law Offices
(see Exhibits 99.1 through 99.7)
24.1
Powers of Attorney.
99.1*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the Share Pledge Agreement.
99.2*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the contractual arrangements between the
Registrant and Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd.
99.3*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the contractual arrangements between the
Registrant and Shanghai Huacheng Southwest Travel Agency Co.,
Ltd.
99.4*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the contractual arrangements between the
Registrant and Beijing Chenhao Xinye Air-Ticketing Service Co.,
Ltd.
99.5*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the contractual arrangements between the
Registrant and Guangzhou Guangcheng Commercial Service Co., Ltd.
99.6*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the contractual arrangements between the
Registrant and Shanghai Cuiming International Travel Agency Co.,
Ltd.
99.7*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance Law
Offices regarding certain Chinese law matters.
99.8*
Form of Opinion of Boughton Peterson Yang
Anderson regarding certain Hong Kong law matters.
*
Filed herewith.
**
To be filed by amendment
Previously filed.
(1) For purposes of determining any
liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information
omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this
registration statement in reliance
upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of
prospectus filed by the Registrant under Rule 424(b)(1) or
(4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to
be part of this registration statement as of the time it was
declared effective.
(2) For the purpose of determining any
liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective
amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to
be a new registration statement relating to the securities
offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that
time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide
offering
thereof.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities
Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable
grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for
filing on Form F-1 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in Hong Kong S.A.R., China, on
November 25, 2003.
II-6
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities
Act, this registration statement has been signed by the
following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
II-7
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
EXHIBIT INDEX
II-8
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
By:
/s/ NEIL NANPENG SHEN
Name: Neil Nanpeng Shen
Title: President and Chief Financial Officer
Signature
Title
Date
*
James Jianzhang Liang
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer
November 25, 2003
/s/ NEIL NANPENG SHEN
Neil Nanpeng Shen
President/Chief Financial Officer
November 25, 2003
*
Xiaofan Wang
Controller
November 25, 2003
*
JP Gan
Director
November 25, 2003
*
Junichi Goto
Director
November 25, 2003
*
Yufei Hu
Director
November 25, 2003
*
Gabriel Li
Director
November 25, 2003
*
Qi Ji
Director
November 25, 2003
*
Robert Stein
Director
November 25, 2003
*
Suyang Zhang
Director
November 25, 2003
*
Name: Donald J. Puglisi
Title: Managing Director,
Puglisi & Associates
Authorized Representative in
the United States
November 25, 2003
*By: /s/ NEIL NANPENG SHEN
Neil Nanpeng Shen
Attorney-in-fact
Exhibits
Description of Document
1.1**
Form of U.S. Underwriting Agreement.
1.2**
Form of International Purchase Agreement.
3.1
Memorandum and Articles of Association of the
Registrant, as currently in effect.
3.2*
Form of Amended and Restated Memorandum and
Articles of Association of the Registrant.
4.1*
Registrants specimen American Depositary
Receipt.
4.2*
Registrants specimen certificate for
Ordinary Shares.
4.3
Deposit Agreement, dated as
of ,
2003, among the Registrant, The Bank of New York and holders of
the American Depositary Receipts.
4.4
Shareholders Agreement, dated as of
September 4, 2003, among the Registrant and other parties
therein.
5.1*
Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP regarding the
validity of the ADSs being registered.
5.2*
Opinion of Maples and Calder Asia regarding the
issue of the ordinary shares being registered.
10.1
Form of Ctrip.com International, Ltd. Stock
Option Plan.
10.2
Form of Indemnification Agreement with the
Registrants directors and executive officers.
10.3
Translation of Form of Labor Contract for
Employees of the Registrants subsidiaries in China.
10.4
Employment Agreement, effective as of
September 1, 2003 between the Registrant and
James Jianzhang Liang.
10.5
Employment Agreement, effective as of
September 1, 2003 between the Registrant and
Neil Nanpeng Shen.
10.6
Employment Agreement, effective as of
September 1, 2003 between the Registrant and Min Fan.
10.7
Translation of Form of Consulting and Services
Agreement between Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
and an Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant, as currently
in effect.
10.8
Translation of Form of Loan Agreement between
Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and a Shareholder of an Affiliated
Chinese Entity of the Registrant, as currently in effect.
10.9
Translation of Form of Exclusive Option Agreement
among Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited, an Affiliated Chinese
Entity of the Registrant and the Shareholder of the Entity, as
currently in effect.
10.10
Translation of Form of Share Pledge Agreement
among Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and a
Shareholder of an Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant,
as currently in effect.
10.11
Translation of Form of Trademark License
Agreement between Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
and an Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant, as currently
in effect.
10.12
Translation of Form of Software License Agreement
between Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and an
Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant, as currently in
effect.
10.13
Translation of Form of Operating Agreement
between Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and an
Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant, as currently in
effect.
10.14
Translation of Lease Agreement dated May 1,
2003 between Ctrip Travel Information Technology (Shanghai) Co.,
Ltd. and Yu Zhong (Shanghai) Consulting Co., Ltd.
10.15
Translation of Form of Power of Attorney by a
shareholder of an Affiliated Chinese Entity of the Registrant,
as currently in effect.
Exhibits
Description of Document
10.16
Confidentiality and Non-Competition Agreement,
effective as of September 10, 2003, between the Registrant
and Qi Ji.
10.17
Consulting Services Agreement, dated November
2000, between Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd. and Ctrip
Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (terminated).
10.18
Consulting Services Agreement, effective as of
July 15, 2002, between Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai)
Co., Ltd. and Beijing Chenhao Xinye Air-Ticketing Service Co.,
Ltd. (terminated).
10.19
Travel Information Services Agreement, effective
as of May 1, 2002, between Ctrip Computer Technology
(Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Huacheng Southwest Travel
Agency Co., Ltd. (terminated).
21.1
Subsidiaries of the Registrant.
23.1*
Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Independent
Auditors.
23.2*
Consent of Maples and Calder Asia (see Exhibit
5.2).
23.3*
Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP (see Exhibit
5.1).
23.4*
Consent of Commerce & Finance Law Offices
(see Exhibits 99.1 through 99.7).
24.1
Powers of Attorney.
99.1*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the Share Pledge Agreement.
99.2*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the contractual arrangements between the
Registrant and Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd.
99.3*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the contractual arrangements between the
Registrant and Shanghai Huacheng Southwest Travel Agency Co.,
Ltd.
99.4*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the contractual arrangements between the
Registrant and Beijing Chenhao Xinye Air-Ticketing Service Co.,
Ltd.
99.5*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the contractual arrangements between the
Registrant and Guangzhou Guangcheng Commercial Service Co., Ltd.
99.6*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance
Law Offices regarding the contractual arrangements between the
Registrant and Shanghai Cuiming International Travel Agency Co.,
Ltd.
99.7*
Form of Opinion of Commerce & Finance Law
Offices regarding certain Chinese law matters.
99.8*
Form of Opinion of Boughton Peterson Yang
Anderson regarding certain Hong Kong law matters.
*
Filed herewith.
**
To be filed by amendment.
Previously filed.
II-9
EXHIBIT 3.2
THE COMPANIES LAW (2003 REVISION)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
AMENDED AND RESTATED MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
OF
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
ADOPTED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION PASSED ON
[________] , 2003
1. The name of the Company is CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
2. The Registered Office of the Company shall be at the offices of M&C Corporate Services Limited, P.O. Box 309 GT, Ugland House, South Church Street, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, or at such other place as the Directors may from time to time decide.
3. The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Law (2003 Revision) or as the same may be revised from time to time, or any other law of the Cayman Islands.
4. The liability of each Member is limited to the amount from time to time unpaid on such Member's Shares.
5. The authorised share capital of the Company is 100,000,000 ordinary shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.01 each. The Company has power to redeem or purchase any of its shares and to increase or reduce the said capital subject to the provisions of the Companies Law (2003 Revision) and the Articles of Association and to issue any part of its capital, whether original, redeemed or increased with or without any preference, priority or special privilege or subject to any postponement of rights or to any conditions or restrictions and so that unless the conditions of issue shall otherwise expressly declare every issue of shares whether declared to be preference or otherwise shall be subject to the powers hereinbefore contained.
6. The Company has the power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.
7. Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association bear the same meaning as those given in the Articles of Association of the Company.
EXHIBIT 3.2
THE COMPANIES LAW (2003 REVISION)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
ADOPTED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION PASSED ON
[_________] , 2003
1. In these Articles Table A in the Schedule to the Law does not apply and, unless there is something in the subject or context inconsistent therewith,
"ARTICLES" means these Articles as originally framed or as from time to time altered by Special Resolution.
"AUDITORS" means the persons for the time being performing the duties of auditors of the Company (if any).
"BOARD" means the Board of the Directors as defined in Article [80].
"THE CHAIRMAN" shall mean the Chairman presiding at any meeting of members or of the Board.
"COMPANY" means Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
"DEBENTURE" means debenture stock, mortgages, bonds and any other such securities of the Company whether constituting a charge on the assets of the Company or not.
"DIRECTORS" means the directors for the time being of the Company.
"DIVIDEND" includes interim bonuses.
"ELECTRONIC RECORD" has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Law (2003 Revision).
"THE LAW" shall mean the Companies Law (2003 revision) of the Cayman Islands and any amendments thereto or re-enactments thereof for the time being in force and includes every other law incorporated therewith or substituted therefore.
"MEMBER" shall bear the same meaning as in the Law.
EXHIBIT 3.2
"MEMORANDUM" means the memorandum of association of the Company as originally framed or as from time to time altered by Special Resolution.
"MONTH" means calendar month.
"ORDINARY RESOLUTION" means a resolution passed by a simple majority of the Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting, and includes a unanimous written resolution. In computing the majority when a poll is demanded regard shall be had to the number of votes to which each Member is entitled by the Articles.
"PAID-UP" means paid-up and/or credited as paid-up.
"PRINCIPAL REGISTER" shall mean the register of members of the Company maintained at such place within or outside the Cayman Islands as the Board shall determine from time to time.
"REGISTER OF MEMBERS" means the register maintained in accordance with the Law and includes (except where otherwise stated) any duplicate Register of Members.
"REGISTERED OFFICE" means the registered office for the time being of the Company.
"SEAL" means the common seal of the Company and includes every duplicate seal.
"SECRETARY" includes an Assistant Secretary and any person appointed to perform the duties of Secretary of the Company.
"SHARE" and "SHARES" means a share or shares in the Company and includes a fraction of a share.
"SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT" means the account of the Company which the Company is required by the Law to maintain, to which all premiums over nominal or par value received by the Company in respect of issues of Shares from time to time are credited.
"SPECIAL RESOLUTION" has the same meaning as in the Law, and includes a unanimous written resolution.
"WRITTEN" and "IN WRITING" include all modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form, including in the form of an Electronic Record.
Words importing the singular number include the plural number and vice-versa.
Words importing the masculine gender include the feminine gender.
Words importing persons include corporations.
References to provisions of any law or regulation shall be construed as references to those provisions as amended, modified, re-enacted or replaced from time to time.
Any phrase introduced by the terms "including", "include", "in particular" or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms.
EXHIBIT 3.2
Headings are inserted for reference only and shall be ignored in construing these Articles.
2. The business of the Company may be commenced as soon after incorporation as the Directors shall see fit.
3. The Directors may pay, out of the capital or any other monies of the Company, all expenses incurred in or about the formation and establishment of the Company including the expenses of registration.
SHARE CAPITAL
4. The authorised share capital of the Company is 100,000,000 ordinary shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.01 each.
ISSUE OF SHARES
5. Subject to the relevant provisions, if any, in the Memorandum and to any direction that may be given by the Company in general meeting and without prejudice to any special rights previously conferred on the holders of existing Shares, the Directors may allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise dispose of Shares of the Company (including fractions of a Share) with or without preferred, deferred or other special rights or restrictions, whether with regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise and to such persons, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper. The Company shall not issue Shares in bearer form.
REGISTER OF MEMBERS AND SHARE CERTIFICATES
6. The Company shall maintain a register of its Members and every person whose name is entered as a Member in the register of Members shall be entitled without payment to receive within two months after allotment or lodgement of transfer (or within such other period as the conditions of issue shall provide) one certificate for all his Shares or several certificates each for one or more of his Shares upon payment of fifty cents (US$0.50) for every certificate after the first or such less sum as the Directors shall from time to time determine provided that in respect of a Share or Shares held jointly by several persons the Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate and delivery of a certificate for a Share to one of the several joint holders shall be sufficient delivery to all such holders.
7. The Board shall cause to be kept at such place within or outside the Cayman Islands as they deem fit a principal register of the Members and there shall be entered therein the particulars of the Members and the Shares issued to each of them and other particulars required under the Law of the Cayman Islands.
8. If the Board considers it necessary or appropriate, the Company may establish and maintain a branch register or registers of Members at such location or locations within or
EXHIBIT 3.2
outside the Cayman Islands as the Board thinks fit. The principal register and the branch register(s) shall together be treated as the register for the purposes of these Articles.
9. The Board may, in its absolute discretion, at any time transfer any Share upon the principal register to any branch register or any Share on any branch register to the principal register or any other branch register.
10. The Company shall as soon as practicable and on a regular basis record in the principal register all transfers of Shares effected on any branch register and shall at all times maintain the principal register in such manner to show at all times the Members for the time being and the Shares respectively held by them, in all respects in accordance with the Law.
11. The register may be closed at such times and for such periods as the Board may from time to time determine, either generally or in respect of any class of Shares, provided that the register shall not be closed for more than 30 days in any year (or such longer period as the members may by ordinary resolution determine provided that such period shall not be extended beyond 60 days in any year).
12. Every certificate for Shares or debentures or representing any other form of security of the Company shall be issued under the seal of the Company, which shall only be affixed with the authority of the Board.
13. Every Share certificate shall specify the number of Shares in respect of which it is issued and the amount paid thereon or the fact that they are fully paid, as the case may be, and may otherwise be in such form as the Board may from time to time prescribe.
14. The Company shall not be bound to register more than four persons as joint holders of any Share. If any Shares shall stand in the names of two or more persons, the person first named in the register shall be deemed the sole holder thereof as regards service of notices and, subject to the provisions of these Articles, all or any other matters connected with the Company, except the transfer of the Share.
15. If a Share certificate is defaced, lost or destroyed, it may be replaced on payment of such reasonable fee, if any, as the Board may from time to time prescribe and on such terms and conditions, if any, as to publication of notices, evidence and indemnity, as the Board thinks fit and where it is defaced or worn out, after delivery up of the old certificate to the Company for cancellation.
TRANSFER OF SHARES
16. The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing and shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor and the transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of a Share until the name of the transferee is entered in the register in respect thereof.
17. The Directors may in their absolute discretion decline to register any transfer of Shares without assigning any reason therefor. If the Directors refuse to register a transfer they shall notify the transferee within two months of such refusal.
EXHIBIT 3.2
18. The registration of transfers may be suspended at such time and for such periods as the Directors may from time to time determine, provided always that such registration shall not be suspended for more than forty-five days in any year.
REDEEMABLE SHARES
19. (a) Subject to the provisions of the Law and the Memorandum, Shares may be issued on the terms that they are, or at the option of the Company or the holder are, to be redeemed on such terms and in such manner as the Company, before the issue of the Shares, may by Special Resolution determine.
(b) Subject to the provisions of the Law and the Memorandum, the Company may purchase its own Shares (including fractions of a Share), including any redeemable Shares, provided that the manner of purchase has first been authorised by the Company in a general meeting and may make payment therefor in any manner authorised by the Law, including out of capital.
VARIATION OF RIGHTS OF SHARES
20. If at any time the Share capital of the Company is divided into different classes of Shares, the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class) may, whether or not the Company is being wound-up and except where these Articles or the Law impose any stricter quorum, voting or procedural requirements in regard to the variation of rights attached to a specific class, be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of 75% of the issued Shares of that class, or with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a general meeting of the holders of the Shares of that class.
21. The provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings shall apply to every such general meeting of the holders of one class of Shares except that the necessary quorum shall be one person holding or representing by proxy at least one-third of the issued Shares of the class and that any holder of Shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll.
22. For purposes of this provision any particular issue of Shares not carrying the same rights (whether as to rate of dividend, redemption or otherwise) as any other Shares of the time being in issue, shall be deemed to constitute a separate class of Shares. The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu therewith.
COMMISSION ON SALE OF SHARES
23. The Company may in so far as the Law from time to time permits pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether absolutely or conditionally for any Shares of the Company. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the lodgement of fully or partly paid-up Shares or partly in one way and
EXHIBIT 3.2
partly in the other. The Company may also on any issue of Shares pay such brokerage as may be lawful.
NOTICES OF RECORD DATE
24. In the event that the Company shall propose at any time:
(a) to declare any dividend or distribution upon its Shares, whether in cash, property, Shares or other securities, whether or not a regular cash dividend and whether or not out of earnings or earned surplus;
(b) to offer for subscription pro rata to the holders of any class or series of its Shares any additional shares of Shares of any class or series or other rights;
(c) to effect any reclassification or recapitalisation of its Shares outstanding involving a change in the Shares; or
(d) to merge or consolidate with or into any other corporation, or sell, lease or convey all or substantially all its property or business, or to liquidate, dissolve or wind up:
(i) at least 20 days' prior written notice of the date on which a record shall be taken for such dividend, distribution or subscription rights (and specifying the date on which the holders of Shares shall be entitled thereto) or for determining rights to vote in respect of the matters referred to in (c) and (d) above; and
(ii) in the case of the matters referred to in (c) and (d) above, at least 20 days' prior written notice of the date when the same shall take place (and specifying the date on which the holders of Shares shall be entitled to exchange their Shares for securities or other property deliverable upon the occurrence of such event).
NON-RECOGNITION OF TRUSTS
25. The Company shall not be bound by or compelled to recognise in any way (even when notified) any equitable, contingent, future, or partial interest in any Share, or (except only as is otherwise provided by these Articles or the Law) any other rights in respect of any Share other than an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the registered holder.
LIEN ON SHARES
26. The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on all Shares (whether fully paid-up or not) registered in the name of a Member (whether solely or jointly with others) for all debts, liabilities or engagements to or with the Company (whether presently payable or not) by such Member or his estate, either alone or jointly with any other person, whether a Member or not, but the Directors may at any time declare any Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The registration of a transfer of any such Share shall operate as a waiver of the Company's lien thereon. The Company's lien on a Share shall also extend to any amount payable in respect of that Share.
EXHIBIT 3.2
27. The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors think fit, any Shares on which the Company has a lien, if a sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable, and is not paid within fourteen days after notice has been given to the holder of the Shares or to the person entitled to it in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of the holder, demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the Shares may be sold.
28. To give effect to any such sale, the Directors may authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Shares sold to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The purchaser or his nominee shall be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer, and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the sale or the exercise of the Company's power of sale under these Articles.
29. The net proceeds of such sale after payment of such costs, shall be applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable and any residue, shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares before the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the Shares at the date of the sale.
CALL ON SHARES
30. (a) The Directors may from time to time make calls upon the Members in respect of any monies unpaid on their Shares (whether on account of the nominal value of the Shares or by way of premium or otherwise) and not by the conditions of allotment thereof made payable at fixed terms, provided that no call shall be payable at less than one month from the date fixed for the payment of the last preceding call, and each Member shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen days notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on the Shares. A call may be revoked or postponed as the Directors may determine. A call may be made payable by instalments.
(b) A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed.
(c) The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect thereof.
31. If a sum called in respect of a Share is not paid before or on a day appointed for payment thereof, the persons from whom the sum is due shall pay interest on the sum from the day appointed for payment thereof to the time of actual payment at such rate not exceeding ten per cent per annum as the Directors may determine, but the Directors shall be at liberty to waive payment of such interest either wholly or in part.
32. Any sum which by the terms of issue of a Share becomes payable on allotment or at any fixed date, whether on account of the nominal value of the Share or by way of premium or otherwise, shall for the purposes of these Articles be deemed to be a call duly made, notified and payable on the date on which by the terms of issue the same becomes payable, and in the case of non-payment all the relevant provisions of these Articles as to payment of
EXHIBIT 3.2
interest forfeiture or otherwise shall apply as if such sum had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.
33. The Directors may, on the issue of Shares, differentiate between the holders as to the amount of calls or interest to be paid and the times of payment.
34. (a) The Directors may, if they think fit, receive from any Member willing to advance the same, all or any part of the monies uncalled and unpaid upon any Shares held by him, and upon all or any of the monies so advanced may (until the same would but for such advances, become payable) pay interest at such rate not exceeding (unless the Company in general meeting shall otherwise direct) seven per cent per annum, as may be agreed upon between the Directors and the Member paying such sum in advance.
(b) No such sum paid in advance of calls shall entitle the Member paying such sum to any portion of a dividend declared in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such sum would, but for such payment, become presently payable.
FORFEITURE OF SHARES
35. (a) If a Member fails to pay any call or instalment of a call or to make any payment required by the terms of issue on the day appointed for payment thereof, the Directors may, at any time thereafter during such time as any part of the call, instalment or payment remains unpaid, give notice requiring payment of any part of the call, instalment or payment that is unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued and all expenses that have been incurred by the Company by reason of such non-payment. Such notice shall name a day (not earlier than the expiration of fourteen days from the date of giving of the notice) on or before which the payment required by the notice is to be made, and shall state that, in the event of non-payment at or before the time appointed the Shares in respect of which such notice was given will be liable to be forfeited.
(b) If the requirements of any such notice as aforesaid are not complied with, any Share in respect of which the notice has been given may at any time thereafter, before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors to that effect. Such forfeiture shall include all dividends declared in respect of the forfeited Share and not actually paid before the forfeiture.
(c) A forfeited Share may be sold or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit, and at any time before a sale or disposition, the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors see fit.
36. A person whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Member in respect of the forfeited Shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company all monies which, at the date of forfeiture, were payable by him to the Company in respect of the Shares together with interest thereon, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all monies whenever payable in respect of the Shares.
37. A certificate in writing under the hand of one Director or the Secretary of the Company that a Share in the Company has been duly forfeited on a date stated in the declaration shall be conclusive evidence of the fact therein stated as against all persons
EXHIBIT 3.2
claiming to be entitled to the Share. The Company may receive the consideration given for the Share on any sale or disposition thereof and may execute a transfer of the Share in favour of the person to whom the Share is sold or disposed of and he shall thereupon be registered as the holder of the Share and shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the Share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, sale or disposal of the Share.
38. The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the nominal value of the Share or by way of premium as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.
REGISTRATION OF EMPOWERING INSTRUMENTS
39. The Company shall be entitled to charge a fee not exceeding one dollar (US$1.00) on the registration of every probate, letter of administration, certificate of death or marriage, power of attorney, or other instrument.
TRANSMISSION OF SHARES
40. In case of the death of a Member, the survivor or survivors where the deceased was a joint holder, and the legal personal representatives of the deceased where he was a sole holder, shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his interest in the Shares, but nothing herein contained shall release the estate of any such deceased holder from any liability in respect of any Shares which had been held by him solely or jointly with other persons.
41. (a) Any person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of a Member (or in any other way than by transfer) may, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time be required by the Directors and subject as hereinafter provided, elect either to be registered himself as holder of the Share or to make such transfer of the Share to such other person nominated by him as the deceased or bankrupt person could have made and to have such person registered as the transferee thereof, but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by that Member before his death or bankruptcy as the case may be.
