RISK FACTORS

         An investment in our ADSs involves significant risks. You should consider carefully all of the information in this prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties described below, before making an investment in our ADSs. Any of the following risks could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In any such case, the market price of our ADSs could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

         Our business and growth are highly dependent on the development of the e-commerce industry in China.

        We generate a significant portion of our parcel volume by serving end customers that conduct business on the various e-commerce platforms in China, and our end customers rely on our services to fulfill orders placed by consumers on such platforms. Our business and growth are highly dependent on the viability and prospects of the e-commerce industry in China.

        Any uncertainties relating to the growth, profitability and regulatory regime of the e-commerce industry in China could have a significant impact on us. The development of the e-commerce industry in China is affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond our control. These factors include:

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the growth of broadband and mobile Internet penetration and usage in China;



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the consumption power and disposable income of e-commerce consumers in China, as well as changes in demographics and consumer tastes and preferences;



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the availability, reliability and security of e-commerce platforms;



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the selection, price and popularity of products offered on e-commerce platforms;



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the emergence of alternative channels or business models that better suit the needs of consumers in China;



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the development of fulfillment, payment and other ancillary services associated with e-commerce; and



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changes in laws and regulations, as well as government policies that govern the e-commerce industry in China.

        The e-commerce industry is highly sensitive to changes of macroeconomic conditions, and e-commerce spending tends to decline during recessionary periods. Many factors beyond our control, including inflation and deflation, fluctuation of currency exchange rate, volatility of stock and property markets, interest rates, tax rates and other government policies and changes in unemployment rates can adversely affect consumer confidence and spending behavior on e-commerce platforms, which could in turn materially and adversely affect our growth and profitability. In addition, unfavorable changes in domestic and international politics, including military conflicts, political turmoil and social instability, may also adversely affect consumer confidence and spending, which could in turn negatively impact our growth and profitability.

         We have experienced, and may continue to experience, significant reliance on the Alibaba ecosystem.

        Our business is significantly reliant on the Alibaba ecosystem. Parcel volume generated from Alibaba's e-commerce platforms accounted for approximately 80%, 77% and 75% of the total parcel volume processed in our network in 2014, 2015 and the six months ended June 30, 2016, respectively. Although we plan to expand and diversify our customer base, we still expect to be reliant on the Alibaba ecosystem for the foreseeable future.

        Although Alibaba is not our direct customer, it can significantly influence how transactions take place on its e-commerce platforms, including how purchase orders are fulfilled by indicating the preferred express delivery companies for each order. In order to maintain and foster our cooperation with Alibaba,

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we may have to accommodate the demands and requirements from various players in the Alibaba ecosystem, such as the adoption of digital waybills initiated by China Smart Logistics, or Cainiao, a central logistics information system and solutions provider affiliated with Alibaba. Such demands and requirements may increase the cost of our business, weaken our connection with our end customers, or even be disruptive to our existing business model.

        In addition, Alibaba has invested, and may invest in the future, in our competitors and, as a result, may encourage merchants on its platforms to choose their investees' services over ours. Alibaba may also build in-house delivery network to serve its e-commerce platforms in the future. If either or both of these activities take place, our business may be harmed, and our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

         We face risks associated with our network partners and their employees and personnel.

        As of June 30, 2016, we had 3,541 direct network partners and approximately 4,200 indirect network partners under our ZTO brand. We rely on these network partners to directly interact with and serve end customers, but the interest of a network partner may not be entirely aligned with ours or with that of other network partners. We enter into cooperation agreements with our direct network partners, many of which sub-contract part of their business to their cooperation partners, which we refer to as our indirect network partners. We gain certain level of control over direct network partners through our cooperation agreements, which provide for incentives and periodic evaluation. The sub-contracting of indirect network partners is subject to our consent. However, our control over the network partners may not be as effective as if we had directly owned these network partners, which could potentially make it difficult for us to manage our network partners. Particularly, as we do not enter into agreements with our indirect network partners, we are unable to exert a significant degree of influence over them.

        Our network partners and their employees carry out a significant amount of direct interactions with our end customers, and their performance directly affects our brand image. However, we do not directly supervise their services provided to end customers. Although we have established and distributed service standards across our network and provide training to the employees and personnel of our network partners from time to time, we may not be able to successfully monitor, maintain and improve the service provided by our network partners and their employees. In the event of any unsatisfactory performance by our network partners and/or their employees, we may experience service disruptions and our reputation may be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, our network partners may fail to implement sufficient control over the pickup and delivery personnel who work at the outlets in connection with their conduct, such as proper collection and handling of parcels and delivery service fees, adherence to customer privacy standards and timely delivery of parcels. As a result, we or our network partners may suffer financial losses, incur liabilities and suffer reputational damages in the event of theft or late delivery of parcels, embezzlement of delivery service fees or mishandling of customer privacy.

        Suspension or termination of a network partner's services in a particular geographic area may cause interruption to or failure in our services in the corresponding geographic area. A network partner may suspend or terminate its services voluntarily or involuntarily due to various reasons, including disagreement or dispute with us, failure to make a profit, failure to maintain requisite approvals, licenses or permits or to comply with other governmental regulations, and events beyond our or its control, such as inclement weather, natural disasters, transportation interruptions or labor unrest or shortage. Due to the intense competition in China's express delivery industry, our existing network partners may also choose to discontinue their cooperation with us and work with our competitors instead. We may not be able to promptly replace our network partners or find alternative ways to provide services in a timely, reliable and cost-effective manner, or at all. As a result of any service disruptions associated with our network partners, our customer satisfaction, reputation, operations and financial performance may be materially and adversely affected.

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         We face intense competition which could adversely affect our results of operations and market share.

        We operate in a highly competitive and fragmented industry. We compete primarily with leading domestic express delivery companies including SF Express, STO Express, YTO Express, Yunda Express as well as EMS. We compete with them based on a number of factors, including business model, operational capabilities, cost control and service quality. In particular, we have historically experienced declines in the delivery service market prices and may face downward pricing pressure again. If we and our network partners cannot effectively control our costs to remain competitive, our market share and revenue may decline. Additionally, if we have to subsidize our network partners to increase our network partners' competitiveness, our gross margin may decline.

        In addition, major e-commerce platforms, such as Alibaba and JD.com, may choose to build or further develop in-house delivery capabilities to serve their logistics needs and compete with us, which may significantly affect our market share and total parcel volume. Furthermore, as we diversify service offerings and further expand our customer base, we may face competition from existing or new players in those new sectors. In particular, we or our network partners may face competition from existing or new last-mile delivery service providers which may expand their service offerings to express delivery or adopt a business model disruptive to our business and compete with our network partners for hiring of delivery personnel. Similarly, existing players in an adjacent or sub-market may choose to leverage their existing infrastructure and expand their services to serve our customers. If these players succeed in doing so, our business could be encroached by their entrance and adversely affected.

        Certain of our current and potential competitors, as well as international logistics operators with presence in China, may have significantly greater resources, longer operating histories, larger customer bases and greater brand recognition than us. They may be acquired by, receive investment from or enter into strategic relationships with, established and well-financed companies or investors which would help enhance their competitiveness. In view of this, some of our competitors may adopt more aggressive pricing policies or devote greater resources to marketing and promotional campaigns than us. We may not be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors, and competitive pressures may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

         Any service disruption experienced by our sorting hubs or the outlets operated by our network partners may adversely affect our business operations.

        Our daily operations heavily rely on the orderly performance of our sorting hubs and the outlets operated by our network partners. Any service disruption of the sorting hubs or the outlets due to failure in their automated facilities, under-capacity during peak parcel volume periods, force majeure events, third-party sabotage, dispute with us or any third party, employee delinquency or strike, governmental inspection of properties or governmental orders that mandate any service halt or temporary or permanent shutdown would adversely impact our business operations. In case of any service disruption by sorting hubs or outlets, parcel sorting or parcel pickup and delivery at the applicable sorting hubs or outlets may be delayed, suspended or stopped. Parcels will need to be redirected to other nearby sorting hubs or outlets, and such rerouting of parcels will likely increase risks of delay and errors in delivery. At the same time, increased parcel sorting or pickup and delivery pressure on nearby sorting hubs or outlets may negatively impact their performance and spread adverse effects further across our network. Any of the foregoing events may result in significant operational interruptions and slowdowns, customer complaints and reputational damage.

         Our technology system is critical to our business operations and growth prospects.

        The satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our technology system is critical to our ability to provide high-quality customer services. We rely on our centralized technology system, which consists of our Zhongtian system, our transportation system, as well as our Ping'an settlement system to efficiently operate our network. This integrated system supports the smooth performance of certain key

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functions of our business, such as order tracking, fleet dispatching and management, fee settlement and route planning. In addition, the maintenance and processing of various operating and financial data is essential to the day-to-day operation of our business and formulation of our development strategies. Therefore, our business operations and growth prospects depend, in part, on our ability to maintain and make timely and cost-effective enhancements and upgrades to our technology system and to introduce innovative additions which can meet changing operational needs. While continuing to invest in information technology and equipment to enhance operational efficiency and reliability is one of our growth strategies, our historical spending on technology has been low compared to certain major global logistics companies. Such level of expenditure may not be sufficient to fully support our business operation and expansion needs. Failure to do so could cause economic losses and put us at a disadvantage to our competitors. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to keep up with technological improvements or that the technology developed by others will not render our services less competitive or attractive.