(b) If the person so becoming entitled shall elect to be registered himself as holder he shall deliver or send to the Company a notice in writing signed by him stating that he so elects.
42. A person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of the holder (or in any other case than by transfer) shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered holder of the Share, except that he shall not, before being registered as a Member in respect of the Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company, provided, however, that the Directors
EXHIBIT 3.2
may at any time give notice requiring any such person to elect either to be registered himself or to transfer the Share, and if the notice is not complied with within ninety days, the Directors may thereafter withhold payment of all dividends, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with.
AMENDMENT OF MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION,
ALTERATION OF CAPITAL & CHANGE OF LOCATION OF REGISTERED OFFICE
43. (a) The Company may by Ordinary Resolution:
(i) increase the share capital by such sum as the resolution shall prescribe and with such rights, priorities and privileges annexed thereto, as the Company in general meeting may determine;
(ii) consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares;
(iii) by subdivision of its existing Shares or any of them divide the whole or any part of its share capital into Shares of smaller amount than is fixed by the Memorandum of Association or into Shares without par value;
(iv) cancel any Shares that at the date of the passing of the resolution have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person.
(b) All new Shares created in accordance with the provisions of the preceding Article shall be subject to the same provisions of the Articles with reference to the payment of calls, liens, transfer, transmission, forfeiture and otherwise as the Shares in the original share capital.
(c) Subject to the provisions of the Statue and the provisions of these Articles as regards the matters to be dealt with by Ordinary Resolution, the Company may by Special Resolution:
(i) change its name;
(ii) alter or add to these Articles;
(iii) alter or add to the Memorandum with respect to any objects, powers or other matters specified therein; and reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve fund.
44. Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Company may by resolution of the Directors change the location of its Registered Office.
CLOSING REGISTER OF MEMBERS OR FIXING RECORD DATE
45. For the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of Members or any adjournment thereof, or Members entitled to receive payment of
EXHIBIT 3.2
any dividend, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other proper purpose, the Directors of the Company may provide that the register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period but not to exceed in any case forty days. If the register of Members shall be so closed for the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of Members, such register shall be so closed for at least ten days immediately preceding such meeting and the record date for such determination shall be the date of the closure of the register of Members.
46. In lieu of or apart from closing the register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of Members entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Members and for the purpose of determining the Members entitled to receive payment of any dividend the Directors may, at or within 90 days prior to the date of declaration of such dividend fix a subsequent date as the record date for such determination.
47. If the register of Members is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of Members entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of Members or Members entitled to receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notice of the meeting is mailed or the date on which the resolution of the Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Members. When a determination of Members entitled to vote at any meeting of Members has been made as provided in this section, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof.
GENERAL MEETING
48. All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.
49. (a) The Company shall, if required by the Law, in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. The annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Directors shall appoint and if no other time and place is prescribed by them, it shall be held at the Registered Office on the second Wednesday in December of each year at ten o'clock in the morning.
(b) At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall
be presented.
(c) The Company may hold an annual general meeting but shall not (unless required by Law) be obliged to hold an annual general meeting.
50. (a) The Directors may call general meetings, and they shall on a gMembers requisition forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company.
(b) A Members requisition is a requisition of Members of the Company holding at the date of deposit of the requisition not less than ten per cent. in par value of the capital of the Company as at that date carries the right of voting at general meetings of the Company.
EXHIBIT 3.2
(c) The requisition must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the Registered Office, and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more requisitionists.
(d) If the Directors do not within twenty-one days from the date of the deposit of the requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting to be held within a further twenty-one days, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one-half of the total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall not be held after the expiration of three months after the expiration of the second said twenty-one days.
(e) A general meeting convened as aforesaid by requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings are to be convened by Directors.
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS
51. At least seven days' notice shall be given for any general meeting. Every notice shall be exclusive of the day on which it is given or deemed to be given and of the day for which it is given and shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business and shall be given in the manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner if any as may be prescribed by the Company, provided that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice specified in this regulation has been given and whether or not the provisions of Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed:
(a) in the case of an annual general meeting by all the Members (or their proxies) entitled to attend and vote thereat; and
(b) in the case of an extraordinary general meeting by a majority in number of the Members (or their proxies) having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, being a majority together holding not less than ninety-five per cent in par value of the Shares giving that right.
52. The accidental omission to give notice of a general meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings of that meeting.
PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
53. For all purposes the quorum for a general meeting shall be two Members present in person or by proxy or corporate representative provided always that if the Company has only one member of record the quorum shall be that one member present in person or by proxy; provided, however, that in no case shall such quorum be less than 33% of the outstanding voting shares in the capital of the Company. No business (except the appointment of a Chairman of the meeting) shall be transacted at any general meeting unless the requisite quorum shall be present at the commencement of the business.
EXHIBIT 3.2
54. A person may participate at a general meeting by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation by a person in a general meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting.
55. A resolution (including a Special Resolution) in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by all Members for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings (or, being corporations, signed by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the resolution had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held.
56. If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting or if during such a meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of Members, shall be dissolved and in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and place or to such other day, time or such other place as the Directors may determine, and if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting, the Members present shall be a quorum.
57. The person chairing the meeting, if any, of the Board of Directors shall preside as Chairman at every general meeting of the Company, or if there is no such Chairman, or if he shall not be present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the holding of the meeting, or is unwilling to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to be Chairman of the meeting.
58. If no Director is willing to act as Chairman or if no Director is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the Members present shall choose one of their number to be Chairman of the meeting.
59. The Chairman may, with the consent of a meeting at which a quorum is present, (and shall if so directed by the meeting), adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a general meeting is adjourned for thirty days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting; otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any such notice.
60. A resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless before or on the declaration of the result of, the show of hands, the Chairman demands a poll, or any other Member or Members collectively present in person or by proxy and holding at least ten per cent. in par value of the Shares giving a right to attend and vote at the meeting demand a poll.
61. Unless a poll is duly demanded a declaration by the Chairman that a resolution has been carried, or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost, or not carried by a particular majority, an entry to that effect in the minutes of the proceedings of the meeting shall be conclusive evidence of that fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against such resolution.
62. The demand for a poll may be withdrawn.
EXHIBIT 3.2
63. Unless a poll is duly demanded, on the election of a Chairman or on a question of adjournment, a poll shall be taken as the Chairman directs and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the general meeting at which the poll was demanded.
64. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the Chairman shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.
65. A poll demanded on the election of a Chairman or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such time as the Chairman of the general meeting directs, and any business other than that upon which a poll has been demanded or is contingent thereon may proceed pending the taking of the poll.
VOTES OF MEMBERS
66. Except as otherwise required by law or as set forth herein, the holder of each Share issued and outstanding shall have one vote for each Share held by such holder.
67. In the case of joint holders of record the vote of the senior who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders, and for this purpose seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the register of Members.
68. A Member of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court, having jurisdiction in lunacy, may vote, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, receiver, curator bonis, or other person in the nature of a committee, receiver or curator bonis appointed by that court, and any such committee, receiver, curator bonis or other persons may vote by proxy.
69. No Member shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting unless he is registered as a Member of the Company on the record date for such meeting nor unless all calls or other sums presently payable by him in respect of Shares in the Company have been paid.
70. No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the general meeting or adjourned general meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered and every vote not disallowed at such general meeting shall be valid for all purposes. Any such objection made in due time shall be referred to the Chairman of the general meeting whose decision shall be final and conclusive.
71. On a poll or on a show of hands votes may be given either personally or by proxy.
PROXIES
72. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing and shall be executed under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing, or, if the appointor is a corporation under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised for that purpose. A proxy need not be a Member of the Company.
EXHIBIT 3.2
73. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company:
(a) not less than 48 hours before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote; or
(b) in the case of a poll taken more than 48 hours after it is demanded, be deposited as aforesaid after the poll has been demanded and not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for the taking of the poll; and
(c) where the poll is not taken forthwith but is taken not more than 48 hours after it was demanded be delivered at the meeting at which the poll was demanded to the Chairman or to the secretary or to any director;
provided that the Directors may in the notice convening the meeting, or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, direct that the instrument appointing a proxy may be deposited (no later than the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting) at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company. The Chairman may in any event at his discretion direct that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited. An instrument of proxy that is not deposited in the manner permitted shall be invalid.
74. The instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form and may be expressed to be for a particular meeting or any adjournment thereof or generally until revoked. An instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to include the power to demand or join or concur in demanding a poll.
75. Votes given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy shall be valid notwithstanding the previous death or insanity of the principal or revocation of the proxy or of the authority under which the proxy was executed, or the transfer of the Share in respect of which the proxy is given unless notice in writing of such death, insanity, revocation or transfer was received by the Company at the Registered Office before the commencement of the general meeting, or adjourned meeting at which it is sought to use the proxy.
76. Any corporation or other non-natural person which is a Member may in accordance with its constitutional documents, or in the absence of such provision by resolution of its Directors or other governing body, authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any class of Members, and the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as the corporation could exercise if it were an individual Member. A person entitled to more than one vote on a poll need not use all his votes or cast all the votes he uses in the same way.
77. Shares in the Company that are beneficially owned by the Company shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding Shares at any given time.
EXHIBIT 3.2
CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVES
78. Any corporation which is a Member of the Company may, by resolution of its directors or other governing body or by power of attorney, authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of members of any class of Shares of the Company and the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which be represents as that corporation could exercise if it were an individual member of the Company and where a corporation is so represented, it shall be treated as being present at any meeting in person.
CLEARING HOUSES
79. If a clearing house (or its nominee) is a member of the Company it may, by resolution of its directors or other governing body or by power of attorney, authorise such person or persons as it thinks fit to act as its representative or representatives at any general meeting of the Company or at any general meeting of any class of members of the Company provided that, if more than one person is so authorised, the authorisation shall specify the number and class of Shares in respect of which each such person is so authorised. A person so authorised pursuant to this provision shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the clearing house (or its nominee) which he represents as that clearing house (or its nominee) could exercise if it were an individual member of the Company holding the number and class of Shares specified in such authorisation.
DIRECTORS
80. There shall be a Board of Directors (the "BOARD") consisting of not
more than eight (8) persons, including three (3) independent directors. One (1)
member of the Board shall be appointed by Carlyle Asia Venture Partners I, L.P.
and CIPA Co-Investment, L.P. or their assigns (collectively, "CARLYLE"). One (1)
member of the Board shall be appointed by IDG Technology Venture Investment,
Inc. and IDG Technology Venture Investments, L.P. or their assigns
(collectively, "IDG"). Neil Nanpeng Shen, James Jiangzhang Liang, Qi Ji and Min
Fan and their respective assigns shall be entitled collectively to elect three
(3) members of the Board. Three (3) independent members of the Board shall be
nominated and approved by the vote of holders of a majority of the Shares.
81. For as long as a shareholder not otherwise represented on the Board holds at least 5% of the then outstanding Shares of the Company, such shareholder shall be entitled to appoint one (1) observer to attend all meetings of the Board (whether in person, telephonic or otherwise) in a non-voting, observer capacity; provided, however, such observer may be excluded from all or any portion of a meeting where their presence could reasonably result in (i) the disclosure of trade secrets to a competitor or (ii) the loss of attorney-client privilege. All observers shall enter into a confidentiality agreement with the Company prior to exercising observation rights.
82. Each Director shall hold office until the expiration of his term and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified.
83. Any Directors not elected in the manner provided in Article 80 shall be elected by the Members at a general meeting. Newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorised number of Directors or any vacancies in the Board resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from office or other cause may be filled
EXHIBIT 3.2
only by a majority vote of the Directors then in office even though less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director, and not by the shareholders. In the event of any increase or decrease in the authorised number of Directors, each Director then serving as such shall nevertheless continue as a Director until the expiration of his or her current term or his or her death, retirement, removal or resignation. In the event of a vacancy in the Board, the remaining Directors, except as otherwise provided by the Law, may exercise the powers of the full Board until the vacancy is filled. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each Director shall serve until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her death, resignation or removal. No decrease in the number of directors constituting the Board shall shorten the term of any incumbent Director.
84. The remuneration to be paid to the Directors shall be such remuneration as the Directors shall determine. Such remuneration shall be deemed to accrue from day to day. The Directors shall also be entitled to be paid their travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in going to, attending and returning from meetings of the Directors, or any committee of the Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company, or to receive a fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors from time to time, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other.
85. The Directors may by resolution award special remuneration to any Director of the Company undertaking any special work or services for, or undertaking any special mission on behalf of, the Company other than his ordinary routine work as a Director. Any fees paid to a Director who is also counsel or solicitor to the Company, or otherwise serves it in a professional capacity shall be in addition to his remuneration as a Director.
86. A Director or alternate Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of Auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms as to remuneration and otherwise as the Directors may determine.
87. A Director or alternate Director may act by himself or his firm in a professional capacity for the Company and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director or alternate Director.
88. A shareholding qualification for Directors may not be fixed by the Company in general meeting.
89. The Company shall keep at its Registered Office a register of Directors and officers containing their names and addresses and occupations and other particulars required by the Law and shall send to the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands a copy of such register and shall from time to time notify to the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands any change that takes place in relation to such Directors and officers as required by Law.
ALTERNATE DIRECTORS
90. A Director who expects to be unable to attend Directors' Meetings because of absence, illness or otherwise may appoint any person to be an alternate Director to act in his stead and such appointee whilst he holds office as an alternate Director shall, in the event of
EXHIBIT 3.2
absence therefrom of his appointor, be entitled to attend meetings of the Directors and to vote thereat and to do, in the place and stead of his appointor, any other act or thing which his appointor is permitted or required to do by virtue of his being a Director as if the alternate Director were the appointor, other than appointment of an alternate to himself, and he shall ipso facto vacate office if and when his appointor ceases to be a Director or removes the appointee from office. Any appointment or removal under this Article shall be effected by notice in writing under the hand of the Director making the same.
91. The appointment of an alternate Director shall determine on the happening of any event which, were he a Director, would cause him to vacate such office or if his appointor ceases to be a Director.
92. An alternate Director shall be entitled to receive and waive (in lieu of his appointor) notices of meetings of the Directors and shall be entitled to attend and vote as a Director and be counted in the quorum at any such meeting at which the Director appointing him is not personally present and generally at such meeting to perform all the functions of his appointor as a Director and for the purposes of the proceedings at such meeting the provisions of these Articles shall apply as if he (instead of his appointor) were a Director. If he shall be himself a Director or shall attend any such meeting as an alternate for more than one Director, his voting rights shall be cumulative and he need not use all his votes or cast all the votes to uses in the same way. To such extent as the Board may from time to time determine in relation to any committee of the Board, the foregoing provisions of this Article shall also apply mutatis mutandis to any meeting of any such committee of which his appointor is a member. An alternate Director shall not, save as aforesaid, have power to act as a Director nor shall he be deemed to be a Director for the purposes of these Articles.
93. An alternate Director shall be entitled to contract and be interested in and benefit from contracts, arrangements or transactions and to be repaid expenses and to be indemnified to the same extent mutatis mutandis as if he were a Director, but he shall not be entitled to receive from the Company in respect of his appointment as alternate Director any remuneration except only such part (if any) of the remuneration otherwise payable to his appointor as such appointor may by notice in writing to the Company from time to time direct.
94. In addition to the foregoing provisions of this Article, a Director may be represented at any meeting of the Board (or of any committee of the Board) by a proxy appointed by him, is which event the presence or vote of the proxy shall for all purposes be deemed to be that of the Director. A proxy need not himself be a Director and the provisions of Articles [72] to [77] shall apply mutatis mutandis to the appointment of proxies by Directors save that an instrument appointing a proxy shall not become invalid after the expiration of twelve months from its date of execution but shall remain valid for such period as the instrument shall provide or, if no such provision is made in the instrument, until revoked in writing and save also that a Director may appoint any number of proxies although only one such proxy may attend in his stead at meetings of the Board).
POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS
95. The business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors (or a sole Director if only one is appointed) who may pay all expenses incurred in promoting, registering and
EXHIBIT 3.2
setting up the Company, and may exercise all such powers of the Company as are not, from time to time by the Law, or by these Articles, or such regulations, being not inconsistent with the aforesaid, as may be prescribed by the Company in general meeting required to be exercised by the Company in general meeting, provided, however, that no regulations made by the Company in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors which would have been valid if that regulation had not been made.
96. The Directors may from time to time and at any time by powers of attorney appoint any company, firm, person or body of persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys of the Company for such purpose and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such powers of attorney may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of persons dealing with any such attorneys as the Directors may think fit and may also authorise any such attorney to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him.
97. All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable instruments and all receipts for monies paid to the Company shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed as the case may be in such manner as the Directors shall from time to time by resolution determine.
98. The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books provided for the purpose:
(a) of all appointments of officers made by the Directors;
(b) of the names of the Directors (including those represented thereat by an alternate or by proxy) present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of the Directors;
(c) of all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the Company and of the Directors and of committees of Directors.
99. The Directors on behalf of the Company may pay a gratuity or pension or allowance on retirement to any Director who has held any other salaried office or place of profit with the Company or to his widow or dependants and may make contributions to any fund and pay premiums for the purchase or provision of any such gratuity, pension or allowance.
100. The Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital or any part thereof and to issue debentures, debenture stock and other securities whether outright or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.
MANAGEMENT
101. (a) The Directors may from time to time provide for the management of the affairs of the Company in such manner as they shall think fit and the provisions contained in the three next following paragraphs shall be without prejudice to the general powers conferred by this paragraph.
EXHIBIT 3.2
(b) The Directors from time to time and at any time may establish any committees, local boards or agencies for managing any of the affairs of the Company and may appoint any persons to be members of such committees or local boards or any managers or agents and may fix their remuneration.
(c) The Directors from time to time and at any time may delegate to any such committee, local board, manager or agent any of the powers, authorities and discretions for the time being vested in the Directors and may authorise the members for the time being of any such local board, or any of them to fill up any vacancies therein and to act notwithstanding vacancies and any such appointment or delegation may be made on such terms and subject to such conditions as the Directors may think fit and the Directors may at any time remove any person so appointed and may annul or vary any such delegation, but no person dealing in good faith and without notice of any such annulment or variation shall be affected thereby.
(d) Any such delegates as aforesaid may be authorised by the Directors to subdelegate all or any of the powers, authorities, and discretions for the time being vested in them.
INTERESTED DIRECTORS
102. No Director or proposed Director shall be disqualified by his office from contracting with the Company either as vendor, purchaser or otherwise nor shall any such contract or any contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of the Company with any person, company or partnership of or in which any Director shall be a member or otherwise interested be capable on that account of being avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being any member or so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit so realised by any such contract or arrangement by reason only of such Director holding that office or the fiduciary relationship, thereby established, provided that such Director shall, if his interest in such contract or arrangement is material, declare the nature of his interest at the earliest meeting of the Board at which it is practicable for him to do so, either specifically or by way of a general notice stating that, by reason of the facts specified in the notice, he is to be regarded as interested in any contracts of a specified description which may subsequently be made by the Company.
103. Any Director may continue to be or become a director, managing director, joint managing director, deputy managing director, executive director, manager or other officer or member of any other company in which the Company may be interested and (unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Director) no such Director shall be liable to account to the Company or the members for any remuneration or other benefits received by him as a director, managing director, joint managing director, deputy managing director, executive director, manager or other officer or member of any such other company. The Directors may exercise the voting powers conferred by the shares in any other company held or owned by the Company, or exercisable by them as directors of such other company in such manner in all respects as they think fit (including the exercise thereof in favour of any resolution appointing themselves or any of them directors, managing directors, joint managing directors; deputy managing directors, executive directors, managers or other officers of such company) and any Director may vote in favour of the exercise of such voting rights in the manner aforesaid notwithstanding that he may be, or is about to be, appointed a
EXHIBIT 3.2
director, managing director, joint managing director, deputy managing director, executive director, manager or other officer of such a company, and that as such he is or may become interested in the exercise of such voting rights in the manner aforesaid.
104. A Director may hold any other office or place of profit with the Company (except that of Auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and upon such terms as the Board may determine, and may be paid such extra remuneration therefor (whether by way of salary, commission, participation in profit or otherwise) as the Board may determine, and such extra remuneration shall be in addition to any remuneration provided for by or pursuant to any other Article.
105. No person shall be disqualified from the office of Director or alternate Director or prevented by such office from contracting with the Company, either as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director or alternate Director shall be in any way interested be or be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director or alternate Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or transaction by reason of such Director holding office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established. A Director (or his alternate Director in his absence) shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is so interested as aforesaid provided however that the name of the interest of any Director or alternate Director in any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him or the alternate Director appointed by him at or prior to its consideration and any vote thereon.
106. A general notice or disclosure to the Directors or otherwise contained in the minutes of a Meeting or a written resolution of the Directors or any committee thereof that a Director or alternate Director is a shareholder of any specified firm or company and is to be regarded as interested in any transaction with such firm or company shall be sufficient disclosure under Article 105 and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction.
MANAGING DIRECTORS
107. The Directors may, from time to time, appoint one or more of their body (but not an alternate Director) to the office of Managing Director for such term and at such remuneration (whether by way of salary, or commission, or participation in profits, or partly in one way and partly in another) as they may think fit but his appointment shall be subject to determination ipso facto if he ceases for any cause to be a Director and no alternate Director appointed by him can act in his stead as a Director or Managing Director.
108. The Directors may entrust to and confer upon a Managing Director any of the powers exercisable by them upon such terms and conditions and with such restrictions as they may think fit and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and may from time to time revoke, withdraw, alter or vary all or any of such powers.
EXHIBIT 3.2
PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS
109. Except as otherwise provided by these Articles, the Directors shall meet together for the despatch of business, convening, adjourning and otherwise regulating their meetings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes of the Directors and alternate Directors present at a meeting at which there is a quorum, the vote of an alternate Director not being counted if his appointor be present at such meeting. In case of an equality of votes, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
110. A Director or alternate Director may, and the Secretary on the requisition of a Director or alternate Director shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors by at least two days' notice in writing to every Director and alternate Director which notice shall set forth the general nature of the business to be considered unless notice is waived by all the Directors (or their alternates) either at, before or after the meeting is held and, provided, however, if notice is given in person, by cable, telex or telecopy the same shall be deemed to have been given on the day it is delivered to the Directors or transmitting organisation as the case may be. The provisions of Article [51] shall apply mutatis mutandis with respect to notices of meetings of Directors.
111. The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors and unless so fixed shall be two, a Director and his appointed alternate Director being considered only one person for this purpose, provided always that if there shall at any time be only a sole Director the quorum shall be one. For the purposes of this Article an alternate Director or proxy appointed by a Director shall be counted in a quorum at a meeting at which the Director appointing him is not present.
112. The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, but if and so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to these Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.
113. The Directors may elect a Chairman of their Board and determine the period for which he is to hold office; but if no such Chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the Chairman is not present within five minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be Chairman of the meeting.
114. The Directors may delegate any of their powers to committees consisting of such member or members of the Board of Directors (including Alternate Directors in the absence of their appointors) as they think fit; any committee so formed shall in the exercise of the powers so delegated conform to any regulations that may be imposed on it by the Directors.
115. A committee may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members present, and in the case of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
116. All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors (including any person acting as an alternate Director) shall, notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any Director or alternate Director, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and qualified to be a Director or alternate Director as the case may be.
EXHIBIT 3.2
Members of the Board of Directors or of any committee thereof may participate in a meeting of the Board or of such committee by means of conference telephone or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other and participation in a meeting pursuant to this provision shall constitute presence in person at such meeting. A resolution in writing (in one or more counterparts), signed by all the Directors for the time being or all the members of a committee of Directors (an alternate Director being entitled to sign such resolution on behalf of his appointor) shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors or committee as the case may be duly convened and held.
VACATION OF OFFICE OF DIRECTOR
117. The office of a Director shall be vacated:
(a) if he gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns the office of Director; or
(b) if he absents himself (without being represented by proxy or an alternate Director appointed by him) from three consecutive meetings of the Board of Directors without special leave of absence from the Directors, and they pass a resolution that he has by reason of such absence vacated office; or
(c) if he dies, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; or
(d) if he is found to be or becomes of unsound mind.
APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS
118. The Directors of the Company may only be appointed as provided in Articles [80] and [83].
119. A Director of the Company shall only be removed by the Members who nominated and elected him.
PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT
120. A Director of the Company who is present at a meeting of the Board of Directors at which action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the Minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent from such action with the person acting as the Chairman or Secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered post to such person immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favour of such action.
EXHIBIT 3.2
SEAL
121. (a) The Company may, if the Directors so determine, have a Seal. The Seal shall only be used by the authority of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors authorised by the Directors. Every instrument to which the Seal has been affixed shall be signed by at least one person who shall be either a Director or some officer or other person appointed by the Directors for the purpose.
(b) The Company may have for use in any place or places outside the Cayman Islands a duplicate Seal or Seals each of which shall be a facsimile of the Common Seal of the Company and, if the Directors so determine, with the addition on its face of the name of every place where it is to be used.
(c) A Director or officer, representative or attorney may without further authority of the Directors affix the Seal over his signature alone to any document of the Company required to be authenticated by him under Seal or to be filed with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere wheresoever.
OFFICERS
122. The Company may have a President, a Secretary or Secretary-Treasurer appointed by the Directors. The Directors may also from time to time appoint such other officers as they consider necessary, all for such terms, at such remuneration and to perform such duties, and subject to such provisions as to disqualification and removal as the Directors from time to time prescribe.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND RESERVE
123. Subject to the Law, the Directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and distributions on Shares of the Company outstanding and authorise payment of the same out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor.
124. The Directors may, before declaring any dividends or distributions, set aside such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall at the discretion of the Directors, be applicable for any purpose of the Company and pending such application may, at the like discretion, be employed in the business of the Company.
125. No dividend or distribution shall be payable except out of the profits of the Company, realised or unrealised, or out of the Share Premium Account or as otherwise permitted by the Law.
126. Subject to the rights of persons, if any, entitled to Shares with special rights as to dividends or distributions, if dividends or distributions are to be declared on a class of Shares they shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid or credited as paid on the Shares of such class outstanding on the record date for such dividend or distribution as determined in accordance with these Articles but no amount paid or credited as paid on a Share in advance of calls shall be treated for the purpose of this Article as paid on the Share.
EXHIBIT 3.2
127. The Directors may deduct from any dividend or distribution payable to any Member all sums of money (if any) presently payable by him to the Company on account of calls or otherwise.
128. The Directors may declare that any dividend or distribution be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular of paid up Shares, debentures, or debenture stock of any other company or in any one or more of such ways and where any difficulty arises in regard to such distribution, the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient and in particular may issue fractional certificates and fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part thereof and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any Members upon the footing of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of all Members and may vest any such specific assets in trustees as may seem expedient to the Directors.
129. Any dividend, distribution, interest or other monies payable in cash in respect of Shares may be paid by cheque or warrant sent through the post directed to the registered address of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the holder who is first named on the register of Members or to such person and to such address as such holder or joint holders may in writing direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent. Any one of two or more joint holders may give effectual receipts for any dividends, bonuses, or other monies payable in respect of the Share held by them as joint holders.
130. No dividend or distribution shall bear interest against the Company.
RECORD DATES
131. Notwithstanding any other provisions of these Articles of the Company or the Law, the Board may fix any date as the record date for any dividend, distribution, allotment or issue and such record date may be on or at any time before or after any date on which such dividend, distribution, allotment or issue is declared, paid or made.
CAPITALISATION
132. The Company may capitalise any sum standing to the credit of any of the Company's reserve accounts (including Share Premium Account and capital redemption reserve fund) or any sum standing to the credit of profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution and to appropriate such sum to Members in the proportions in which such sum would have been divisible amongst them had the same been a distribution of profits by way of dividend and to apply such sum on their behalf in paying up in full unissued Shares for allotment and distribution credited as fully paid up to and amongst them in the proportion aforesaid. In such event the Directors shall do all acts and things required to give effect to such capitalisation, with full power to the Directors to make such provisions as they think fit for the case of Shares becoming distributable in fractions (including provisions whereby the benefit of fractional entitlements accrue to the Company rather than to the Members concerned). The Directors may authorise any person to enter on behalf of all of the Members interested into an agreement with the Company providing for such capitalisation and matters
EXHIBIT 3.2
incidental thereto and any agreement made under such authority shall be effective and binding on all concerned.
BOOKS OF ACCOUNT
133. The Directors shall cause proper books of account to be kept with respect to:
(a) all sums of money received and expended by the Company and the matters in respect of which the receipt or expenditure takes place;
(b) all sales and purchases of goods by the Company; and
(c) the assets and liabilities of the Company.
Proper books shall not be deemed to be kept if there are not kept such books of account as are necessary to give a true and fair view of the state of the Company's affairs and to explain its transactions.
134. The Directors shall from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Members not being Directors and no Member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by Law or authorised by the Directors or by the Company in general meeting.
135. The Directors may from time to time cause to be prepared and to be laid before the Company in general meeting profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, group accounts (if any) and such other reports and accounts as may be required by law.
ANNUAL RETURNS AND FILINGS
136. The Board shall make the requisite annual returns and any other requisite filings in accordance with the Law.
AUDIT
137. The Directors may appoint an Auditor of the Company who shall hold office until removed from office by a resolution of the Directors and may fix his or their remuneration.
138. Every Auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and Officers of the Company such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the auditors.
139. Auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next annual general meeting following their
EXHIBIT 3.2
appointment in the case of a company which is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an ordinary company, and at the next extraordinary general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company which is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an exempted company, and at any time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members.
NOTICES
140. Notices shall be in writing and may be given by the Company to any Member either personally or by sending it by post, cable, telex, fax or e-mail to him or to his address as shown in the register of Members (or where the notice is given by e-mail by sending it to the e-mail address provided by such Member). Any notice, if posted from one country to another, is to be sent airmail.
141. (a) Where a notice is sent by post, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre-paying and posting a letter containing the notice, and shall be deemed to have been received on the fifth day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays) following the day on which the notice was posted.
(b) Where a notice is sent by cable, telex, or fax, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, and sending such notice and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was transmitted.
(c) Where a notice is given by e-mail service shall be deemed to be effected by transmitting the e-mail to the e-mail address provided by the intended recipient and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was sent, and it shall not be necessary for the receipt of the e-mail to be acknowledged by the recipient.
142. A notice may be given by the Company to the person or persons which the Company has been advised are entitled to a Share or Shares in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member in the same manner as other notices which are required to be given under these Articles and shall be addressed to them by name, or by the title of representatives of the deceased, or trustee of the bankrupt, or by any like description at the address supplied for that purpose by the persons claiming to be so entitled, or at the option of the Company by giving the notice in any manner in which the same might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred.
143. Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner hereinbefore authorised to:
(a) every person shown as a Member in the register of Members on the record date for such meeting except that in the case of joint holders the notice shall be sufficient if given to the joint holder first named in the register of Members; and
(b) every person upon whom the ownership of a Share devolves by reason of his being a legal personal representative or a trustee in bankruptcy of a Member of record where the Member of record but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting.
EXHIBIT 3.2
No other person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.
INFORMATION
144. No Member shall be entitled to require discovery of or any information in respect of any detail of the Company's trading or any which is or may be in the nature of a trade secret or secret process which may relate to the conduct of the business of the Company and which in the opinion of the Board would not be in the interests of the Members of the Company to communicate to the public.
145. The Board shall be entitled to release or disclose any information in its possession, custody or control regarding the Company or its affairs to any of its Members including, without limitation, information contained in the register of Members and transfer books of the Company.
WINDING UP
146. Subject to Article 127, if the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, with the sanction of a Special Resolution of the Company and any other sanction required by the Law, divide amongst the Members in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may for that purpose value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as the liquidator, with the like sanction, shall think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability.
INDEMNITY
147. Every Director or officer of the Company shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against any liability incurred by him as a result of any act or failure to act in carrying out his functions other than such liability (if any) that he may incur by his own wilful neglect or default. No such Director or officer shall be liable to the Company for any loss or damage in carrying out his functions unless that liability arises through the wilful neglect or default of such Director or officer.
FINANCIAL YEAR
148. Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on 31st December in each year and shall begin on January 1st in each year.
EXHIBIT 3.2
AMENDMENTS OF ARTICLES
149. Subject to the Law and to any quorum, voting or procedural requirements expressly imposed by these Articles in regard to the variation of rights attached to a specific class of Shares of the Company, the Company may at any time and from time to time by Special Resolution change the name of the Company or alter or amend these Articles or the Company's Memorandum of Association, in whole or in part.
TRANSFER BY WAY OF CONTINUATION
150. If the Company is exempted as defined in the Law, it shall, subject to the provisions of the Law and with the approval of a Special Resolution, have the power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.
EXHIBIT 4.1
[REGISTRANT'S SPECIMEN AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT]
NUMBER
BNY
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
(EACH AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARE
REPRESENTS ( ) DEPOSITED SHARE[S])
THE BANK OF NEW YORK
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT
FOR ORDINARY SHARES OF THE
PAR VALUE OF U.S.$0.01 PER SHARE OF
CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
(INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS)
The Bank of New York as depositary (hereinafter called the "Depositary"), hereby certifies that __________, or registered assigns IS THE OWNER OF
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
representing deposited ordinary shares (herein called "Shares") of Ctrip.com International, Ltd., incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (herein called the "Company"). At the date hereof, each American Depositary Share represents _________ ( ) Share[s] which [is/are] either deposited or subject to deposit under the deposit agreement at the Hong Kong office of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (herein called the "Custodian"). The Depositary's Corporate Trust Office is located at a different address than its principal executive office. Its Corporate Trust Office is located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, N.Y. 10286, and its principal executive office is located at One Wall Street, New York, N.Y. 10286.
1. THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT.
This American Depositary Receipt is one of an issue (herein called "Receipts"), all issued and to be issued upon the terms and conditions set forth in the deposit agreement, dated as of ________, 2003 (herein called the "Deposit Agreement"), by and among the Company, the Depositary, and all Owners and Beneficial Owners from time to time of Receipts issued thereunder, each of whom by accepting a Receipt agrees to become a party thereto and become bound by all the terms and conditions thereof. The Deposit Agreement sets forth the rights of Owners and Beneficial Owners of the Receipts
EXHIBIT 4.1
and the rights and duties of the Depositary in respect of the Shares deposited thereunder and any and all other securities, property and cash from time to time received in respect of such Shares and held thereunder (such Shares, securities, property, and cash are herein called "Deposited Securities"). Copies of the Deposit Agreement are on file at the Depositary's Corporate Trust Office in New York City and at the office of the Custodian.
The statements made on the face and reverse of this Receipt are summaries of certain provisions of the Deposit Agreement and are qualified by and subject to the detailed provisions of the Deposit Agreement, to which reference is hereby made. Capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Deposit Agreement.
2. SURRENDER OF RECEIPTS AND WITHDRAWAL OF SHARES.
Upon surrender at the Corporate Trust Office of the Depositary of this
Receipt, and upon payment of the fee of the Depositary provided in this Receipt,
and subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, the Owner
hereof is entitled to delivery, to him or upon his order, of the amount of
Deposited Securities at the time represented by the American Depositary Shares
for which this Receipt is issued. Delivery of such Deposited Securities may be
made by the delivery of (a) Shares in the name of the Owner hereof or as ordered
by him or by certificates properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments
of transfer to such Owner or as ordered by him and (b) any other securities,
property and cash to which such Owner is then entitled in respect of this
Receipt to such Owner or as ordered by him. Such delivery will be made at the
option of the Owner hereof, either at the office of the Custodian or at the
Corporate Trust Office of the Depositary, provided that the forwarding of
certificates for Shares or other Deposited Securities for such delivery at the
Corporate Trust Office of the Depositary shall be at the risk and expense of the
Owner hereof. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Deposit Agreement or
this Receipt, the surrender of outstanding Receipts and withdrawal of Deposited
Securities may be suspended only for (i) temporary delays caused by closing the
transfer books of the Depositary or the Company or the deposit of Shares in
connection with voting at a shareholders' meeting, or the payment of dividends,
(ii) the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges, and (iii) compliance with
any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the Receipts or
to the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities.
3. TRANSFERS, SPLIT-UPS, AND COMBINATIONS OF RECEIPTS.
The transfer of this Receipt is registrable on the books of the Depositary at its Corporate Trust Office by the Owner hereof in person or by a duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Receipt properly endorsed for transfer or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer and funds sufficient to pay any applicable transfer taxes and the expenses of the Depositary and upon compliance with such regulations, if any, as the Depositary may establish for such purpose. This Receipt may be split into other such Receipts, or may be combined with other such Receipts into one Receipt, evidencing the same aggregate number of American Depositary Shares as the Receipt or Receipts
EXHIBIT 4.1
surrendered. As a condition precedent to the execution and delivery, registration of transfer, split-up, combination, or surrender of any Receipt or withdrawal of any Deposited Securities, the Depositary, the Custodian, or Registrar may require payment from the depositor of Shares or the presenter of the Receipt of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax, stamp duty or other governmental charge and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect thereto (including any such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any applicable fees as provided in this Receipt, may require the production of proof satisfactory to it as to the identity and genuineness of any signature and may also require compliance with any regulations the Depositary may establish consistent with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement or this Receipt.
The delivery of Receipts against deposits of Shares generally or against deposits of particular Shares may be suspended, or the transfer of Receipts in particular instances may be refused, or the registration of transfer of outstanding Receipts generally may be suspended, during any period when the transfer books of the Depositary are closed, or if any such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary or the Company at any time or from time to time because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body or commission, or under any provision of the Deposit Agreement or this Receipt, or for any other reason, subject to Article (23) hereof. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under the Deposit Agreement any Shares required to be registered under the provisions of the Securities Act, unless a registration statement is in effect as to such Shares.
4. LIABILITY OF OWNER FOR TAXES.
If any tax or other governmental charge shall become payable with respect to any Receipt or any Deposited Securities represented hereby, such tax or other governmental charge shall be payable by the Owner hereof to the Depositary. The Depositary may refuse to effect any transfer of this Receipt or any withdrawal of Deposited Securities represented by American Depositary Shares evidenced by such Receipt until such payment is made, and may withhold any dividends or other distributions, or may sell for the account of the Owner hereof any part or all of the Deposited Securities represented by the American Depositary Shares evidenced by this Receipt, and may apply such dividends or other distributions or the proceeds of any such sale in payment of such tax or other governmental charge and the Owner hereof shall remain liable for any deficiency.
5. WARRANTIES OF DEPOSITORS.
Every person depositing Shares under the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and warrant that such Shares and each certificate therefor, if applicable, are validly issued, fully paid, nonassessable and free of any pre-emptive rights of the holders of outstanding Shares and that the person making such deposit is duly authorized so to do. Every such person shall also be deemed to represent that the deposit of such Shares and the sale of Receipts evidencing American Depositary Shares representing such Shares by that person would not be Restricted Securities. Such
EXHIBIT 4.1
representations and warranties shall survive the deposit of Shares and issuance of Receipts.
Dated: Countersigned: THE BANK OF NEW YORK, as Depositary By: /s/ Timothy F. Keaney -------------------- ---------------------- Authorized Signatory Timothy F. Keaney Managing Director |
THE DEPOSITARY'S CORPORATE TRUST OFFICE ADDRESS IS
101 BARCLAY STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10286
EXHIBIT 4.1
[REVERSE OF REGISTRANT'S SPECIMEN AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT]
SUMMARY OF CERTAIN ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS OF THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
6. FILING PROOFS, CERTIFICATES, AND OTHER INFORMATION.
Any person presenting Shares for deposit or any Owner or Beneficial Owner of a Receipt may be required from time to time to file with the Depositary or the Custodian such proof of citizenship or residence, exchange control approval, or such information relating to the registration on the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, to execute such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, as the Depositary may deem necessary or proper. The Depositary may withhold the delivery or registration of transfer of any Receipt or the distribution of any dividend or sale or distribution of rights or of the proceeds thereof or the delivery of any Deposited Securities until such proof or other information is filed or such certificates are executed or such representations and warranties made. If requested in writing, the Depositary shall, as promptly as practicable, provide the Company, at the expense of the Company, with copies of any such proofs, certificates or other information it receives pursuant to this Article, unless prohibited by applicable law. No Share shall be accepted for deposit unless accompanied by evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that any necessary approval has been granted by any governmental body in the Cayman Islands or in Hong Kong which is then performing the function of the regulation of currency exchange.
7. CHARGES OF DEPOSITARY.
The Company agrees to pay the fees, reasonable expenses and out-of-pocket charges of the Depositary and those of any Registrar only in accordance with agreements in writing entered into between the Depositary and the Company from time to time. The Depositary shall present its statement for such charges and expenses to the Company once every three months. The charges and expenses of the Custodian are for the sole account of the Depositary.
The following charges shall be incurred by any party depositing or
withdrawing Shares or by any party surrendering Receipts or to whom Receipts are
issued (including, without limitation, issuance pursuant to a stock dividend or
stock split declared by the Company or an exchange of stock regarding the
Receipts or Deposited Securities or a distribution of Receipts pursuant to
Section 4.3 of the Deposit Agreement), or by Owners, as applicable: (1) taxes,
stamp duty and other governmental charges, (2) such registration fees as may
from time to time be in effect for the registration of transfers of Shares
generally on the Share register of the Company or Foreign Registrar and
applicable to transfers of Shares to or from the name of the Depositary or its
nominee or the Custodian or its nominee on the making of deposits or withdrawals
under the Deposit Agreement, (3) such cable, telex and facsimile transmission
expenses as are expressly provided in the
EXHIBIT 4.1
Deposit Agreement, (4) such expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in the
conversion of foreign currency pursuant to Section 4.5 of the Deposit Agreement,
(5) a fee of $5.00 or less per 100 American Depositary Shares (or portion
thereof) for the execution and delivery of Receipts pursuant to Section 2.3, 4.3
or 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement and the surrender of Receipts pursuant to
Section 2.5 or 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement, (6) a fee of $.02 or less per
American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) for any cash distribution made
pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, including, but not limited to Sections 4.1
through 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement, (7) a fee for the distribution of
securities pursuant to Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement, such fee being in
an amount equal to the fee for the execution and delivery of American Depositary
Shares referred to above which would have been charged as a result of the
deposit of such securities (for purposes of this clause 7 treating all such
securities as if they were Shares) but which securities are instead distributed
by the Depositary to Owners, (8) a fee of $.02 or less per American Depositary
Share (or portion thereof) for depositary services, which will accrue on the
last day of each calendar year and which will be payable as provided in clause
(9) below; provided, however, that no fee will be assessed under this clause (8)
to the extent a fee of $.02 was charged pursuant to clause (6) above during that
calendar year and (9) any other charge payable by the Depositary, any of the
Depositary's agents, including the Custodian, or the agents of the Depositary's
agents in connection with the servicing of Shares or other Deposited Securities
(which charge shall be assessed against Owners as of the date or dates set by
the Depositary in accordance with Section 4.6 of the Deposit Agreement and shall
be payable at the sole discretion of the Depositary by billing such Owners for
such charge or by deducting such charge from one or more cash dividends or other
cash distributions).
The Depositary, subject to Section 2.9 of the Deposit Agreement and Article 8 hereof, may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its affiliates and in Receipts.
8. PRE-RELEASE OF RECEIPTS.
The Depositary may issue Receipts against the delivery by the Company (or any agent of the Company recording Share ownership) of rights to receive Shares from the Company (or any such agent). No such issue of Receipts will be deemed a "Pre-Release" that is subject to the restrictions of the following paragraph.
Unless requested in writing by the Company to cease doing so, the Depositary may, notwithstanding Section 2.3 of the Deposit Agreement, execute and deliver Receipts prior to the receipt of Shares pursuant to Section 2.2 of the Deposit Agreement ("Pre-Release"). The Depositary may, pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Deposit Agreement, deliver Shares upon the receipt and cancellation of Receipts which have been Pre-Released, whether or not such cancellation is prior to the termination of such Pre-Release or the Depositary knows that such Receipt has been Pre-Released. The Depositary may receive Receipts in lieu of Shares in satisfaction of a Pre-Release. Each Pre-Release will be (a) preceded or accompanied by a written representation and
EXHIBIT 4.1
agreement from the person to whom Receipts are to be delivered (the
"Pre-Releasee") that the Pre-Releasee, or its customer, (i) owns the Shares or
Receipts to be remitted, as the case may be, (ii) assigns all beneficial rights,
title and interest in such Shares or Receipts, as the case may be, to the
Depositary in its capacity as such and for the benefit of the Owners, and (iii)
will not take any action with respect to such Shares or Receipts, as the case
may be, that is inconsistent with the transfer of beneficial ownership
(including, without the consent of the Depositary, disposing of such Shares or
Receipts, as the case may be), other than in satisfaction of such Pre-Release,
(b) at all times fully collateralized with cash, U.S. government securities or
such other collateral as the Depositary determines, in good faith, will provide
substantially similar liquidity and security, (c) terminable by the Depositary
on not more than five (5) business days notice, and (d) subject to such further
indemnities and credit regulations as the Depositary deems appropriate. The
number of Shares not deposited but represented by American Depositary Shares
outstanding at any time as a result of Pre-Releases will not normally exceed
thirty percent (30%) of the Shares deposited hereunder; provided, however, that
the Depositary reserves the right to disregard such limit from time to time as
it deems reasonably appropriate, and may, with the prior written consent of the
Company, change such limit for purposes of general application. The Depositary
will also set Dollar limits with respect to Pre-Release transactions to be
entered into hereunder with any particular Pre-Releasee on a case-by-case basis
as the Depositary deems appropriate. For purposes of enabling the Depositary to
fulfill its obligations to the Owners under the Deposit Agreement, the
collateral referred to in clause (b) above shall be held by the Depositary as
security for the performance of the Pre-Releasee's obligations to the Depositary
in connection with a Pre-Release transaction, including the Pre-Releasee's
obligation to deliver Shares or Receipts upon termination of a Pre-Release
transaction (and shall not, for the avoidance of doubt, constitute Deposited
Securities hereunder).
The Depositary may retain for its own account any compensation received by it in connection with the foregoing.
9. TITLE TO RECEIPTS.
It is a condition of this Receipt and every successive Owner and Beneficial Owner of this Receipt by accepting or holding the same consents and agrees, that title to this Receipt when properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer, is transferable by delivery with the same effect as in the case of a negotiable instrument under the laws of New York; provided, however, that the Depositary, notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, may treat the person in whose name this Receipt is registered on the books of the Depositary as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of determining the person entitled to distribution of dividends or other distributions or to any notice provided for in the Deposit Agreement and for all other purposes.
10. VALIDITY OF RECEIPT.
This Receipt shall not be entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be valid or obligatory for any purpose, unless this Receipt shall have been executed by
EXHIBIT 4.1
the Depositary by the manual signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary; provided, however, that such signature may be a facsimile if a Registrar for the Receipts shall have been appointed, and such Receipts are countersigned by the manual or facsimile signature of a duly authorized officer of the Registrar.
11. REPORTS; INSPECTION OF TRANSFER BOOKS.
The Company is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, accordingly, files certain reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (hereinafter called the "Commission").
Such reports and communications will be available for inspection and copying at the public reference facilities maintained by the Commission located at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549.
The Depositary will make available for inspection by Owners of Receipts at its Corporate Trust Office any reports and communications, including any proxy soliciting material, received from the Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary as the holder of the Deposited Securities and (b) made generally available to the holders of such Deposited Securities by the Company. The Depositary shall also, upon written request, send to the Owners of Receipts copies of such reports when furnished by the Company pursuant to the Deposit Agreement. Any such reports and communications, including any such proxy soliciting material, furnished to the Depositary by the Company shall be furnished in English to the extent such materials are required to be translated into English pursuant to any regulation of the Commission.
The Depositary shall keep books at its Corporate Trust Office for the registration of Receipts and transfers of Receipts which at all reasonable times shall be open for inspection by the Owners and the Company, provided that such inspection shall not be for the purpose of communicating with Owners of Receipts in the interest of a business or object other than the business of the Company or a matter related to the Deposit Agreement or the Receipts.
12. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS.
Whenever the Depositary shall receive any cash dividend or other cash distribution on any Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall, if at the time of receipt thereof any amounts received in a foreign currency can in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into United States dollars transferable to the United States, and subject to the Deposit Agreement, convert such dividend or distribution into Dollars and shall distribute the amount thus received (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in the Deposit Agreement, if applicable) to the Owners of Receipts entitled thereto, provided, however, that in the event that the Company or the Depositary shall be required to withhold and does withhold from such cash dividend or such other cash distribution in respect of any Deposited Securities an amount on account
EXHIBIT 4.1
of taxes, the amount distributed to the Owners of the Receipts evidencing American Depositary Shares representing such Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly.
Subject to the provisions of Sections 4.11 and 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement, whenever the Depositary shall receive any distribution other than a distribution described in Sections 4.1, 4.3 or 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall cause the securities or property received by it to be distributed to the Owners of Receipts entitled thereto, after deduction or upon payment of any fees and expenses of the Depositary or any taxes or other governmental charges, in any manner that the Depositary may deem equitable and practicable for accomplishing such distribution; provided, however, that if in the opinion of the Depositary such distribution cannot be made proportionately among the Owners of Receipts entitled thereto, or if for any other reason the Depositary deems such distribution not to be feasible, the Depositary may adopt such method as it may deem equitable and practicable for the purpose of effecting such distribution, including, but not limited to, the public or private sale of the securities or property thus received, or any part thereof, and the net proceeds of any such sale (net of the fees of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement) shall be distributed by the Depositary to the Owners of Receipts entitled thereto as in the case of a distribution received in cash.
If any distribution upon any Deposited Securities consists of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Depositary may, and shall if the Company shall so request, distribute to the Owners of outstanding Receipts entitled thereto, additional Receipts evidencing an aggregate number of American Depositary Shares representing the amount of Shares received as such dividend or free distribution, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement with respect to the deposit of Shares and the issuance of American Depositary Shares evidenced by Receipts, including the withholding of any tax or other governmental charge as provided in Section 4.11 of the Deposit Agreement and the payment of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement. In lieu of delivering Receipts for fractional American Depositary Shares in any such case, the Depositary shall sell the amount of Shares represented by the aggregate of such fractions and distribute the net proceeds, all in the manner and subject to the conditions set forth in the Deposit Agreement. If additional Receipts are not so distributed, each American Depositary Share shall thenceforth also represent the additional Shares distributed upon the Deposited Securities represented thereby.
The Company or its agent will remit to the appropriate governmental agency in the Cayman Islands all amounts withheld and owing to such agency. The Depositary will forward to the Company or its agent such information from its records as the Company may reasonably request to enable the Company or its agent to file necessary reports with governmental agencies, and the Depositary or the Company or its agent may file any such reports necessary to obtain benefits under the applicable tax treaties for the Owners of Receipts. In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution in property
EXHIBIT 4.1
(including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charge which the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may by public or private sale dispose of all or a portion of such property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in such amounts and in such manner as the Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay any such taxes or charges and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of any such sale after deduction of such taxes or charges to the Owners of Receipts entitled thereto.
13. CONVERSION OF FOREIGN CURRENCY.
Whenever the Depositary or the Custodian shall receive foreign currency, by way of dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds from the sale of securities, property or rights, and if at the time of the receipt thereof the foreign currency so received can in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into Dollars and the resulting Dollars transferred to the United States, the Depositary shall convert or cause to be converted, by sale or in any other manner that it may determine, such foreign currency into Dollars, and such Dollars shall be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto or, if the Depositary shall have distributed any warrants or other instruments which entitle the holders thereof to such Dollars, then to the holders of such warrants and/or instruments upon surrender thereof for cancellation. Such distribution may be made upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among Owners on account of exchange restrictions, the date of delivery of any Receipt or otherwise and shall be net of any expenses of conversion into Dollars incurred by the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement.
If such conversion or distribution can be effected only with the approval or license of any government or agency thereof, the Depositary shall file such application for approval or license, if any, as it may deem desirable.
If at any time the Depositary shall determine that in its judgment any foreign currency received by the Depositary or the Custodian is not convertible on a reasonable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States, or if any approval or license of any government or agency thereof which is required for such conversion is denied or in the opinion of the Depositary is not obtainable without excessively burdensome or otherwise unreasonable efforts, or if any such approval or license is not obtained within a reasonable period as determined by the Depositary, or if there are foreign exchange controls in place that prohibit such conversion, the Depositary may distribute the foreign currency (or an appropriate document evidencing the right to receive such foreign currency) received by the Depositary to, or in its discretion may hold such foreign currency uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the respective accounts of, the Owners entitled to receive the same.
If any such conversion of foreign currency, in whole or in part, cannot be effected for distribution to some of the Owners entitled thereto, the Depositary may in its discretion make such conversion and distribution in Dollars to the extent permissible to
EXHIBIT 4.1
the Owners entitled thereto and may distribute the balance of the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or hold such balance uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the respective accounts of, the Owners entitled thereto.
14. RIGHTS.
In the event that the Company shall offer or cause to be offered to the holders of any Deposited Securities any rights to subscribe for additional Shares or any rights of any other nature, the Depositary, after consultation with the Company shall have discretion as to the procedure to be followed in making such rights available to any Owners or in disposing of such rights on behalf of any Owners and making the net proceeds available to such Owners or, if by the terms of such rights offering or for any other reason, the Depositary may not either make such rights available to any Owners or dispose of such rights and make the net proceeds available to such Owners, then the Depositary shall allow the rights to lapse. If at the time of the offering of any rights the Depositary determines in its discretion that it is lawful and feasible to make such rights available to all Owners or to certain Owners but not to other Owners, the Depositary may distribute, to any Owner to whom it determines the distribution to be lawful and feasible, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by such Owner, warrants or other instruments therefor in such form as it deems appropriate.
In circumstances in which rights would otherwise not be distributed, if an Owner of Receipts requests the distribution of warrants or other instruments in order to exercise the rights allocable to the American Depositary Shares of such Owner under the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary will make such rights available to such Owner upon written notice from the Company to the Depositary that (a) the Company has elected in its sole discretion to permit such rights to be exercised and (b) such Owner has executed such documents as the Company has determined in its sole discretion are reasonably required under applicable law.
If the Depositary has distributed warrants or other instruments for rights to all or certain Owners, then upon instruction from such an Owner pursuant to such warrants or other instruments to the Depositary from such Owner to exercise such rights, upon payment by such Owner to the Depositary for the account of such Owner of an amount equal to the purchase price of the Shares to be received upon the exercise of the rights, and upon payment of the fees and expenses of the Depositary and any other charges as set forth in such warrants or other instruments, the Depositary shall, on behalf of such Owner, exercise the rights and purchase the Shares, and the Company shall cause the Shares so purchased to be delivered to the Depositary on behalf of such Owner. As agent for such Owner, the Depositary will cause the Shares so purchased to be deposited pursuant to Section 2.2 of the Deposit Agreement, and shall, pursuant to Section 2.3 of the Deposit Agreement, execute and deliver Receipts to such Owner. In the case of a distribution pursuant to the second paragraph of this Article, such Receipts shall be legended in accordance with applicable U.S. laws, and shall be subject to the appropriate restrictions on sale, deposit, cancellation and transfer under such laws.
EXHIBIT 4.1
If the Depositary determines in its discretion that it is not lawful and feasible to make such rights available to all or certain Owners, it may sell the rights, warrants or other instruments in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by the Owners to whom it has determined it may not lawfully or feasibly make such rights available, and allocate the net proceeds of such sales (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement and all taxes and governmental charges payable in connection with such rights and subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement) for the account of such Owners otherwise entitled to such rights, warrants or other instruments, upon an averaged or other practical basis without regard to any distinctions among such Owners because of exchange restrictions or the date of delivery of any Receipt or otherwise.
The Depositary will not offer rights to Owners unless both the rights and the securities to which such rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to a distribution to Owners or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act; provided, that nothing in the Deposit Agreement shall create any obligation on the part of the Company to file a registration statement with respect to such rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have such a registration statement declared effective. If an Owner of Receipts requests distribution of warrants or other instruments, notwithstanding that there has been no such registration under such the Securities Act, the Depositary shall not effect such distribution unless it has received an opinion from recognized counsel in the United States for the Company upon which the Depositary may rely that such distribution to such Owner is exempt from such registration; provided, however, the Company shall have no obligation to cause its counsel to issue such opinion at the request of such Owner.
The Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to determine that it may be lawful or feasible to make such rights available to Owners in general or any Owner in particular.
15. RECORD DATES.
Whenever any cash dividend or other cash distribution shall become
payable or any distribution other than cash shall be made, or whenever rights
shall be issued with respect to the Deposited Securities, or whenever for any
reason the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are
represented by each American Depositary Share, or whenever the Depositary shall
receive notice of any meeting of holders of Shares or other Deposited
Securities, or whenever the Depositary shall find it necessary or convenient,
the Depositary shall fix a record date, which date shall be the same date, to
the extent practicable, as the record date for the Deposited Securities or if
different, as close thereto as practicable (a) for the determination of the
Owners of Receipts who shall be (i) entitled to receive such dividend,
distribution or rights or the net proceeds of the sale thereof or (ii) entitled
to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at any such meeting, or
(b) on or after which each American Depositary Share will represent the
EXHIBIT 4.1
changed number of Shares, or (c) for any other matter, subject to the provisions of the Deposit Agreement.
16. VOTING OF DEPOSITED SECURITIES.
Upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities, if requested in writing by the Company, the Depositary shall, as soon as practicable thereafter, mail to the Owners of Receipts a notice, the form of which notice shall contain (a) such information as is contained in such notice of meeting, (b) a statement that the Owners of Receipts as of the close of business on a specified record date will be entitled, subject to any applicable provision of Hong Kong and Cayman Islands law and of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company, to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights, if any, pertaining to the amount of Shares or other Deposited Securities represented by their respective American Depositary Shares and (c) a statement as to the manner in which such instructions may be given. Upon the written request of an Owner of a Receipt on such record date, received on or before the date established by the Depositary for such purpose (the "Instruction Date"), the Depositary shall endeavor, in so far as practicable to vote or cause to be voted the amount of Shares or other Deposited Securities represented by the American Depositary Shares evidenced by such Receipt in accordance with the instructions set forth in such request. The Depositary shall not vote or attempt to exercise the right to vote that attaches to the Shares or other Deposited Securities, other than in accordance with such instructions.
There can be no assurance that Owners generally or any Owner in particular will receive the notice described in the preceding paragraph sufficiently prior to the Instruction Date to ensure that the Depositary will vote the Shares or Deposited Securities in accordance with the provisions set forth in the preceding paragraph.
17. CHANGES AFFECTING DEPOSITED SECURITIES.
In circumstances where the provisions of Section 4.3 of the Deposit Agreement do not apply, upon any change in nominal value, change in par value, split-up, consolidation or any other reclassification of Deposited Securities, or upon any recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or sale of assets affecting the Company or to which it is a party, any securities which shall be received by the Depositary or a Custodian in exchange for or in conversion of or in respect of Deposited Securities shall be treated as new Deposited Securities under the Deposit Agreement, and American Depositary Shares shall thenceforth represent, in addition to the existing Deposited Securities, if any, the new Deposited Securities so received in exchange or conversion, unless additional Receipts are delivered pursuant to the following sentence. In any such case the Depositary may, and shall at the Company's request, execute and deliver additional Receipts as in the case of a dividend in Shares, or call for the surrender of outstanding Receipts to be exchanged for new Receipts specifically describing such new Deposited Securities.
EXHIBIT 4.1
18. LIABILITY OF THE COMPANY AND DEPOSITARY.
Neither the Depositary nor the Company nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents or affiliates shall incur any liability to any Owner or Beneficial Owner of any Receipt, if by reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States, the People's Republic of China or any other country, or of any governmental or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company, or by reason of any provision of any Securities issued or distributed by the Company, or any Offering or distribution thereof or by reason of any act of God or war or terrorism or other circumstances beyond its control, the Depositary or the Company shall be prevented, delayed or forbidden from, or be subject to any civil or criminal penalty on account of, doing or performing any act or thing which by the terms of the Deposit Agreement or Deposited Securities it is provided shall be done or performed; nor shall the Depositary or the Company or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents or affiliates incur any liability to any Owner or Beneficial Owner of a Receipt by reason of any non-performance or delay, caused as aforesaid, in the performance of any act or thing which by the terms of the Deposit Agreement it is provided shall or may be done or performed, or by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the Deposit Agreement. Where, by the terms of a distribution pursuant to Sections 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 of the Deposit Agreement, or an offering or distribution pursuant to Section 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement, or for any other reason, such distribution or offering may not be made available to Owners of Receipts, and the Depositary may not dispose of such distribution or offering on behalf of such Owners and make the net proceeds available to such Owners, then the Depositary shall not make such distribution or offering, and shall allow any rights, if applicable, to lapse in each such case without liability to the Company or the Depositary.
Neither the Company nor the Depositary nor any of their officers, employees, agents or affiliates assumes any obligation or shall be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement to Owners or Beneficial Owners of Receipts, except that the Company and the Depositary agree to perform their obligations specifically set forth in the Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith. The Depositary shall not be subject to any liability with respect to the validity or worth of the Deposited Securities. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Deposited Securities or in respect of the Receipts, which in its opinion may involve it in expense or liability, unless indemnity satisfactory to it against all expense and liability shall be furnished as often as may be required, and the Custodian shall not be under any obligation whatsoever with respect to such proceedings, the responsibility of the Custodian being solely to the Depositary. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be liable for any action or nonaction by it in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Owner or Beneficial Owner of a Receipt, or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information. The Depositary shall not be liable for any
EXHIBIT 4.1
acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the Depositary or in connection with any matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the Depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises the Depositary performed its obligations without negligence or bad faith while it acted as Depositary. The Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the Deposited Securities, or for the manner in which any such vote is cast or the effect of any such vote, provided that any such action or nonaction is in good faith. The Company agrees to indemnify the Depositary, its directors, employees, agents and affiliates and any Custodian against, and hold each of them harmless from, any liability or expense (including, but not limited to, the fees and expenses of counsel) which may arise out of any registration with the Commission of Receipts, American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or the offer or sale thereof in the United States or out of acts performed or omitted, in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement and of the Receipts, as the same may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, (i) by either the Depositary or a Custodian or their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates, except for any liability or expense arising out of the negligence or bad faith of either of them, or (ii) by the Company or any of its directors, employees, agents and affiliates. No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act of 1933 is intended by any provision of the Deposit Agreement.
19. RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL OF THE DEPOSITARY.
The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary under the Deposit Agreement by written notice of its election so to do delivered to the Company, such resignation to take effect upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by 90 days prior written notice of such removal, which shall become effective upon the later to occur of the (i) 90th day after delivery of the notice to the Depositary or (ii) the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement. Whenever the Depositary in its discretion determines that it is in the best interest of the Owners of Receipts to do so, it may appoint a substitute or additional custodian or custodians.
20. AMENDMENT.
The form of the Receipts and any provisions of the Deposit Agreement
may at any time and from time to time be amended by agreement between the
Company and the Depositary without the consent of Owners and Beneficial Owners
in any respect which they may deem necessary or desirable. Any amendment which
shall impose or increase any fees or charges (other than taxes and other
governmental charges, registration fees, cable, telex or facsimile transmission
costs, delivery costs or other such expenses), or which shall otherwise
prejudice any substantial existing right of Owners of Receipts, shall, however,
not become effective as to outstanding Receipts until the expiration of thirty
(30) days after notice of such amendment shall have been given to the Owners of
outstanding Receipts. Every Owner of a Receipt at the time any amendment so
becomes
EXHIBIT 4.1
effective shall be deemed, by continuing to hold such Receipt, to consent and agree to such amendment and to be bound by the Deposit Agreement as amended thereby. In no event shall any amendment impair the right of the Owner of any Receipt to surrender such Receipt and receive therefor the Deposited Securities represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.
21. TERMINATION OF DEPOSIT AGREEMENT.
The Depositary shall at any time at the direction of the Company
terminate the Deposit Agreement by mailing notice of such termination to the
Owners of all Receipts then outstanding at least ninety (90) days prior to the
date fixed in such notice for such termination. The Depositary may likewise
terminate the Deposit Agreement by mailing notice of such termination to the
Company and the Owners of all Receipts then outstanding if at any time ninety
(90) days shall have expired after the Depositary shall have delivered to the
Company a written notice of its election to resign and a successor depositary
shall not have been appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in the
Deposit Agreement. On and after the date of termination, the Owner of a Receipt
will, upon (a) surrender of such Receipt at the Corporate Trust Office of the
Depositary, (b) payment of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of
Receipts referred to in Section 2.5 of the Deposit Agreement and (c) payment of
any applicable taxes or governmental charges, be entitled to delivery, to him or
upon his order, of the amount of Deposited Securities represented by the
American Depositary Shares evidenced by such Receipt. If any Receipts shall
remain outstanding after the date of termination, the Depositary thereafter
shall discontinue the registration of transfers of Receipts, shall suspend the
distribution of dividends to the Owners thereof, and shall not give any further
notices or perform any further acts under the Deposit Agreement, except that the
Depositary shall continue to collect dividends and other distributions
pertaining to Deposited Securities, shall sell rights and other property as
provided in the Deposit Agreement, and shall continue to deliver Deposited
Securities, together with any dividends or other distributions received with
respect thereto and the net proceeds of the sale of any rights or other
property, in exchange for Receipts surrendered to the Depositary (after
deducting, in each case, the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of a
Receipt, any expenses for the account of the Owner of such Receipt in accordance
with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement and any applicable taxes
or governmental charges). At any time after the expiration of one year from the
date of termination, the Depositary may sell the Deposited Securities then held
under the Deposit Agreement and may thereafter hold uninvested the net proceeds
of any such sale, together with any other cash then held by it thereunder,
unsegregated and without liability for interest, for the pro rata benefit of the
Owners of Receipts which have not theretofore been surrendered, such Owners
thereupon becoming general creditors of the Depositary with respect to such net
proceeds. After making such sale, the Depositary shall be discharged from all
obligations under the Deposit Agreement, except for its obligations to the
Company under Section 5.8 of the Deposit Agreement and to account for such net
proceeds and other cash (after deducting, in each case, the fee of the
Depositary for the surrender of a Receipt, any expenses for the account of the
Owner of such Receipt in accordance with the terms and conditions of the
EXHIBIT 4.1
Deposit Agreement, and any applicable taxes or governmental charges). Upon the termination of the Deposit Agreement, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement except for its obligations to the Depositary under Sections 5.8 and 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement.
22. DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Deposit Agreement, each Owner and Beneficial Owner agrees to comply with requests from the Company pursuant to applicable law or the Memorandum and Articles of Association to provide information, inter alia, as to the capacity in which such Owner or Beneficial Owner owns American Depositary Shares (and Shares as the case may be) and regarding the identity of any other person(s) interested in such American Depositary Shares (and Shares, as the case may be) and the nature of such interest and various other matters, whether or not they are Owners or Beneficial Owners at the time of such request. The Depositary agrees to use its reasonable efforts to forward, upon the reasonable written request of the Company and at the expense of the Company, any such written request from the Company to the Owners and to forward, as promptly as practicable, to the Company any such responses to such requests received by the Depositary. If the Company requests information from the Depositary, the Custodian or the nominee of either, as the registered owner of the Shares, the obligations of the Depositary, Custodian or such nominee, as the case may be, shall be limited to disclosing to the Company the information contained in the register.
23. COMPLIANCE WITH U.S. SECURITIES LAWS.
Notwithstanding anything in the Deposit Agreement or this Receipt to the contrary, the Company and the Depositary each agrees that it will not exercise any rights it has under the Deposit Agreement to prevent the withdrawal or delivery of Deposited Securities in a manner which would violate the U.S. securities laws, including, but not limited to, Section I.A.(1) of the General Instructions to the Form F-6 Registration Statement, as amended from time to time, under the Securities Act.
24. SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION; APPOINTMENT OF AGENT FOR SERVICE OF PROCESS.
The Company hereby (i) irrevocably designates and appoints CT Corporation System, 111 Eighth Avenue, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10011, in the State of New York, as the Company's authorized agent upon which process may be served in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Shares or Deposited Securities, the American Depositary Shares, the Receipts or this Agreement, (ii) consents and submits to the jurisdiction of any state or federal court in the State of New York in which any such suit or proceeding may be instituted, and (iii) agrees that service of process upon said authorized agent shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company in any such suit or proceeding. The Company agrees to deliver, upon the execution and delivery of the Deposit Agreement, a written acceptance by such agent of its appointment as such agent. The Company further agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all such documents and instruments, as may be necessary
EXHIBIT 4.1
to continue such designation and appointment in full force and effect for so long as any American Depositary Shares or Receipts remain outstanding or this Agreement remains in force. In the event the Company fails to continue such designation and appointment in full force and effect, the Company hereby waives personal service of process upon it and consents that any such service of process may be made by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, directed to the Company at its address last specified for notices hereunder, and service so made shall be deemed completed five (5) days after the same shall have been so mailed.
25. ARBITRATION.
In the event the Depositary is advised that a judgment of a United States court may not be recognized, the following provisions shall apply:
(i) Any controversy, claim or cause of action brought by any party or parties hereto against any other party or parties hereto arising out of or relating to the Deposit Agreement shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, and judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrators may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof.
(ii) The place of the arbitration shall be the City of New York, State of New York, United States of America, and the language of the arbitration shall be English.
(iii) The number of arbitrators shall be three, each of whom shall be disinterested in the dispute or controversy, shall have no connection with any party thereto, and shall be an attorney experienced in international securities transactions. Each party shall appoint one arbitrator and the two arbitrators shall select a third arbitrator who shall serve as chairperson of the tribunal. If a dispute, controversy or cause of action shall involve more than two parties, the parties shall attempt to align themselves in two sides (i.e., claimant and respondent), each of which shall appoint one arbitrator as if there were only two parties to such dispute, controversy or cause of action. If either or both parties fail to select an arbitrator, or if such alignment (in the event there is more than two parties) shall not have occurred, within sixty (60) calendar days after the initiating party serves the arbitration demand or the two arbitrators fail to select a third arbitrator within sixty (60) calendar days of the selection of the second arbitrator, the American Arbitration Association shall appoint the arbitrator or arbitrators in accordance with its rules. The parties and the American Arbitration Association may appoint the arbitrators from among the nationals of any country, whether or not a party is a national of that country.
(iv) The arbitrators shall have no authority to award damages not measured by the prevailing party's actual damages and shall have no authority to award any consequential, special or punitive damages, and may not, in any event, make any ruling, finding or award that does not conform to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement.
EXHIBIT 4.1
(v) In the event any third-party action or proceeding is instituted against the Depositary relating to or arising from any act or failure to act by the Company, the Company hereby submits to the personal jurisdiction of the court or administrative agency in which such action or proceeding is brought.
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto
PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE:
Dated: _________________________ Signature: _________________________
(ASSIGNMENT AND TRANSFER SIGNATURE LINES)
NOTE: The signature to any endorsement hereon must correspond with the name as written upon the face of this Receipt in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever.
If the endorsement be executed by an attorney, executor, administrator, trustee or guardian, the person executing the endorsement must give his full title in such capacity and proper evidence of authority to act in such capacity, if not on file with the Depositary, must be forwarded with this Receipt.
All endorsements or assignments of Receipts must be guaranteed by a New York Stock Exchange member firm or member of the Clearing House of the American Stock
EXHIBIT 4.1
Exchange Clearing Corporation or by a bank or trust company having an office or correspondent in the City of New York.
.
.
.
Exhibit 4.2
Name of Company: CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD. LTD. (Incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands) Number Ordinary Shares [ ] [ ] Number: [ ] US$1,000,000 Share Capital divided into 100,000,000 Ordinary Shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.01 each, THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT [ ] ------------------------ Ordinary Shares: is the registered holder of [ ] --------------------------------------- ------------------------- [ ] Ordinary Shares in the ------------------------------ above-named Company subject to the memorandum and articles of association thereof. Issued to: [ ] Dated EXECUTED for and on behalf of the Company on 20[ ]. Transferred from: DIRECTOR -------------------------------------- |
EXHIBIT 5.1
(LATHAM & WATKINS LLP LETTERHEAD)
___________, 2003
MERRILL LYNCH & CO.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
as U.S. Representative of the several U.S. Underwriters
c/o Merrill Lynch & Co.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
North Tower
World Financial Center
New York, New York 10281-1209
Merrill Lynch Fast East Limited
as International Representative of the
several International Underwriters
c/o Merrill Lynch Far East Limited
18/F Asia Pacific Finance Tower
3 Garden Road
Central, Hong Kong
Re: Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as the United States counsel to Ctrip.com International, Ltd., an exempted company limited by shares registered in the Cayman Islands (the "Company"), in connection with the sale on the date hereof by the Company to you and the several underwriters for whom you are acting as representative of ______ American Depositary Shares ("ADSs"), each representing __ ordinary shares, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company ("Ordinary Shares"), pursuant to the registration statement on Form F-1 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") on November 13, 2003 (File No. 333-110455), as amended to date (the "F-1 Registration Statement"), the registration statement on Form F-6 under the Act filed with the Commission on November 13, 2003 (File No. 333-110459), as amended to date (the "F-6 Registration Statement," and together with the F-1 Registration Statement, the "Registration Statement"), the Prospectus dated __________, 2003 filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act (the "Prospectus"), the U.S. underwriting agreement dated __________, 2003 among Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as representative of the several U.S. underwriters named therein (the "U.S. Underwriters"), the selling shareholders named therein and the Company (the "U.S. Underwriting Agreement") and the international purchase agreement dated _________, 2003 among Merrill Lynch Fast East Limited, as representative of the several international
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underwriters named therein (the "International Underwriters," and together with the U.S. Underwriters, the "Underwriters"), the selling shareholders named therein and the Company (the "International Underwriting Agreement," and together with the U.S. Underwriting Agreement, the "Underwriting Agreements"). This opinion is being rendered to you pursuant to Section 5(c) of the U.S. Underwriting Agreement and Section 5(c) of the International Underwriting Agreement.
As such counsel, we have examined such matters of fact and questions of law as we have considered appropriate for purposes of this letter, except where a statement is qualified as to knowledge or awareness (in which case we have with your consent made no or limited inquiry as specified below). We have examined, among other things, the following:
(a) The Underwriting Agreements, the Registration Statements, the Prospectus filed by the Company with the Commission;
(b) The agreements filed as exhibits to the Registration Statements; and
(c) The Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company and certain resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Company.
As to facts material to the opinions, statements and assumptions expressed herein, we have, with your consent, relied upon oral or written statements and representations of officers and other representatives of the Company and others, including the representations and warranties of the Company in the Underwriting Agreements, and translations of documents that are not in the English language. We have not independently verified such factual matters.
Whenever a statement herein is qualified as to knowledge, awareness, or a similar phrase, it is intended to indicate that those attorneys in this firm who have rendered legal services in connection with the transaction referenced above do not have current actual knowledge of the inaccuracy of such statement. However, except as otherwise expressly indicated, we have not undertaken any independent investigation to determine the accuracy of any such statement, and no inference of any knowledge of any matters pertaining to such statement should be drawn from our representation of the Company.
We are opining herein as to the effect on the subject transaction only of the federal laws of the United States and the internal laws of the State of New York, and we express no opinion with respect to the applicability thereto, or the effect thereon, of the laws of any other jurisdiction or as to any matters of municipal law or the laws of any local agencies within any state. Various issues concerning the laws of the Cayman Islands, the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong are addressed in the opinions of Maples and Calder Asia, Commerce & Finance Law Offices and Boughton Peterson Young Anderson, respectively, all of which have been separately provided to you, and we express no opinion with respect to those matters.
Capitalized terms used herein without definition have the meanings assigned to them in the U.S. Underwriting Agreement.
Subject to the foregoing and the other matters set forth herein, it is our opinion that, as of the date hereof:
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1. Assuming the U.S. Underwriting Agreement and the International Underwriting Agreement have each been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands, the U.S. Underwriting Agreement and the International Underwriting Agreement each have been duly executed and delivered by the Company.
2. The ADSs to be issued and sold by the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreements, when issued to and paid for by you and the other Underwriters in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreements, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
3. The execution and delivery of the Underwriting Agreements and the issuance and sale of the ADSs by the Company to you and the other Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreements on the date hereof do not violate any federal or New York statute, rule or regulation applicable to the Company.
4. The Registration Statements have become effective under the Act and, to the best of our knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statements has been issued under the Act and no proceedings therefor have been initiated by the Commission; and any required filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424 under the Act has been made in accordance with Rules 424 under the Act.
5. The Registration Statement, as of the date it was declared effective, and the Prospectus, as of its date, comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements for registration statements on Form F-1 and Form F-6 under the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; it being understood, however, that we express no opinion with respect to Regulation S-T or the financial statements, schedules or other financial data included in, or omitted from, the Registration Statements or the Prospectus. In passing upon the compliance as to form of the Registration Statements and the Prospectus, we have assumed that the statements made therein are correct and complete.
6. The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the captions "Description of American Depositary Shares" and "Shares Eligible for Future Sale", insofar as they purport to describe or summarize certain provisions of the agreements, statutes or regulations referred to therein, are accurate descriptions or summaries in all material respects.
7. The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the heading "Taxation --United States Federal Income Taxation," insofar as such statements constitute a summary of the federal tax laws of the United States, constitute accurate summaries of the matters described therein in all material respects.
8. No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any federal or New York governmental agency or body or, to our knowledge, any federal or New York court is required for the issue and sale of the ADSs by the Company or the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of the Underwriting Agreements, except for the registration under the Act and the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, of the ADSs, and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the ADSs by the Underwriters as contemplated in the Underwriting Agreements.
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9. The Company is not an "investment company," as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
10. To our knowledge, there is no action, suite or proceeding pending or threatened before any United States court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator to which the Company is a party or to which any property of the Company is subject that we believe are likely to have a Material Adverse Effect, or might be expected to materially and adversely affect the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Underwriting Agreements.
The primary purpose of our professional engagement was not to establish or confirm factual matters or financial or quantitative information. Therefore, we are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statements or the Prospectus, except to the extent expressly set forth in the numbered paragraphs 6 and 7 of this letter, and have not made an independent check or verification thereof except as aforesaid. However, in the course of acting as counsel to the Company in connection with the preparation by the Company of the Registration Statements and Prospectus, we reviewed the Registration Statements and the Prospectus, and participated in conferences and telephone conversations with officers and other representatives of the Company, the independent public accountants for the Company, your representatives, and your counsel, during which conferences and conversations the contents of the Registration Statements and the Prospectus and related matters were discussed. We also reviewed and relied upon certain corporate records and documents and oral and written statements of officers and other representatives of the Company and others as to the existence and consequence of certain factual and other matters.
Based on our participation, review and reliance as described above, we advise you that no facts came to our attention that caused us to believe that the Registration Statements, at the respective time they became effective, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or that the Prospectus, as of its date, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; it being understood that we express no belief with respect to the financial statements, schedules, or other financial or statistical data included in, or omitted from, the Registration Statements or the Prospectus.
This opinion is rendered only to you as representatives of the several Underwriters under the Underwriting Agreements and is solely for the benefit of the Underwriters in connection with the transactions covered hereby. This opinion may not be relied upon by you for any other purpose, or furnished to, quoted to, or relied upon by any other person, firm or corporation for any purpose, without our prior written consent, which may be granted or withheld in our sole discretion.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as
an Exhibit to, the above-mentioned F-1 Registration Statement and to the
reference to our name under the heading "Taxation" in the prospectus included in
such F-1 Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit
that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under
Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations
promulgated thereunder.
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Very truly yours,
EXHIBIT 5.2
________________, 2003
Dear Sirs,
RE: CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD. (THE "COMPANY")
We have acted as Cayman Islands legal advisers to the Company, a company
incorporated in the Cayman Islands, in connection with the Company's public
offering of [ ] American Depositary Shares ("ADS") representing
[ ] Ordinary Shares of par value US$[ ] (the "SHARES") of
the Company. Such public offering is being underwritten pursuant to an
underwriting agreement dated as of [ ], 2003 between, inter alios, the
Company and the Underwriters (the "UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT"). The ADSs will be
evidenced by American Depositary Receipts issued in accordance with a deposit
agreement (the "DEPOSIT AGREEMENT") dated as of [ ], 2003 between the
Company and The Bank of New York as depositary (the "DEPOSITARY"). This opinion
is being delivered to you pursuant to Section 5(b) of the Underwriting
Agreement.
1 DOCUMENTS REVIEWED
We have reviewed originals, copies, drafts or conformed copies of the following documents:
1.1 the Certificate of Incorporation dated 3rd March, 2000 and the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company as adopted on 4th September, 2003 (the "MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION");
1.2 the [minutes of the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company held on [ ]] [the written resolutions dated [date]] and [the corporate records of the Company maintained at its registered office in the Cayman Islands];
1.3 the resolutions of all of the shareholders of the Company passed on
[ ], 2003;
1.4 a Certificate of Good Standing dated [ ], 2003 issued by the Registrar of Companies (the "CERTIFICATE OF GOOD STANDING");
1.5 a certificate from a Director of the Company dated [ ] November, 2003, a copy of which is annexed hereto (the "DIRECTOR'S CERTIFICATE");
1.6 the Underwriting Agreement;
1.7 the Deposit Agreement;
1.8 [the International Purchase Agreement]; and
1.9 the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. [ ]) (the "REGISTRATION STATEMENT") filed by the Company with the US Securities and Exchange Commission
("SEC") and declared effective by the SEC on [ ], 2003 including the prospectus (the "PROSPECTUS") contained therein.
The documents referred to in paragraphs 1.6 to [1.8] above are collectively referred to as the "AGREEMENTS". Terms used herein have the same meanings given in the Underwriting Agreement unless otherwise defined herein.
2 ASSUMPTIONS
The following opinion is given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion. This opinion only relates to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion. In giving this opinion we have relied (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy of the Director's Certificate and the Certificate of Good Standing. We have also relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified:
2.1 the Agreements have been or will be authorised and duly executed and delivered by or on behalf of all relevant parties (other than the Company as a matter of Cayman Islands law) in accordance with all relevant laws (other than the laws of the Cayman Islands);
2.2 the Agreements are, or will be, legal, valid, binding and enforceable against all relevant parties in accordance with their terms under the laws of the State of New York and all other relevant laws (other than the laws of the Cayman Islands);
2.3 the choice of the laws of the State of New York as the governing law of the Agreements has been made in good faith and would be regarded as a valid and binding selection which will be upheld by the courts of the State of New York as a matter of the laws of the State of New York and all other relevant laws (other than the laws of the Cayman Islands);
2.4 copy documents, conformed copies or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals;
2.5 all signatures, initials and seals are genuine;
2.6 the power, authority and legal right of all parties under all relevant laws and regulations (other than, with respect to the Company, the laws of the Cayman Islands) to enter into, execute, deliver and perform their respective obligations under the Agreements;
2.7 All conditions precedent contained in the Agreements have been satisfied or duly waived and there has been no breach of the terms of the Agreements at the date hereof;
2.8 There is no contractual or other prohibition (other than as may arise by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands) binding on the Company or on any other party prohibiting it from entering into and performing its obligations under the Agreements;
2.9 there is nothing under any law (other than the law of the Cayman Islands) which would or might affect the opinions hereinafter appearing. Specifically, we have made no independent investigation of the laws of the State of New York;
2.10 The Company is not a sovereign entity of any state and is not a subsidiary, direct or indirect, of any sovereign entity or state;
2.11 The issued shares in the capital of the Company, including those to be issued pursuant to the offer contained in the Prospectus, have been fully paid up and there are no contractual or other obligations (other than as may arise by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands) binding on the Company or any of the persons to whom such shares have been issued to make any further payment or give further consideration in relation thereto.
A.
3 OPINIONS
The following opinions are given only as to matters of Cayman Islands law and we have assumed that there is nothing under any other law that would affect or vary the following opinions. Specifically we have made no investigation of the laws of New York and we offer no opinion in relation thereto.
Based upon the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set out below and having regard to such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:
3.1 The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands with full corporate power and authority to own its property and assets and to carry on its business in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association and as described in the Registration Statement and to enter into and execute and perform its obligations under the Agreements.
3.2 The Company is in good standing with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands.
3.3 The Company has an authorised capital as set forth in the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares in the capital of the Company (including the Shares when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement) have been duly and validly authorised and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights under Cayman Islands law or the Memorandum and Articles of Association and conform to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus.
3.4 The execution and delivery of the Agreements by the Company and the performance of its obligations thereunder, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the filing of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus have been duly authorised and approved by all necessary corporate action of the Company and the execution and delivery of the Agreements by the Company and the performance of its obligations thereunder do not violate, conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of its Memorandum and Articles of Association or any law, public rule or regulation applicable to the Company in the Cayman Islands currently in force and do not violate, conflict with
or result in a breach of any existing order or decree of any governmental authority or agency or any official body in the Cayman Islands.
3.5 All the outstanding issued Series A Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares and Series C Preferred Shares of the Company (collectively, the "PREFERRED SHARES") have been duly authorised and validly issued as fully paid and non-assessable and conform to the descriptions thereof contained in the Prospectus in all material respects, and all the Ordinary Shares issuable upon the mandatory conversion of the Preferred Shares as described in the Prospectus have been duly authorised and, prior to or concurrently with the Closing, all the Preferred Shares will be converted into Ordinary Shares of the Company and all such Ordinary Shares, when entered on the register of members as such, will be validly issued as fully paid and non-assessable.
3.6 The Agreements have been duly executed and delivered for and on behalf of the Company and constitute legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable in the Cayman Islands in accordance with its terms except and in so far as such enforcement may be limited as hereinafter set forth.
3.7 The Registration Statement has been duly executed by and on behalf of the Company.
3.8 No authorisations, consents, orders, permissions or approvals are required from any governmental authorities or agencies or other official bodies in the Cayman Islands and no notice to or other filing with or action by any Cayman Islands governmental authority or regulatory body is required in connection with:
(1) the execution and delivery of the Agreements;
(2) the performance of any obligation under the Agreements; and
(3) the payment of any amount under the Agreements.
3.9 It is not necessary to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of the Agreements that any document be filed, recorded or enrolled with any governmental department, agency or other authority in the Cayman Islands.
3.10 The statements in the Prospectus under "Dividend Policy", "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities", "Management", "Description of Share Capital", Principal Shareholders", Capitalization", and "Taxation" and the statements in the Registration Statement under Item 14, insofar as such statements constitute summaries of the legal matters, documents or proceedings referred to therein, in each case to the extent, and only to the extent, governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands, fairly present the information and summarise the matters referred to therein.
3.11 No stamp duties or other similar taxes or charges are payable under the laws of the Cayman Islands in respect of:
3.11.1 the execution or delivery of the Agreements or the performance by any of the parties of their respective obligations or enforcement of any of the Agreements unless they are executed in or thereafter brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands (e.g. for the purposes of enforcement) in
which case stamp duty of CI$2.00 (US$2.44) for each of the Agreements will be payable; or
3.11.2 the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company or the sale by Selling Shareholders of their respective shares pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement; or
3.11.3 the entering of the Custodian as the registered holder of the Shares; or
3.11.4 the deposit with the Custodian on behalf of the Depository of the Shares against the Issuance of ADSs for the account of the Underwriters on the date hereof; or
3.11.5 the sale and delivery outside of the Cayman Islands by the Underwriters of the ADSs to the initial purchasers thereof.
3.12 There are currently no taxes or other charges or deductions payable (by withholding or otherwise) to the Cayman Islands Government or any taxing authority thereof on or by virtue of:
3.12.1 the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of the Agreements;
3.12.2 any payment of any nature to be made by the Company under any of the Agreements;
3.12.3 the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company; or
3.12.4 the payment of dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the Shares.
The Cayman Islands currently have no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.
3.13 The choice of the laws of New York to govern the Agreements will be upheld as a valid choice of law under the laws of the Cayman Islands and the courts of the Cayman Islands would uphold such choice of law in a suit on the Agreements brought in the courts of the Cayman Islands, assuming it is so pleaded. An action against the Company in the Cayman Islands under the Agreements could be instituted in the Grand Court, which has jurisdiction over the Company, without first having to obtain a judgment in respect of the Agreements in a court of New York or any other relevant jurisdiction. In the event of any proceedings being brought in the Cayman Islands courts in respect of a monetary obligation expressed to be payable in a currency other than Cayman Islands dollars, a Cayman Islands court would give judgment expressed as an order to pay such currency or its Cayman Islands dollar equivalent at the time of payment or enforcement of the judgment.
3.14 The submission to the jurisdiction of the courts sitting in New York and the appointment of ASAT Inc. to accept service of process in such jurisdiction, pursuant to the Agreements, is legal, valid and binding on the Company.
3.15 Although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in New York, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognise and enforce a judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction in respect of any legal suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Agreements without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided that such judgment is final and conclusive, for a liquidated sum, not in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, is not inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, and was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands. A Cayman Islands court may stay proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere. A foreign judgment may be final and conclusive even if subject to appeal. However, if appealable, a Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement until such appeal has been heard.
3.16 Based solely on our inspection of the Register of Writs and Other Originating process in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands from the date of incorporation of the Company there were no actions or petitions pending against the Company in the courts of the Cayman Islands as at close of business in the Cayman Islands on [ ], 2003. A search at the Companies Registry in the Cayman Islands would not reveal any order or resolution for the winding up of the Company because under Cayman Islands law the records kept by the Registrar of Companies are not documents of public record. The enquiries referred to above which we have made at the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands have revealed no record of the presentation of any winding up petition in respect of the Company. We assume that there has been no change in this position since the date on which the enquiries were made.
3.17 There is no exchange control legislation under Cayman Islands law and accordingly there are no exchange control regulations imposed under Cayman Islands law.
3.18 The Company is not entitled to any immunity under the laws of the Cayman Islands whether characterized as sovereign immunity or otherwise for any legal proceedings in the Cayman Islands to enforce or to collect upon the Agreements.
3.19 So far as the law of the Cayman Islands is concerned, each of the Agreements is in proper form under the laws of the Cayman Islands for the enforcement thereof against the Selling Shareholder subject in so far as such enforcement may be limited as hereinafter set forth and in particular we would draw your attention to paragraph [3.11] relating to stamp duty.
3.20 We have reviewed the register of members of the Company. As of the date hereof there are no entries or notations indicating any third party interests including any security interest on the register of members of the Company.
3.21 It is not necessary to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of the Agreements that any document be filed, recorded or enrolled with any governmental authority or agency or any official body in the Cayman Islands.
3.22 The Underwriters will not be treated as resident, domiciled or carrying on or transacting business or subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands or in violation of any law thereof solely by reason of the negotiation, preparation or execution of the
Agreements or the entering into of or the exercise of their rights or the performance of their obligations under the Agreements.
3.23 The Underwriters will not be required to be licensed, qualified or otherwise entitled to carry on business in the Cayman Islands in order to enforce their rights under, or as a consequence of the execution, delivery and performance of the Agreements.
4 QUALIFICATIONS
The opinions expressed above are subject to the following qualifications:
4.1 The term "ENFORCEABLE" as used above means that the obligations assumed by the Company under the Agreements are of a type which the courts of the Cayman Islands will enforce. It does not mean that those obligations will necessarily be enforced in all circumstances in accordance with their terms. In particular:
4.1.1 enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, reorganisation, readjustment of debts or moratorium or other laws of general application relating to or affecting the rights of creditors; 4.1.2 enforcement may be limited by general principles of equity. For example, equitable remedies such as specific performance may not be available, inter alia, where damages are considered to be an adequate remedy; 4.1.3 some claims may become barred under the statutes of limitation or may be or become subject to defenses of set-off, counterclaim, estoppel and similar defenses; 4.1.4 where obligations are to be performed in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, they may not be enforceable in the Cayman Islands to the extent that performance would be illegal under the laws of that jurisdiction; 4.1.5 the Cayman Islands court has jurisdiction to give judgment in the currency of the relevant obligation and statutory rates of interest payable upon judgments will vary according to the currency of the judgment. If the Company becomes insolvent and is made subject to a liquidation proceeding, the Cayman Islands court will require all debts to be proved in a common currency, which is likely to be the "functional currency" of the Company determined in accordance with applicable accounting principles. Currency indemnity provisions have not been tested, so far as we are aware, in the courts of the Cayman Islands; 4.1.6 obligations to make payments that may be regarded as penalties will not be enforceable; 4.1.7 the courts of the Cayman Islands may decline to exercise jurisdiction in relation to substantive proceedings brought under or in relation to the Agreements in matters where they determine that such proceedings may be tried in a more appropriate forum; |
4.1.8 The irrevocable appointment of an agent for service of process may, as between the appointor and the agent, be revoked by the appointor unless given to secure (i) a proprietary interest of the agent or (ii) the performance of an obligation owed to the agent; 4.1.9 Based on principles of privity of contract, any indemnity or other provision of the Agreements (not being in the form of a deed) which is expressed to be in favour of persons who are not parties to the Agreements may not be enforceable by such persons in the absence of a trust in their favour; |
4.1.10 Whilst parties to an agreement may agree inter se that respective rights and obligations take effect "as of" a date prior to the date of execution and delivery, the rights of third parties, to the extent that the same may be available thereunder, only take effect from the date of actual execution and delivery;
4.1.11 Under The Companies Law (2003 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, the register of members of a Cayman Islands company is by statute regarded as prima facie evidence of any matters which The Companies Law (2003 Revision) directs or authorises to be inserted therein. A third party interest including a security interest in the shares of the Company in question would not appear. An entry in the register of members may be subject to a court order for rectification (for example, in the event of fraud or manifest error); and
4.1.12 a company cannot, by agreement or in its articles of association, restrict the exercise of a statutory power and there exists doubt as to enforceability of any provision in the Agreements whereby the Company covenants not to exercise powers specifically given to its shareholders by The Companies Law (2003 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, including, without limitation, the power to increase its authorised share capital, amend its memorandum and articles of association, or present a petition to a Cayman Islands court for an order to wind up the Company.
4.2 As discussed above, Cayman Islands stamp duty may be payable if the original Agreements are brought to or executed in the Cayman Islands.
4.3 To maintain the Company in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands, annual filing fees must be paid and returns made to the Registrar of Companies.
4.4 The obligations of the Company may be subject to restrictions pursuant to United Nations sanctions as implemented under the laws of the Cayman Islands.
4.5 A certificate, determination, calculation or designation of any party to the Agreements as to any matter provided therein might be held by a Cayman Islands court not to be conclusive final and binding if, for example, it could be shown to have an unreasonable or arbitrary basis, or in the event of manifest error.
4.6 In principle a Cayman Islands court will award costs and disbursements in litigation in accordance with the relevant contractual provisions but there remains some uncertainty
as to the way in which the rules of the Grand Court will be applied in practice. Whilst it is clear that costs incurred prior to judgment can be recovered in accordance with the contract, it is likely that post-judgment costs (to the extent recoverable at all) will be subject to taxation in accordance with Grand Court Rules Order 62.
4.7 We reserve our opinion as to the extent to which a Cayman Islands court would, in the event of any relevant illegality, sever the offending provisions and enforce the remainder of the transaction of which such provisions form a part, notwithstanding any express provisions in this regard.
4.8 We make no comment with regard to the references to foreign statutes in the Agreements.
We express no view as to the commercial terms of the Agreements or whether such terms represent the intentions of the parties and make no comment with regard to the representations which may be made by the Company.
This opinion may be relied upon by the addressees only. It may not be relied upon by any other person except with our prior written consent.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an Exhibit to, the above-mentioned Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities" and "Taxation" in the prospectus included in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Yours faithfully,
MAPLES and CALDER Asia
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
We hereby consent to the use in this Registration Statement on Form F-1 of our reports dated September 19, 2003 and October 30, 2003 relating to the financial statements of Ctrip.com International Ltd., which appears in such Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to us under the headings "Summary Consolidated Financial Data", "Selected Consolidated Financial Data" and "Experts" in such Registration Statement.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers Shanghai, People's Republic of China November 24, 2003 |
EXHIBIT 99.1
[LOGO]
COMMERCE & FINANCE LAW OFFICES
714 Huapu International Plaza 19 Chaowai Avenue, Chaoyang District, Beijing, PRC; Postcode: 100020 Tel: (8610) 65802255 Fax: (8610) 65802538, 65802678, 65802679, 65802203 E-mail Address: beijing@tongshang.com Website: www.tongshang.com.cn
12 November, 2003
To: Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
3F, Building 63-64
No. 421 Hong Cao Road
Shanghai 200233, PRC
RE: SHARE PLEDGE AGREEMENT
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are lawyers qualified in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") and are qualified to issue an opinion on the laws of the PRC.
We have acted as PRC counsel for Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (the "Company"), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in relation to the Company's proposed initial public offering of American depositary shares ("ADSs") representing its ordinary shares and listing of ADSs on the NASDAQ. We have been requested to give this opinion on the legality and enforceability of the following Share Pledge Agreements:
1. Share pledge agreements entered into by and between Individual Shareholders of Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd. ("Ctrip Commerce") and Ctrip Computer Technology ( Shanghai ) Co., Ltd. ("Ctrip Computer"). According to the agreements, the Shareholders of Ctrip Commerce have created pledge over their equity interest in Ctrip Commerce in favor of Ctrip Computer to guarantee the performance of Ctrip Commerce's obligation under the Exclusive Technology Consulting and Services Agreement entered into by and between Ctrip Commerce and Ctrip Computer. The equity pledge can be enforced by Ctrip Computer in the event of any breach or non-payment by the Ctrip Commerce.
2. Share pledge agreements entered into by and between Individual Shareholders of Beijing Chenhao Xinye Air Ticketing Service Co., Ltd. ("Beijing Chen Hao") and Ctrip Computer. According to the agreements, the Shareholders of Beijing Chen Hao have created pledge over their equity interest in Beijing Chen Hao in favor of Ctrip Computer to guarantee the performance of Beijing Chen Hao's obligation under the
EXHIBIT 99.1
Exclusive Technical Consulting and Services Agreement entered into by and between Beijing Chen Hao and Ctrip Computer. The equity pledge can be enforced by Ctrip Computer in the event of any breach or non-payment by the Beijing Chen Hao.
3. Share pledge agreements entered into by and between Individual Shareholders of Guangzhou Guangcheng Commercial Service Co., Ltd. ("Guangzhou Guang Cheng") and Ctrip Computer. According to the agreements, the Shareholders of Guangzhou Guang Cheng have created pledge over their equity interest in Guangzhou Guang Cheng in favor of Ctrip Computer to guarantee the performance of Guangzhou Guang Cheng' s obligation under the Exclusive Technology Services Agreement entered into by and between Guangzhou Guang Cheng and Ctrip Computer. The equity pledge can be enforced by Ctrip Computer in the event of any breach or non-payment by the Guangzhou Guang Cheng.
4. Share pledge agreement entered into by and between Ctrip Commerce and Ctrip Computer. According to the agreement, Ctrip Commerce has created pledge over its equity interest in Shanghai Huacheng Southwest Travel Agency Co., Ltd. ("Shanghai Huacheng") in favor of Ctrip Computer to guarantee the performance of Shanghai Huacheng's obligation under the Exclusive Technical Consulting and Services Agreement entered into by and between Shanghai Huacheng and Ctrip Computer. The equity pledge can be enforced by Ctrip Computer in the event of any breach or non-payment by the Shanghai Huacheng.
5. Share pledge agreement entered into by and between Mr. Fan Min and Ctrip Computer. According to the agreement, Mr. Fan Min has created pledge over his equity interest in Shanghai Cuiming International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. ("Shanghai Cuiming") in favor of Ctrip Computer to guarantee the performance of Shanghai Cuiming' s obligation under the Exclusive Technical Consulting and Services Agreement entered into by and between Shanghai Cuiming and Ctrip Computer. The equity pledge can be enforced by Ctrip Computer in the event of any breach or non-payment by the Shanghai Cuiming.
Based on the provisions of the said equity pledge agreements and relevant laws and regulations, we are of the opinion that:
1. Each of the share pledge agreements has been signed by the relevant parties and is valid and enforceable under the laws of the PRC;
2. According to PRC Security Law, pledge can be created over the shares which are transferable. If the debtor fails to perform his obligation, the pledgee shall be entitled to priority in receiving payment by converting the pledged shares into value or proceeds from the auction or sale of such shares in accordance with the law and agreement;
3. In the event that pledge is triggered, under the laws of the PRC the shares under the pledge can be converted into value or sold in order for the pledgee to be entitled to priority in receiving proceeds from the auction or sale of such shares.
EXHIBIT 99.1
Accordingly, when the pledge is enforced, the pledgee can (i) sell the shares and retain the proceeds form such sale, or (ii) require the pledgor to transfer the shares without consideration to the Chinese citizen(s) appointed by the pledgee. The Chinese citizen(s) receiving the shares will be required to enter into same kind of arrangement with the pledgee and Company.
This opinion relates to the laws of the PRC (other than the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) in effect on the date hereof.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an Exhibit to, the above-mentioned Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings "Risk Factors," "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities," "Chinese Government Regulations" and "Related Party Transactions" in the prospectus included in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Yours faithfully,
Commerce & Finance Law Offices
EXHIBIT 99.2
[LOGO]
COMMERCE & FINANCE LAW OFFICES
714 Huapu International Plaza 19 Chaowai Avenue, Chaoyang District, Beijing, PRC; Postcode: 100020 Tel: (8610) 65802255 Fax: (8610) 65802538, 65802678, 65802679, 65802203 E-mail Address: beijing@tongshang.com Website: www.tongshang.com.cn
[ ] November, 2003
To: Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
3F, Building 63-64
No. 421 Hong Cao Road
Shanghai 200233, PRC
RE: SHANGHAI CTRIP COMMERCE CO., LTD.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are lawyers qualified in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") and are qualified to issue an opinion on the laws of the PRC.
We have acted as PRC counsel for Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (the "Company"), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in relation to the Company's proposed initial public offering of American depositary shares ("ADSs") representing its ordinary shares and listing of ADSs on the NASDAQ. We have been requested to give this opinion on the legality and validity of the following arrangement ("Arrangement") under the relevant agreements ("Agreements") among Ctrip.com ( Hong Kong ) Limited, shareholders of Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd. and Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ("WOFE"):
1. Loans ("Loan Arrangement") respectively to Fan Min and Ji Qi, two ultimate shareholders ("Ultimate Shareholders") of Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd. ("Service Company").
1.1 Under the loan agreements entered into respectively by and between Ctrip.com ( Hong Kong ) Limited, an affiliate ("Affiliate") of the Company, and each of the Ultimate Shareholders, the Affiliate advanced necessary funds to each of the Ultimate Shareholders for investment into the Service Company.
1.2 The term of such Loan Agreements is 10 years and can be extended with both parties' consents. The Ultimate Shareholders can only repay the loan by the way of transferring their ownership in the Service Company to the entity or entities agreed by the Affiliate.
1.3 The loans provided to each of the Ultimate Shareholders shall respectively become due wholly and all of the equity interest must be transferred by such Ultimate
EXHIBIT 99.2
Shareholders to the entity or entities agreed by the Affiliate when one of the following events occur:
o Such Ultimate Shareholders dies or becomes mentally disable;
o Fan Min is no long employed by the Affiliate or an affiliate of the Affiliate, or Ji Qi is no long a director of the Affiliate or an affiliate of the Affiliate;
o Any one of the Ultimate Shareholders is involved in criminal activities;
o Any one of the Ultimate Shareholders is subject to a claim by any third party for an amount in excess of RMB500,000; or
o Foreign investors are permitted to invest in the business of value-added telecommunication, and the relevant authorities start to approve such business in accordance with the applicable laws of PRC, and Affiliate decides to execute the option.
1.4 No interest will accrue on these loans. However, the Affiliate will be entitled to any proceeds resulting from the sale by these Ultimate Shareholders of their equity interests in the Service Company.
2. Exclusive purchase arrangement respectively to the Ultimate Shareholders of Service Company.
2.1 Under the said exclusive purchase agreements entered into respectively by and among the Affiliate, each of the Ultimate Shareholders and the Service Company, the Affiliate have an exclusive option to purchase from each of the Ultimate Shareholders all of his or her interest in the Service Company when permitted by PRC law.
2.2 Under the option agreements, the Service Company agree not to take any of the following actions without prior written consent from the Affiliate or WOFE:
o alter its articles of association or registered capital;
o sell or in any way transfer its assets, business, receivables or rights or to create any encumbrances thereon;
o take up or assume any debt (except those arising in the normal course of business or having been disclosed to the Affiliate);
o enter in to any transaction or contract of value exceeding RMB [ ] (except those executed in the normal course of business);
o grant any loan;
o enter into any merger, consolidation, acquisition or investment agreement; or
o distribute any dividend to shareholders unless requested by the Affiliate.
2.3 Under the option agreements, the Ultimate Shareholders agree not to take any of the following actions without prior written consent from the Affiliate or WOFE:
EXHIBIT 99.2
o sell or in any way dispose of or create any encumbrances on his or her interest in the Service Company (except for the pledge of shares in favor of WOFE);
o pass any resolution relating to the sale, transfer or pledge of their shares of the Service Company (except for the pledge of shares in favor of WOFE); or
o pass any resolution relating to a merger or consolidation of the Service Company or any acquisition by, or investment in, any business by the Service Company.
3. Economic relationships and contractual arrangements between WOFE, the Service Company and the Ultimate Shareholders
WOFE wholly owned by the Affiliate enters into following agreements and arrangements ("Contractual Arrangements") with the Service Company/ the Ultimate Shareholders:
3.1 Exclusive technology consulting and services agreement ("Exclusive Technology Services Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Exclusive Technology Services Agreement, WOFE will provide technology-consulting services to the Service Company for a fixed fee.
3.2 Share pledge agreement ("Share Pledge Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Ultimate Shareholders. According to the Share Pledge Agreement, the Ultimate Shareholder will pledge their equity interest in the Service Company to WOFE to guarantee the performance of the Service Company under the Exclusive Technology Services Agreement. The share pledge may be enforced by WOFE in the event of any breach or non-payment by the Service Company.
3.3 Trademark license agreement ("Trademark Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Trademark License Agreement, WOFE license to Service Company a non-exclusive right to use certain trademarks in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion
3.4 Domain name license agreement ("Domain Name License Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Domain Name License Agreement, WOFE license to the Service Company a non-exclusive right to use ctrip.com.cn domain names in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
3.5 Software license agreement ("Software License Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Software License Agreement, WOFE license to the Service Company a non-exclusive right to use certain
EXHIBIT 99.2
softwares in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
3.6 Webpage copyright license agreement ("Webpage Copyright License Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Webpage Copyright License Agreement, WOFE license to the Service Company a non-exclusive right to use the WOFE' s webpages copyright in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
3.7 Business operating agreement ("Business Operating Agreement") entered into by and among WOFE, the Service Company and the Ultimate Shareholders. According to the Business Operating Agreement,
o in order for the Service Company to obtain bank financing, WOFE agrees to provide a guarantee for the payment obligations of the Service Company when it is required by any of third party.
o the Service Company must appoint as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other high-ranking officers, individuals that are recommended by the WOFE.
o the Service Company cannot engage in any activity that could substantially affect its assets, liabilities, equity or operations, such as incurring any debt, purchasing or selling any assets, granting any third party a security interest in its property or assigning any of its contracts to a third party, without the prior written approval of the WOFE.
3.8 Power of Attorney ("Power of Attorney") issued by the Ultimate Shareholders. According to the Power of Attorney, the Ultimate Shareholders have given irrevocable proxies to Neil Shen, an employee of the WOFE, to vote on all corporate matters of Service Company, including the sale and transfer of the shareholders' interest in Service Company. WOFE can replace this employee at any time with any other employee of WOFE.
3.9 Co-operation agreement ("Co-operation agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Co-operation Agreement, the Service Company will provide all Internet content providing services required by WOFE for a fixed fee.
Based on the foregoing and our review of the relevant documents, we are of the opinion that:
1. WOFE has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a wholly foreign owned enterprise with legal person status in good standing under the laws of the PRC. All of the registered capital of WOFE has been fully paid and is owned by the Affiliate directly, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.
EXHIBIT 99.2
2. The Service Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a privately owned enterprise with legal person status in good standing under the laws of the PRC. All of the registered capital of the Service Company has been fully paid and, to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, 49% and 51% equity interest in the Service Company are respectively owned by Mr. Fan Min and Mr. Ji Oi, each directly, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity, except the pledge created under the Contractual Arrangements.
3. Each of WOFE and the Service Company has legal right, power and authority (corporate and other) to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in their business licenses and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Contractual Arrangements.
4. Each agreement related to the Contractual Arrangements, to which WOFE and Service Company are the parties has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such WOFE and Service Company, and on the performance of which will not require any approvals, consents, etc other than the ones that are clearly obtained or waived, is in proper legal form under the laws of the PRC for the enforcement thereof against the parties thereto with no conflict or violation with PRC laws or regulations, and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the parties thereto, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general equity principles.
5. Each of agreements related to the Loan Arrangement is in proper legal form under the laws of the PRC for the enforcement thereof against each of Ultimate Shareholders and the Affiliate with no conflict or violation with PRC laws or regulations and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Affiliate, and due approval, consent for the performance of agreements obtained or waived, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of each of Ultimate Shareholders and the Affiliate under the PRC law, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general equity principles.
This opinion relates to the laws of the PRC (other than the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) in effect on the date hereof.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an Exhibit to, the above-mentioned Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings "Risk Factors," "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities," "Chinese Government Regulations" and "Related Party Transactions" in the prospectus included in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Yours faithfully,
Commerce & Finance Law Offices
EXHIBIT 99.3
[LOGO]
COMMERCE & FINANCE LAW OFFICES
714 Huapu International Plaza 19 Chaowai Avenue, Chaoyang District, Beijing, PRC; Postcode: 100020 Tel: (8610) 65802255 Fax: (8610) 65802538, 65802678, 65802679, 65802203 E-mail Address: beijing@tongshang.com Website: www.tongshang.com.cn
[ ] November, 2003
To: Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
3F, Building 63-64
No. 421 Hong Cao Road
Shanghai 200233, PRC
RE: SHANGHAI HUACHENG SOUTHWEST TRAVEL AGENCY CO., LTD.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are lawyers qualified in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") and are qualified to issue an opinion on the laws of the PRC.
We have acted as PRC counsel for Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (the "Company"), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in relation to the Company's proposed initial public offering of American depositary shares ("ADSs") representing its ordinary shares and listing of ADSs on the NASDAQ. We have been requested to give this opinion on the legality and validity of the following arrangement ("Arrangement") under the relevant agreements ("Agreements") among Shanghai Huacheng Southwest Travel Agency Co., Ltd. ("Service Company"), Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd. ("Holding Shareholder") and Ctrip Computer Technology ( Shanghai ) Co., Ltd. ("WOFE"):
WOFE wholly owned by an affiliate of the Company, enters into following agreements and arrangements ("Contractual Arrangements") with the Service Company and the Holding Shareholder, which is holding controlling interests in the Service Company:
1. Exclusive technology consulting and services agreement ("Exclusive Technology Services Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Exclusive Technology Services Agreement, WOFE will provide technology-consulting services to the Service Company for a fee calculated on the basis of actual number of tours arranged and actual number of air tickets issued by the Service Company at the relevant time.
EXHIBIT 99.3
2. Share pledge agreement ("Share Pledge Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Holding Shareholder. According to the Share Pledge Agreement, the Holding Shareholder will pledge its equity interests in the Service Company to WOFE to guarantee the performance of the Service Company under the Exclusive Technology Services Agreement. The share pledge may be enforced by WOFE in the event of any breach or non-payment by the Service Company.
3. Trademark license agreement ("Trademark Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Trademark License Agreement, WOFE license to Service Company a non-exclusive right to use certain trademarks in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
4. Software license agreement ("Software License Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Software License Agreement, WOFE license to the Service Company a non-exclusive right to use certain softwares in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
5. Business operating agreement ("Business Operating Agreement") entered into by and among WOFE, the Service Company and the Holding Shareholder. According to the Business Operating Agreement,
o in order for the Service Company to obtain bank financing, WOFE agrees to provide a guarantee for the payment obligations of the Service Company when it is required by any of third party.
o the Service Company must appoint as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other high-ranking officers, individuals that are recommended by the WOFE.
o the Service Company cannot engage in any activity that could substantially affect its assets, liabilities, equity or operations, such as incurring any debt, purchasing or selling any assets, granting any third party a security interest in its property or assigning any of its contracts to a third party, without the prior written approval of the WOFE.
6. Power of Attorney ("Power of Attorney") issued by the Holding Shareholder. According to the Power of Attorney, the Holding Shareholder has given irrevocable proxies to Neil Shen, an employee of the WOFE, to vote on all corporate matters of the Service Company, including the sale and transfer of the Holding Shareholder' s interests in the Service Company. WOFE can replace this employee at any time with any other employee of WOFE.
EXHIBIT 99.3
Based on the foregoing and our review of the relevant documents, we are of the opinion that:
1. WOFE has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a wholly foreign owned enterprise with legal person status in good standing under the laws of the PRC. All of the registered capital of WOFE has been fully paid and is owned by the Affiliate directly, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.
2. The Service Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a privately owned enterprise with legal person status in good standing under the laws of the PRC. All of the registered capital of the Service Company has been fully paid and, to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, 90% equity interest in the Service Company is owned by Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Limited directly, and is free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity, except the pledge created under the Contractual Arrangements.
3. Each of WOFE and the Service Company has legal right, power and authority (corporate and other) to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in their business licenses and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Contractual Arrangements.
4. Each agreement related to the Contractual Arrangements, to which WOFE and Service Company are the parties has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such WOFE and Service Company, and on the performance of which will not require any approvals, consents, etc other than the ones that are clearly obtained or waived, is in proper legal form under the laws of the PRC for the enforcement thereof against the parties thereto with no conflict or violation with PRC laws or regulations, and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the parties thereto, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general equity principles.
This opinion relates to the laws of the PRC (other than the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) in effect on the date hereof.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an Exhibit to, the above-mentioned Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings "Risk Factors," "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities," "Chinese Government Regulations" and "Related Party Transactions" in the prospectus included in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Yours faithfully,
Commerce & Finance Law Offices
EXHIBIT 99.4
[LOGO]
COMMERCE & FINANCE LAW OFFICES
714 Huapu International Plaza 19 Chaowai Avenue, Chaoyang District, Beijing, PRC; Postcode: 100020 Tel: (8610) 65802255 Fax: (8610) 65802538, 65802678, 65802679, 65802203 E-mail Address: beijing@tongshang.com Website: www.tongshang.com.cn
[ ] November, 2003
To: Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
3F, Building 63-64
No. 421 Hong Cao Road
Shanghai 200233, PRC
RE: BEIJING CHENHAO XINYE AIR- TICKETING SERVICE CO., LTD.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are lawyers qualified in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") and are qualified to issue an opinion on the laws of the PRC.
We have acted as PRC counsel for Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (the "Company"), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in relation to the Company's proposed initial public offering of American depositary shares ("ADSs") representing its ordinary shares and listing of ADSs on the NASDAQ. We have been requested to give this opinion on the legality and validity of the following arrangement ("Arrangement") under the relevant agreements ("Agreements") among Ctrip.com ( Hong Kong ) Limited, Beijing Chenhao Xinye Air- Ticketing Service Co., Ltd. ("Service Company"), shareholders of the Service Company and Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ("WOFE"):
1. Loans ("Loan Arrangement") respectively to Fan Min and Ji Qi, two ultimate shareholders ("Ultimate Shareholders") of the Service Company.
1.1 Under the loan agreements entered into respectively by and between Ctrip.com ( Hong Kong ) Limited, an affiliate ("Affiliate") of the Company, and each of the Ultimate Shareholders, the Affiliate advanced necessary funds to each of the Ultimate Shareholders for the purchase of the equity interests in the Service Company.
1.2 The term of such Loan Agreements is 10 years and can be extended with both parties' consents. The Ultimate Shareholders can only repay the loan by the way of transferring their ownership in the Service Company to the entity or entities agreed by the Affiliate.
EXHIBIT 99.4
1.3 The loan provided to each of the Ultimate Shareholders shall respectively become due wholly and all of the equity interest must be transferred by each of such Ultimate Shareholders to the entity or entities agreed by the Affiliate when one of the following events occur:
o The Ultimate Shareholders dies or becomes mentally disable;
o Fan Min is no long employed by the Affiliate or an affiliate of the Affiliate, or Ji Qi is no long a director of the Affiliate or an affiliate of the Affiliate;
o Any one of the Ultimate Shareholders is involved in criminal activities;
o Any one of the Ultimate Shareholders is subject to a claim by any third party for an amount in excess of RMB500,000; or
o Foreign investors are permitted to invest in the business of air ticketing, and the relevant authorities start to approve such business in accordance with the applicable laws of PRC, and Affiliate decides to execute the option.
1.4 No interest will accrue on these loans. However, the Affiliate will be entitled to any proceeds resulting from the sale by these Ultimate Shareholders of their equity interests in the Service Company.
2. Exclusive purchase arrangement respectively to the Ultimate Shareholders of Service Company.
2.1 Under the said exclusive purchase agreements entered into respectively by and among the Affiliate, each of the Ultimate Shareholders and the Service Company, the Affiliate have an exclusive option to purchase from each of the Ultimate Shareholders all of his or her interest in the Service Company when permitted by PRC law.
2.2 Under the option agreements, the Service Company agree not to take any of the following actions without prior written consent from the Affiliate or WOFE:
o alter its articles of association or registered capital;
o sell or in any way transfer its assets, business, receivables or rights or to create any encumbrances thereon;
o take up or assume any debt (except those arising in the normal course of business or having been disclosed to the Affiliate );
o enter in to any transaction or contract of value exceeding RMB [ ] (except those executed in the normal course of business);
o grant any loan;
o enter into any merger, consolidation, acquisition or investment agreement; or
o distribute any dividend to shareholders unless requested by the Affiliate.
EXHIBIT 99.4
2.3 Under the option agreements, the Ultimate Shareholders agree not to take any of the following actions without prior written consent from the Affiliate or WOFE:
o sell or in any way dispose of or create any encumbrances on his or her interest in the Service Company (except for the pledge of shares in favor of WOFE);
o pass any resolution relating to the sale, transfer or pledge of their shares of the Service Company (except for the pledge of shares in favor of WOFE); or
o pass any resolution relating to a merger or consolidation of the Service Company or any acquisition by, or investment in, any business by the Service Company.
3. Economic relationships and contractual arrangements between WOFE, the Service Company and the Ultimate Shareholders
WOFE wholly owned by the Affiliate enters into following agreements and arrangements ("Contractual Arrangements") with the Service Company/ the Ultimate Shareholders:
3.1 Exclusive technology consulting and services agreement ("Exclusive Technology Services Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Exclusive Technology Services Agreement, WOFE will provide technology-consulting services to the Service Company for a fee calculated on the basis of actual number of air tickets issued by the Service Company at the relevant time.
3.2 Share pledge agreement ("Share Pledge Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Ultimate Shareholders. According to the Share Pledge Agreement, the Ultimate Shareholder will pledge their equity interest in the Service Company to WOFE to guarantee the performance of the Service Company under the Exclusive Technology Services Agreement. The share pledge may be enforced by WOFE in the event of any breach or non-payment by the Service Company.
3.3 Trademark license agreement ("Trademark Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Trademark License Agreement, WOFE license to Service Company a non-exclusive right to use certain trademark in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
3.4 Software license agreement ("Software License Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Software License Agreement, WOFE license to the Service Company a non-exclusive right to use certain softwares in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
EXHIBIT 99.4
3.5 Business operating agreement ("Business Operating Agreement") entered into by and among WOFE, the Service Company and the Ultimate Shareholders. According to the Business Operating Agreement,
o in order for the Service Company to obtain bank financing, WOFE agrees to provide a guarantee for the payment obligations of the Service Company when it is required by any of third party.
o the Service Company must appoint as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other high-ranking officers, individuals that are recommended by the WOFE.
o the Service Company cannot engage in any activity that could substantially affect its assets, liabilities, equity or operations, such as incurring any debt, purchasing or selling any assets, granting any third party a security interest in its property or assigning any of its contracts to a third party, without the prior written approval of the WOFE.
3.6 Power of Attorney ("Power of Attorney") issued by the Ultimate Shareholders. According to the Power of Attorney, the Ultimate Shareholders have given irrevocable proxies to Neil Shen, an employee of the WOFE, to vote on all corporate matters of Service Company, including the sale and transfer of the shareholders' interest in Service Company. WOFE can replace this employee at any time with any other employee of WOFE.
Based on the foregoing and our review of the relevant documents, we are of the opinion that:
1. WOFE has been duly incorporated and validly exists as a wholly foreign owned enterprise with legal person status in good standing under the laws of the PRC. All of the registered capital of WOFE has been fully paid and is owned by the Affiliate directly, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.
2. The Service Company has been duly incorporated and validly exists as a privately owned enterprise with legal person status in good standing under the laws of the PRC. All of the registered capital of the Service Company has been fully paid and, to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, 20% and 80% equity interest in the Service Company are respectively owned by Mr. Fan Min and Mr. Ji Oi directly, and such equity interest are each free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity, except the pledge created under the Contractual Arrangements.
3. Each of WOFE and the Service Company has legal right, power and authority (corporate and other) to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in their business licenses and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Contractual Arrangements.
4. Each agreement related to the Contractual Arrangements, to which WOFE and Service Company are the parties has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
EXHIBIT 99.4
such WOFE and Service Company, and on the performance of which will not require any approvals, consents, etc other than the ones that are clearly obtained or waived, is in proper legal form under the laws of the PRC for the enforcement thereof against the parties thereto with no conflict or violation with PRC laws or regulations, and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the parties thereto, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general equity principles.
5. Each of agreements related to the Loan Arrangement is in proper legal form under the laws of the PRC for the enforcement thereof against each of Ultimate Shareholders and the Affiliate with no conflict or violation with PRC laws or regulations and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Affiliate, and due approval, consent for the performance of agreements obtained or waived, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of each of Ultimate Shareholders and the Affiliate under the PRC law, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general equity principles.
This opinion relates to the laws of the PRC (other than the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) in effect on the date hereof.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an Exhibit to, the above-mentioned Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings "Risk Factors," "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities," "Chinese Government Regulations" and "Related Party Transactions" in the prospectus included in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Yours faithfully,
Commerce & Finance Law Offices
EXHIBIT 99.5
[LOGO]
COMMERCE & FINANCE LAW OFFICES
714 Huapu International Plaza 19 Chaowai Avenue,
Chaoyang District, Beijing, PRC; Postcode: 100020
Tel: (8610) 65802255 Fax: (8610) 65802538, 65802678, 65802679, 65802203
E-mail Address: beijing@tongshang.com Website: www.tongshang.com.cn
[ ] November, 2003
To: Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
3F, Building 63-64
No. 421 Hong Cao Road
Shanghai 200233, PRC
RE: GUANGZHOU GUANGCHENG COMMERCIAL SERVICE CO., LTD.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are lawyers qualified in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") and are qualified to issue an opinion on the laws of the PRC.
We have acted as PRC counsel for Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (the "Company"), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in relation to the Company's proposed initial public offering of American depositary shares ("ADSs") representing its ordinary shares and listing of ADSs on the NASDAQ. We have been requested to give this opinion on the legality and validity of the following arrangement ("Arrangement") under the relevant agreements ("Agreements") among Ctrip.com ( Hong Kong ) Limited, shareholders of Guangzhou Guangcheng Commercial Service Co., Ltd. and Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ("WOFE"):
1. Loans ("Loan Arrangement") respectively to Fan Min and Zheng Nanyan, two ultimate shareholders ("Ultimate Shareholders") of Guangzhou Guangcheng Commercial Service Co., Ltd. ("Service Company").
1.1 Under the loan agreements entered into respectively by and between Ctrip.com ( Hong Kong ) Limited, an affiliate ("Affiliate") of the Company, and each of the Ultimate Shareholders, the Affiliate advanced necessary funds to each of the Ultimate Shareholders for the purchase of the equity interests in the Service Company.
1.2 The term of such Loan Agreements is 10 years and can be extended with both parties' consents. The Ultimate Shareholders can only repay the loan by the way of transferring their ownership in the Service Company to the entity or entities agreed by the Affiliate.
EXHIBIT 99.5
1.3 The loan provided to each of the Ultimate Shareholders shall respectively become due wholly and all of the equity interest must be transferred by such Ultimate Shareholders to the entity or entities agreed by the Affiliate when one of the following events occur:
o Such Ultimate Shareholders dies or becomes mentally disable;
o Any one of the Ultimate Shareholders is no long employed by the Affiliate or an affiliate of the Affiliate;
o Any one of the Ultimate Shareholders is involved in criminal activities;
o Any one of the Ultimate Shareholders is subject to a claim by any third party for an amount in excess of RMB500,000; or
o Foreign investors are permitted to invest in the business of air ticketing, and the relevant authorities start to approve such business in accordance with the applicable laws of PRC, and Affiliate decides to execute the option.
1.4 No interest will accrue on these loans. However, the Affiliate will be entitled to any proceeds resulting from the sale by these Ultimate Shareholders of their equity interests in the Service Company.
2. Exclusive purchase arrangement respectively to the Ultimate Shareholders of Service Company.
2.1 Under the said exclusive purchase agreements entered into respectively by and among the Affiliate, each of the Ultimate Shareholders and the Service Company, the Affiliate have an exclusive option to purchase from each of the Ultimate Shareholders all of his or her interest in the Service Company when permitted by PRC law.
2.2 Under the option agreements, the Service Company agree not to take any of the following actions without prior written consent from the Affiliate or WOFE:
o alter its articles of association or registered capital;
o sell or in any way transfer its assets, business, receivables or rights or to create any encumbrances thereon;
o take up or assume any debt (except those arising in the normal course of business or having been disclosed to the Affiliate);
o enter in to any transaction or contract of value exceeding RMB [ ] (except those executed in the normal course of business);
o grant any loan;
o enter into any merger, consolidation, acquisition or investment agreement; or
o distribute any dividend to shareholders unless requested by the Affiliate.
EXHIBIT 99.5
2.3 Under the option agreements, the Ultimate Shareholders agree not to take any of the following actions without prior written consent from the Affiliate or WOFE:
o sell or in any way dispose of or create any encumbrances on his or her interest in the Service Company (except for the pledge of shares in favor of WOFE);
o pass any resolution relating to the sale, transfer or pledge of their shares of the Service Company (except for the pledge of shares in favor of WOFE); or
o pass any resolution relating to a merger or consolidation of the Service Company or any acquisition by, or investment in, any business by the Service Company.
3. Economic relationships and contractual arrangements between WOFE, the Service Company and the Ultimate Shareholders
WOFE wholly owned by the Affiliate enters into following agreements and arrangements ("Contractual Arrangements") with the Service Company/ the Ultimate Shareholders:
3.1 Exclusive technology consulting and services agreement ("Exclusive Technology Services Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Exclusive Technology Services Agreement, WOFE will provide technology-consulting services to the Service Company for a fee calculated on the basis of actual number of air tickets issued by the Service Company at the relevant time.
3.2 Share pledge agreement ("Share Pledge Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Ultimate Shareholders. According to the Share Pledge Agreement, the Ultimate Shareholder will pledge their equity interest in the Service Company to WOFE to guarantee the performance of the Service Company under the Exclusive Technology Services Agreement. The share pledge may be enforced by WOFE in the event of any breach or non-payment by the Service Company.
3.3 Trademark license agreement ("Trademark Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Trademark License Agreement, WOFE license to Service Company a non-exclusive right to use the trademarks in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
3.4 Software license agreement ("Software License Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Software License Agreement, WOFE license to the Service Company a non-exclusive right to use the softwares in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
EXHIBIT 99.5
3.5 Business operating agreement ("Business Operating Agreement") entered into by and among WOFE, the Service Company and the Ultimate Shareholders. According to the Business Operating Agreement,
o in order for the Service Company to obtain bank financing, WOFE agrees to provide a guarantee for the payment obligations of the Service Company when it is required by any of third party.
o the Service Company must appoint as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other high-ranking officers, individuals that are recommended by the WOFE.
o the Service Company cannot engage in any activity that could substantially affect its assets, liabilities, equity or operations, such as incurring any debt, purchasing or selling any assets, granting any third party a security interest in its property or assigning any of its contracts to a third party, without the prior written approval of the WOFE.
3.6 Power of Attorney ("Power of Attorney") issued by the Ultimate Shareholders. According to the Power of Attorney, the Ultimate Shareholders have given irrevocable proxies to Neil Shen, an employee of the WOFE, to vote on all corporate matters of Service Company, including the sale and transfer of the shareholders' interest in Service Company. WOFE can replace this employee at any time with any other employee of WOFE.
Based on the foregoing and our review of the relevant documents, we are of the opinion that:
1. WOFE has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a wholly foreign owned enterprise with legal person status in good standing under the laws of the PRC. All of the registered capital of WOFE has been fully paid and is owned by the Affiliate directly, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.
2. The Service Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a privately owned enterprise with legal person status in good standing under the laws of the PRC. All of the registered capital of the Service Company has been fully paid and, to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, 90% and 10% equity interest in the Service Company are respectively owned by Mr. Fan Min and Mr. Zheng Nanyan directly, and such equity interest are each free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity, except the pledge created under the Contractual Arrangements.
3. Each of WOFE and the Service Company has legal right, power and authority (corporate and other) to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in their business licenses and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Contractual Arrangements.
EXHIBIT 99.5
4. Each agreement related to the Contractual Arrangements, to which WOFE and Service Company are the parties has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such WOFE and Service Company, and on the performance of which will not require any approvals, consents, etc other than the ones that are clearly obtained or waived, is in proper legal form under the laws of the PRC for the enforcement thereof against the parties thereto with no conflict or violation with PRC laws or regulations, and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the parties thereto, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general equity principles.
5. Each of agreements related to the Loan Arrangement is in proper legal form under the laws of the PRC for the enforcement thereof against each of Ultimate Shareholders and the Affiliate with no conflict or violation with PRC laws or regulations and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Affiliate, and due approval, consent for the performance of agreements obtained or waived, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of each of Ultimate Shareholders and the Affiliate under the PRC law, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general equity principles.
This opinion relates to the laws of the PRC (other than the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) in effect on the date hereof.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an Exhibit to, the above-mentioned Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings "Risk Factors," "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities," "Chinese Government Regulations" and "Related Party Transactions" in the prospectus included in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Yours faithfully,
Commerce & Finance Law Offices
EXHIBIT 99.6
[LOGO]
COMMERCE & FINANCE LAW OFFICES
714 Huapu International Plaza 19 Chaowai Avenue, Chaoyang District, Beijing, PRC; Postcode: 100020 Tel: (8610) 65802255 Fax: (8610) 65802538, 65802678, 65802679, 65802203 E-mail Address: beijing@tongshang.com Website: www.tongshang.com.cn
[ ] November, 2003
To: Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
3F, Building 63-64
No. 421 Hong Cao Road
Shanghai 200233, PRC
RE: SHANGHAI CUIMING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AGENCY CO., LTD.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are lawyers qualified in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") and are qualified to issue an opinion on the laws of the PRC.
We have acted as PRC counsel for Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (the "Company"), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in relation to the Company's proposed initial public offering of American depositary shares ("ADSs") representing its ordinary shares and listing of ADSs on the NASDAQ. We have been requested to give this opinion on the legality and validity of the following arrangement ("Arrangement") under the relevant agreements ("Agreements") among Ctrip.com ( Hong Kong ) Limited, shareholders of Shanghai Cuiming International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. and Ctrip Computer Technology ( Shanghai ) Co., Ltd. ("WOFE"):
1. Loans ("Loan Arrangement") to Mr. Fan Min, a shareholder who owns 66% of the equity interests in Shanghai Cuiming International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. ("Service Company").
1.1 Under the loan agreement entered into by and between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong ) Limited, an affiliate ("Affiliate") of the Company, and Fan Min, the Affiliate advanced necessary funds to Fan Min for investment into the Service Company.
1.2 The term of such Loan Agreement is 10 years and can be extended with both parties' consents. Fan Min can only repay the loan by the way of transferring his ownership in the Service Company to the entity or entities agreed by the Affiliate.
EXHIBIT 99.6
1.3 The loans provided to Fan Min shall become due wholly and all of the equity interest must be transferred by him to the entity or entities agreed by the Affiliate when one of the following events occur:
o Fan Min dies or becomes mentally disable;
o Fan Min is no long employed by the Affiliate or an affiliate of the Affiliate;
o Fan Min is involved in criminal activities;
o Fan Min is subject to a claim by any third party for an amount in excess of RMB500,000; or
o Foreign investors are permitted to invest in the business of international agency and the relevant authorities start to approve such business in accordance with the applicable laws of PRC, and Affiliate decides to execute the option.
1.4 No interest will accrue on these loans. However, the Affiliate will be entitled to any proceeds resulting from the sale by Fan Min of his equity interests in the Service Company.
2. Exclusive purchase arrangement to Fan Min.
2.1 Under the said exclusive purchase agreements entered into respectively by and among the Affiliate, Fan Min and the Service Company, the Affiliate have an exclusive option to purchase from Fan Min all of his interest in the Service Company when permitted by PRC law.
2.2 Under the option agreements, the Service Company agree not to take any of the following actions without prior written consent from the Affiliate or WOFE:
o alter its articles of association or registered capital;
o sell or in any way transfer its assets, business, receivables or rights or to create any encumbrances thereon;
o take up or assume any debt (except those arising in the normal course of business or having been disclosed to the Affiliate);
o enter in to any transaction or contract of value exceeding RMB 50,000 (except those executed in the normal course of business);
o grant any loan;
o enter into any merger, consolidation, acquisition or investment agreement; or
o distribute any dividend to shareholders unless requested by the Affiliate.
2.3 Under the option agreements, Fan Min agree not to take any of the following actions without prior written consent from the Affiliate or WOFE:
o sell or in any way dispose of or create any encumbrances on his or
EXHIBIT 99.6
her interest in the Service Company (except for the pledge of shares in favor of WOFE);
o pass any resolution relating to the sale, transfer or pledge of their shares of the Service Company (except for the pledge of shares in favor of WOFE); or
o pass any resolution relating to a merger or consolidation of the Service Company or any acquisition by, or investment in, any business by the Service Company.
3. Economic relationships and contractual arrangements between WOFE, the Service Company and the Shareholders of the Service Company.
WOFE wholly owned by the Affiliate enters into following agreements and arrangements ("Contractual Arrangements") with the Service Company/ the Shareholders:
3.1 Technology services consulting and agreement ("Technology Services Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Technology Services Agreement, WOFE will provide technology-consulting services to the Service Company for a fixed fee.
3.2 Share pledge agreement ("Share Pledge Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and Fan Min. According to the Share Pledge Agreement, Fan Min will pledge his equity interest in the Service Company to WOFE to guarantee the performance of the Service Company under the Exclusive Technology Services Agreement. The share pledge may be enforced by WOFE in the event of any breach or non-payment by the Service Company.
3.3 Trademark license agreement ("Trademark Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Trademark License Agreement, WOFE license to Service Company a non-exclusive right to use certain trademarks in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
3.4 Software license agreement ("Software License Agreement") entered into by and between WOFE and the Service Company. According to the Software License Agreement, WOFE license to the Service Company a non-exclusive right to use certain softwares in return for a license fee, and WOFE has the exclusive right to exempt the obligation of the Service Company to pay the license fee at its own discretion.
3.5 Business operating agreement ("Business Operating Agreement") entered into by and among WOFE, the Service Company and all shareholders of the service company. According to the Business Operating Agreement,
o in order for the Service Company to obtain bank financing, WOFE agrees to provide a guarantee for the payment obligations of the Service Company when it is required by any of third party.
EXHIBIT 99.6
o the Service Company must appoint as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other high-ranking officers, individuals that are recommended by the WOFE.
o the Service Company cannot engage in any activity that could substantially affect its assets, liabilities, equity or operations, such as incurring any debt, purchasing or selling any assets, granting any third party a security interest in its property or assigning any of its contracts to a third party, without the prior written approval of the WOFE.
3.6 Power of Attorney ("Power of Attorney") issued by Fan Min. According to the Power of Attorney, Fan Min have given irrevocable proxies to Neil Shen, an employee of the WOFE, to vote on all corporate matters of Service Company, including the sale and transfer of Fan Min' s interest in Service Company. WOFE can replace this employee at any time with any other employee of WOFE.
Based on the foregoing and our review of the relevant documents, we are of the opinion that:
1. WOFE has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a wholly foreign owned enterprise with legal person status in good standing under the laws of the PRC. All of the registered capital of WOFE has been fully paid and is owned by the Affiliate directly, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.
2. The Service Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as an enterprise with legal person status in good standing under the laws of the PRC. All of the registered capital of the Service Company has been fully paid and, to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, 66% equity interest in the Service Company is owned by Fan Min directly, and is free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity, except the pledge created under the Contractual Arrangements.
3. Each of WOFE and the Service Company has legal right, power and authority (corporate and other) to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in their business licenses and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Contractual Arrangements.
4. Each agreement related to the Contractual Arrangements, to which WOFE and Service Company are the parties has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such WOFE and Service Company, and on the performance of which will not require any approvals, consents, etc other than the ones that are clearly obtained or waived, is in proper legal form under the laws of the PRC for the enforcement thereof against the parties thereto with no conflict or violation with PRC laws or regulations, and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the parties thereto, enforceable in accordance
EXHIBIT 99.6
with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general equity principles.
5. Each of agreements related to the Loan Arrangement is in proper legal form under the laws of the PRC for the enforcement thereof against each of Ultimate Shareholders and the Affiliate with no conflict or violation with PRC laws or regulations and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Affiliate, and due approval, consent for the performance of agreements obtained or waived, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of each of Ultimate Shareholders and the Affiliate under the PRC law, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general equity principles.
This opinion relates to the laws of the PRC (other than the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) in effect on the date hereof.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an Exhibit to, the above-mentioned Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings "Risk Factors," "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities," "Chinese Government Regulations" and "Related Party Transactions" in the prospectus included in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Yours faithfully,
Commerce & Finance Law Offices
EXHIBIT 99.7
(COMMERCE & FINANCE LAW OFFICES LETTERHEAD)
_________________, 2003
To: Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
3F, Building 63-64
No. 421 Hong Cao Road
Shanghai 200233
People's Republic of China
RE: CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
Dear Sirs,
We are lawyers qualified in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") and are qualified to issue opinion on the laws of the PRC. We have acted as PRC counsel for Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (the "Company"), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in relation to the Company's proposed listing on Nasdaq National Market. We have been requested to give this opinion with regard to the laws of PRC as of ___________, 2003, pursuant to Section 5 (b) of the Underwriting Agreement dated ___________, 2003 (the "Underwriting Agreements") among the several underwriters named therein and the Company relating to the offering by the Company of up to ____________ American Depositary Shares each representing ordinary shares of the Company.
Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this opinion shall have the same meaning as set forth in the Purchase Agreement.
In such capacity, we have examined such documents, as we have considered necessary for the purpose of giving this opinion, and obtain the relevant confirmations from the Company.
Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:
(i) Each of Ctrip Computer Technology (Shanghai) Limited and Ctrip Travel Information Technology (Shanghai) Limited (each, a "PRC Subsidiary" and together, the "PRC Subsidiaries") is a company duly incorporated with limited liability and validly existing in good standing under the laws of the PRC. Each PRC Subsidiary is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. No steps have been or are being taken and no order or resolution has been made or passed to appoint a receiver, liquidator or similar officer of, or to wind up or
dissolve, any PRC Subsidiary.
(ii) All of the registered capital of each PRC Subsidiary have been duly and fully paid, non-assessable and are owned directly by Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims. The liability of Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited in respect of equity interests in each PRC Subsidiary is limited to its investments therein.
(iii) Each of Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co., Ltd. ("Shanghai Ctrip"), Shanghai Huacheng Southwest Travel Agency Co., Ltd. ("Shanghai Huacheng"), Beijing Chenhao Xinye Air-Ticketing Service Co., Ltd. ("Beijing Chenhao"), Shanghai Cuiming International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. ("Shanghai Cuiming") and Guangzhou Guangcheng Commercial Service Co., Ltd. ("Guangzhou Guangcheng") (each, a "VIE" and together, the "VIEs") is a company duly incorporated with limited liability and validly existing in good standing under the laws of the PRC. Each VIE is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. No steps have been or are being taken and no order or resolution has been made or passed to appoint a receiver, liquidator or similar officer of, or to wind up or dissolve, any VIE.
(iv) All of the registered capital of each (a) Shanghai Ctrip, (b) Shanghai Huacheng, (c) Beijing Chenhao, (d) Shanghai Cuiming and (e) Guangzhou Guangcheng have been duly and fully paid, non-assessable and are owned directly by (v) Qi Ji (51%) and Min Fan (49%), (w) Shanghai Ctrip (90%) and unaffiliated parties (10%), (x) Qi Ji (80%) and Min Fan (20%), (y) Min Fan (66%) and unaffiliated parties (34%) and (z) Min Fan (990%) and Alex Nanyan Zheng (10%), respectively, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims.
(v) Each PRC Subsidiary and VIE possesses adequate certificates, authorities, approvals, licenses or permits issued by appropriate governmental agencies or bodies in the PRC necessary to conduct its business as presently conducted and as proposed to be conducted.
(vi) Each PRC Subsidiary and VIE possesses valid licenses in full force and effect or otherwise have the legal right to use, or can acquire on reasonable terms, all material patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks and trade names (including the "Ctrip" name and logo) currently employed by them, and none of the PRC Subsidiaries or VIEs has received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any of the foregoing that, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, in the earnings, business or operations of any PRC Subsidiary or VIE.
(vi) After due inquiry, such counsel does not know of any Chinese legal or governmental proceedings pending or threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries or the VIEs is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or the VIEs is subject that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectuses and are not so described or of any statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement
or the Prospectuses or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described or filed as required.
(vii) To the best knowledge of us after due inquiry and based on the confirmation of the Company, there are not outstanding guarantees or contingent payment obligations of the PRC Subsidiaries or VIEs in respect of indebtedness of third parties except as disclosed in the Prospectuses.
(viii) To the best knowledge of us after due inquiry, the PRC Subsidiaries and the VIEs are not (A) in violation of their respective Articles of Association, business licenses and any other constituent documents or (B) in default in the performance or observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument known to such counsel and to which any of the PRC Subsidiaries or VIEs are a party or by which any of their respective properties may be bound, except, in the case of clause (B) where such violation or default would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the general affairs, management, owner's equity, results of operations or position, financial or otherwise, of any of the PRC Subsidiaries or VIEs.
(ix) To best knowledge of us after due inquiry, there is no pending or threatened PRC regulatory, administrative or other governmental initiative that, if implemented or adopted in the manner proposed or contemplated, would have a material adverse effect on the operations of any PRC Subsidiary or VIE in the PRC in the manner presently conducted or as disclosed in the Prospectuses.
(x) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, the Underwriting Agreements and the Deposit Agreement will not contravene any provision of applicable law or the certificate of incorporation, by-laws or other governing documents of any PRC Subsidiary or VIE or, to the best of such counsel's knowledge, any agreement or other instrument binding upon any PRC Subsidiary or VIE that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, to the best of such counsel's knowledge, any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court of the PRC having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any such governmental body or agency is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under the Underwriting Agreements or Deposit Agreement.
(xi) Each of the Structuring Documents has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, the PRC Subsidiaries, the VIEs, Qi Ji, Min Fan or Alex Nanyan Zheng, as the case may be, and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by any other party thereto, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company, the PRC Subsidiaries, the VIEs, Qi Ji, Min Fan or Alex Nanyan Zheng, as the case may be, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general equity principles.
(xii) The execution and delivery of each of the Structuring Documents to which the Company, the PRC Subsidiaries, the VIEs, Qi Ji, Min Fan or Alex Nanyan Zheng is a party and the compliance by each such entity with all of the provisions of each of the Structuring Documents to which such entity is a party and the consummations of the transactions contemplated by the Structuring will not contravene or result in a breach or violation of any
of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument which are governed by the law of the PRC to which any such entity is a party or by such entity is bound or to which any of the properties or assets of such entity is bound or to which any of the properties or assets of such entity is subject, nor will such actions result in any violation of the charter, by-laws or any other constituent document of the Company, the PRC Subsidiaries, the VIEs, Qi Ji, Min Fan or Alex Nanyan Zheng, as the case may be, or any PRC statute, or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body in PRC having jurisdiction over such entity.
(xiii) To be best knowledge of us after due inquiry, (A) the PRC tax laws and regulations and other PRC laws and regulations applicable to the activities of the PRC Subsidiaries and VIEs in the PRC (including regulatory fees, capital gains, income, sales, withholding or other taxes and stamp or other issuance or transfer taxes or duties to which any of the PRC Subsidiaries or VIEs may become subject due to the conduct of activities in the PRC) are assessed or apply to the PRC Subsidiaries and VIEs in substantially the same manner a are currently applicable to any company incorporated under the PRC Company law, which is engaged in the hotel-booking, air-ticketing, packaged-tour or advertising services in the PRC and (B) there are no material PRC fees or taxes that are or will become applicable to any of the PRC Subsidiaries or VIEs as a consequence of the Structuring or the offering that have not been disclosed in the Prospectuses.
(xiv) The choice of law provisions set forth in the Underwriting Agreements and the Deposit Agreements will be recognized by PRC courts; each of the Company, the PRC Subsidiaries and the VIEs can sue and be sued in its own name under the laws of the PRC.
(xv) The Statements in the Prospectuses under "Risk Factors--Risks Relating to Our Company--Chinese laws and regulations restrict foreign investment in the air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising and Internet content provision businesses, and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the application and implementation of Chinese laws and regulations", "Risk Factors--Risks Relating to Our Company--If our affiliated Chinese entities or their shareholders violate our contractual arrangements with them, our business could be disrupted, our reputation may be harmed and we may have to resort to litigation to enforce our rights which may be time consuming and expensive", "Risk Factors--Risks Relating to Our Company--The air-ticketing, travel agency, advertising and Internet industries are heavily regulated by the Chinese government. If we fail to obtain or maintain all pertinent permits and approvals, our business operations may be adversely affected", "Risk Factors--Risks Related to Doing Business in China", "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities" and "Chinese Government Regulations", insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of PRC laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair summaries thereof.
This opinion relates to the laws of the PRC (other than the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) in effect on the date hereof.
This opinion is given solely for the benefit of the persons to whom it is addressed. It may not, except with our prior written permission, be relied upon by anyone in connection with this opinion or used for any other purpose.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an Exhibit to, the above-mentioned Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the
headings "Risk Factors," "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities," "Chinese Government Regulations" and "Related Party Transactions" in the prospectus included in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Yours faithfully,
Commerce & Finance Law Offices
EXHIBIT 99.8
MERRILL LYNCH & CO.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
as U.S. Representative of the several U.S. Underwriters
c/o Merrill Lynch & Co.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
North Tower
World Financial Center
New York, New York 10281-1209
Merrill Lynch Fast East Limited
as International Representative of the
several International Underwriters
c/o Merrill Lynch Far East Limited
18/F Asia Pacific Finance Tower
3 Garden Road
Central, Hong Kong
Dear Sirs,
(1) Re: Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited (the "Company")
We are a firm of solicitors qualified to practise the law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ("Hong Kong") and have been instructed by the Company to give certain opinions in respect of the documents listed in Exhibit "A" and the English translation of the form of such documents attached as Exhibit "B" (collectively the "Transaction Documents") and other matters.
The opinions expressed herein are confined to and given on the basis of the laws of Hong Kong currently in force as applied by the courts of Hong Kong at the date hereof and our understanding of public policy in Hong Kong as at the date hereof. We have not made any investigation or enquiry of, and we do not express or imply any opinion as to, the laws of any jurisdiction other than Hong Kong. These opinions are to be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong.
A. DOCUMENTS
In rendering these opinions, we have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise, of the following documents:
(a) the Transaction Documents and the English translation of the form of the Transaction Documents;
(b) the Certificate of Incorporation of the Company;
(c) the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company;
(d) the Business Registration Certificate of the Company;
(e) a Certificate of Director dated -- executed by Mr. Nanpeng SHEN as a director of the Company (the "Certificate");
(f) the Register of Members of the Company;
(g) the Register of Directors of the Company; and
(h) copy of the minutes of meeting of directors of the Company dated 10 September 2003 (the "Minutes").
We have also examined such other laws, regulations, records, documents, certificates and instruments as we have deemed relevant or necessary for the purpose of giving these opinions.
B. SEARCHES
We have conducted or arranged to conduct the following searches in respect of the Company:
(a) company search at the Companies Registry made on [ ] November 2003;
(b) winding up search at the Official Receiver's Office made on [ ] November 2003; and
(c) court search at the High Court Registry made on [ ] November 2003.
C. ASSUMPTIONS
In giving these opinions, we have assumed the following:
(a) All signatures on all documents (whether originals or copies) reviewed by us are genuine;
(b) All documents submitted to us as originals are authentic and all documents submitted to us as copies conform with the originals of such documents;
(c) All factual representations contained in all documents (including without limitation the Certificate) submitted to us are accurate and complete, and, save in respect of the Transaction Documents, all such documents are valid and subsisting;
(d) (i) The Transaction Documents have been executed and delivered by the relevant officer of the Company in the manner authorised by the Company on 10 September 2003;
(ii) All parties to the Transaction Documents (except the Company) have the power and authority to enter into, execute, deliver and perform the Transaction Documents in accordance with their respective terms and the Transaction Documents have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by or on behalf of such parties and are binding on and constitute legal, valid and enforceable obligations of such parties; moreover, the rights and obligations expressed in or implied by the Transaction Documents to be conferred on and assumed by such parties are within their statutory powers and authorities;
(iii) The translation of the form of the Transaction Documents into English is true and accurate and there is no material difference in meaning between the English translation provided to us and the original Chinese version of the Transaction Documents;
(e) The choice of the laws of the People's Republic of China (the "PRC") as the governing law of the Transaction Documents or the choice of international legal principles and practices in respect of matters not covered by formally published and publicly available laws of the PRC has been made by all parties in good faith and would be regarded as a valid and binding selection which will be upheld by the courts of the PRC as a matter of the laws of the PRC and by all other courts under all other relevant laws (other than the laws of Hong Kong);
(f) Each of the Transaction Documents is valid and enforceable in accordance with the laws of the PRC;
(g) There is no contractual or other prohibition (other than as may arise by virtue of the laws of Hong Kong) binding on the Company or on any other party prohibiting it from entering into and performing its obligations under the Transaction Documents;
(h) All governmental approvals, licences and consents required otherwise than under the laws of Hong Kong to permit each party (except with respect to the Company) to the Transaction Documents to enter into, execute its rights under and perform the obligations expressed to be assumed by it in the relevant Transaction Documents have been obtained and remain in full force and effect, or where the same can only be obtained at the time of exercise of such rights or the performance of such obligations that the same will be duly obtained;
(i) The information disclosed by the searches at the Companies Registry, the Official Receiver's Office, and the High Court Registry described in Part B of this letter is true, complete and up to date and such information has not since the dates and times of the respective searches been altered and such searches disclosed all information which had been delivered or sent electronically for registration or filing (as the case may be) up to the date of the searches;
(j) the Minutes have not been revoked or superseded by subsequent resolutions of the directors of the Company in respect of the relevant subject matter;
(k) No change has been made to the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company provided to us for inspection; and
(l) Insofar as any obligation under the Transaction Documents is to be performed in any jurisdiction outside Hong Kong, its performance will not be illegal or ineffective by virtue of the laws of any such jurisdiction (as to which we do not express an opinion).
D. OPINIONS
Based upon and relying upon the foregoing, and subject to the comments, reservations and qualifications stated below, we are of the following opinions:
(a) The Company was duly incorporated on 11 June 1999 as a private company with limited liability and is validly existing under the laws of the Hong Kong. No steps have been or are being taken and no order or resolution has been made or passed to appoint a receiver, liquidator or similar officer of, or to wind up or dissolve the Company.
(b) The Company has the capacity and powers to own the assets and to carry on the businesses as conducted by it and the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company do not contain any restriction against the Company owning such assets or carry on such businesses.
(c) The Company holds a valid Business Registration Certificate issued by the Commissioner of Inland Revenue which certificate is required under the laws of Hong Kong for carrying on business in Hong Kong.
(d) All of the issued shares in the authorized capital of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by Ctrip.com International, Ltd., a Cayman Islands company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims.
(e) All consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations and qualifications required of the Company in Hong Kong for the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents by the Company in Hong Kong, if applicable, have been made or unconditionally obtained in writing and no such consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification has been withdrawn or is subject to any condition precedent which has not been fulfilled or performed.
(f) If any action or proceeding is brought in a Hong Kong court to enforce any of the Transaction Documents and if, notwithstanding the fact that such Transaction Document is expressed to be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the PRC, such court, contrary to such expression, were to apply the laws of Hong Kong to govern and interpret the Transaction Document (whether because such court were to find the laws of Hong Kong to be the proper laws of the Transaction Document or because the laws of the PRC were not proven in that action or proceeding), the Transaction Document would constitute the legal, valid and binding agreement of the Company and would be enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms.
(g) The execution and delivery of each of the Transaction Documents to which the Company is a party and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of each of the Transaction Documents to which the Company is a party will not
contravene or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument which are governed by the law of Hong Kong to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company is bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company is subject, nor will such actions result in any violation of the charter, by-laws or any other constituent document of the Company or any Hong Kong statute, or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body in Hong Kong having jurisdiction over the Company.
(h) Under current Hong Kong laws and regulations, there are no restrictions against the Company paying dividends which have been declared and payable on the shares of the Company to the shareholders of the Company in United States dollars or in any other currency except as may be stated in the Shareholders Agreement of Ctrip.com International, Ltd. dated 27 August 2003.
(i) The statements attached hereto as Exhibit "C" to be inserted under "Enforceability of Civil Liabilities" in the prospectuses relating to the offer of American Depositary Shares of Ctrip.com International, Ltd. in or about [ ] 2003, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of Hong Kong laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair summaries thereof.
E. RESERVATIONS
Our opinions herein are subject to the following comments, reservations and qualifications:
(a) No opinion is given in respect of any consent, approval, authorization, order, registration and qualification required by the Company in respect of the Transaction Documents.
(b) Notice of a winding up order made or resolution passed or a receiver appointed may not be filed at the Companies Registry or the Official Receiver's Office immediately and there may therefore be a delay in the relevant notice appearing in the records in respect of the Company kept by the said registry and office.
(c) The term "enforceable" as used above means that the obligations assumed by the Company under the Transaction Documents are of a type which the Hong Kong courts enforce. It does not mean that these obligations will necessarily be enforced in all circumstances in accordance with their terms. In particular:
(i) enforcement may be limited by general principles of equity, and in particular the remedies of injunction and specific performance are discretionary and will not be normally ordered by the court in respect of an obligation where damages would be an adequate remedy;
(ii) enforcement may be limited by laws from time to time in effect relating to insolvency, bankruptcy, liquidation, receivership, re-organisation, moratoria, court schemes or other similar laws affecting generally the enforcement of creditors rights;
(iii) claims may be time-barred or become subject to defences of set-off or counterclaim;
(iv) upon a future application by any party to enforce any of the Transaction Documents, a Hong Kong court may consider the then prevailing public policy of Hong Kong in determining the enforceability of such Transaction Documents at such time;
(v) where obligations are to be performed in a jurisdiction outside Hong Kong, they may not be enforceable in Hong Kong to the extent that performance would be illegal or contrary to public policy under that jurisdiction; and
(vi) the enforceability of the Transaction Documents may be limited by the provisions of Hong Kong law applicable to contracts held to have been frustrated by events happening after their execution.
Moreover, for the purposes of our opinions in paragraphs D(f) above, the term "binding" is used in the context of a theoretical future action or proceeding and, in such context, has a meaning similar to "enforceable" and accordingly our above qualifications as to the term "enforceable" also apply to the term "binding" as used in the said opinions.
(d) Under subsection 6(6) of the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310), the issue of a business registration certificate in respect of any business does not deem to imply that the requirements in any law in relation to such business or to persons carrying on the same or employed therein have been complied with.
(e) The term "to the best of our knowledge" as used in these opinions means that we have not made any investigation or enquiry on the subject matter and that "knowledge" means only actual knowledge and not otherwise.
(f) The effectiveness of terms exculpating a party from a liability or duty otherwise owed are limited by law.
(g) Failure to exercise a right may operate as a waiver of that right notwithstanding any "no waiver" provisions contained in any of the Transaction Documents and a court will determine in its discretion whether or not an illegal, invalid or unenforceable provision may be severed notwithstanding any "severability" provisions contained in any of the Transaction Documents.
(h) The freedom of parties to choose the governing law of a contract is subject to the following limitations:
(i) the choice of law must be legal, bona fide and must bear some objective relation to the contract and must not be contrary to public policy;
(ii) when the parties choose the laws of a jurisdiction to evade the application of a legal system with which the contract is objectively connected, the choice of law may be disregarded; and
(iii) claims based on tort (e.g. fraud), as opposed to contract, will be governed by the law of the place where the tort was committed, rather than by the law of the place designated in the contract.
(i) The courts in Hong Kong may stay proceedings if current proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
(j) We express no opinion on the enforcement in Hong Kong of any judgment obtained against the Company in the PRC or any other jurisdiction outside Hong Kong.
(k) To the extent that interest may be charged under the Transaction Documents, enforcement may be limited if the effective rate of interest charged is usurious or if the transaction is considered extortionate under the Money Lenders Ordinance (Cap.163 of the laws of Hong Kong).
(l) On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC. On April 4, 1990, the National People's Congress (the "NPC") of the PRC adopted the Basic Law of Hong Kong (the "Basic Law"). Under Article 8 of the Basic Law, the laws of Hong Kong in force at June 30, 1997 (including the common law, rules of equity, ordinances, subordinate legislation and customary law) shall be maintained, except for any that contravene the Basic Law and subject to any amendment by the legislature of Hong Kong. Under Article 160 of the Basic Law, the laws of Hong Kong in force at June 30, 1997 shall be adopted as laws of Hong Kong unless they are declared by the Standing Committee of the NPC (the "Standing Committee") to be in contravention of the Basic Law, and if any such laws are later discovered to be in contravention of the Basic Law, they shall be amended or cease to have force in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the Basic Law.
(m) On February 23, 1997, the Standing Committee adopted a decision (the "Decision") on the treatment of laws previously in force in Hong Kong. Under paragraph 1 of the Decision, the Standing Committee decided that the laws previously in force in Hong Kong which include the common law, rules of equity, ordinances, subsidiary legislation and customary law, except for those which contravene the Basic Law are to be adopted as the laws of Hong Kong. Under paragraph 2 of the Decision, the Standing Committee decided that the ordinances and subsidiary legislation set out in Annex 1 to the Decision which are in contravention of the Basic Law are not to be adopted as the laws of Hong Kong. One of the ordinances set out in that Annex is the Application of English Law Ordinance (Cap.88) (the "English Law Ordinance"). The English Law Ordinance applied the common law and rules of equity of England to Hong Kong. We have assumed in giving these opinions that the effect of paragraph 2 of the Decision, insofar as it relates to the English Law Ordinance, is to repeal the English Law Ordinance prospectively and that the common law and rules of equity of England which applied in Hong Kong on June 30, 1997, continue to apply, subject to their subsequent independent development which will rest primarily with the courts of Hong Kong which are empowered by the Basic Law to refer to precedents of other common law jurisdictions when adjudicating cases. Such assumption is consistent with the approach taken by the Court of Appeal of Hong Kong in HKSAR v. Ma Wai-Kwan and others on 29 July 1997.
These opinions are strictly limited to the matters stated herein and no inference or conclusion to the contrary should be drawn by any person or entity to whom these opinions are given or
revealed whether as permitted herein or otherwise and these opinions may not be disclosed to or relied upon by any person or entity except the addressees hereof.
Yours faithfully,
BOUGHTON PETERSON YANG ANDERSON
Exhibit "A"
(a) The Transaction Documents
II. A. IN RESPECT OF BEIJING CHENHAO XINYE AIR TICKET SERVICE CO. LTD
1. Loan Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and Min Fan;
2. Exclusive Option Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and Min Fan;
3. Loan Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and Qi Ji;
4. Exclusive Option Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and Qi Ji;
A. B. In respect of Guangzhou Guangcheng Commercial Service Co. Ltd
5. Loan Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and Min Fan;
6. Exclusive Option Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and Min Fan;
7. Loan Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and Alex Nanyan Zheng;
8. Exclusive Option Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and Alex Nanyan Zheng;
C. IN RESPECT OF SHANGHAI CTRIP COMMERCE CO. LTD
9. Loan Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited, Min Fan, Qi Ji
10. Exclusive Option Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and Min Fan; and
11. Exclusive Option Agreement (in Chinese) dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and Qi Ji.
Exhibit "B"
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE TRANSACTION DOCUMENTS
1. Sample Loan Agreement dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and certain other parties; and
2. Sample Exclusive Option Agreement dated 10 September 2003 between Ctrip.com (Hong Kong) Limited and certain other parties.
Exhibit "C"
Boughton Peterson Yang Anderson, in association with Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, has further advised us that enforcement of a foreign judgment in Hong Kong is subject to the Foreign Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Ordinance (Cap. 319) of the laws of Hong Kong (the "Ordinance") which provides that a final and conclusive judgment of a court specified in an order under the Ordinance against a Hong Kong company for a fixed sum of money and which is enforceable by execution in the specified foreign jurisdiction (other than a sum payable in respect of taxes or like charges, fines or penalties, in respect of any legal proceedings) may be registered in Hong Kong in accordance with the Rules of the High Court of Hong Kong and the provisions of the Ordinance and upon registration would be enforceable in Hong Kong provided it is not subsequently set aside by the courts of Hong Kong. The United States is not a country specified in the orders passed under the Ordinance and therefore any judgment granted by a United States Court would be enforceable in Hong Kong only if it is made the subject of a Hong Kong judgment. A final judgment from a court in the United States may be treated and be sued upon in the courts of Hong Kong as a liquidated sum.