        Any interruptions caused by telecommunications failures, computer viruses, hacking or other attempts to harm our systems that result in the unavailability or slowdown of our centralized system could quickly impact the workflow in a large portion of, if not the entire, network. We can provide no assurance that our current security mechanisms will be sufficient to protect our technology systems from any third-party intrusions, viruses or hacker attacks, information or data theft or other similar activities. Any such occurrences could disrupt our services, damage our reputation and harm our results of operations.

         Overall tightening of the labor market or any possible labor unrest may affect our business as we operate in a labor-intensive industry.

        Our business is labor-intensive and requires a substantial number of personnel. Any failure to retain stable and dedicated labor by us and our network partners may lead to disruption to or delay in our services provided to end customers. We and our network partners often need to hire additional or temporary workers to handle the significant increase in parcel volume following special promotional events or during peak seasons of e-commerce. Although we have not experienced any labor shortage to date, we have observed an overall tightening and increasingly competitive labor market. We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, increases in labor costs due to increases in salary, social benefits and employee headcount. We and our network partners compete with other companies in our industry and other labor-intensive industries for labor, and we may not be able to offer competitive salaries and benefits compared to them.

        We and our network partners were subject to labor disputes initiated by our or our network partners' employees and personnel from time to time, although none of them, individually or in the aggregate, had a material adverse impact on us. We expect to continue to be subject to various legal or administrative proceedings related to labor dispute in the ordinary course of our business, due to the magnitude of labor force involved in our network. Any labor unrest directed against us or our network partners could directly or indirectly prevent or hinder our normal operating activities, and, if not resolved in a timely manner, lead to delays in fulfilling our customer orders and decreases in our revenue. Historically, we have experienced an incident where an employee strike of one of our network partners caused a prolonged service suspension in a southern city of China, and we cannot assure you that similar incidents would not happen in the future. We and our network partners are not able to predict or control any labor unrest, especially those involving labor not directly employed by us. Further, labor unrest may affect general labor market conditions or result in changes to labor laws, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

         We face risks associated with the parcels handled through our network.

        We handle a large volume of parcels across our network, and face challenges with respect to the protection and examination of these parcels. Parcels in our network may be stolen, damaged or lost for various reasons, and we and/or our network partners may be perceived or found liable for such incidents. In addition, we may fail to screen parcels and detect unsafe or prohibited/restricted items. There had been

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certain historical incidents where our network partners were found to have failed to strictly implement parcel screening procedures and allowed controlled items to be mailed through our network. As a result, the operation of such network partner was suspended by the post authorities in charge. Unsafe items, such as flammables and explosives, toxic or corrosive items and radioactive materials, may damage other parcels in our network, injure recipients and harm the personnel and assets of us and/or our network partners. Furthermore, if we fail to prevent prohibited or restricted items from entering into our network and if we participate in the transport and delivery of such items, we may be subject to administrative or even criminal penalties, and if any personal injury or property damage is concurrently caused, we may be further liable for civil compensation.

        The delivery of parcels also involves inherent risks. We constantly have a large number of vehicles and personnel in transportation, and are therefore subject to risks associated with transportation safety, and the insurance maintained by us may not fully cover the damages caused by transportation related injuries or loss. From time to time, our vehicles and personnel may be involved in transportation accidents, and the parcels carried by them may be lost or damaged. In addition, frictions or disputes may occasionally arise from the direct interactions between our pickup and delivery personnel with parcel senders and recipients. Personal injuries or property damages may arise if such incidents escalate.

        Any of the foregoing could disrupt our services, cause us to incur substantial expenses and divert the time and attention of our management. We and our network partners may face claims and incur significant liabilities if found liable or partially liable for any of injuries, damages or losses. Claims against us may exceed the amount of our insurance coverage, or may not be covered by insurance at all. Governmental authorities may also impose significant fines on us or require us to adopt costly preventive measures. Furthermore, if our services are perceived to be insecure or unsafe by our end customers, e-commerce platforms and consumers, our business volume may be significantly reduced, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

         Our past growth rates may not be indicative of our future growth, and if we are unable to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

        Our business has grown substantially in recent years, but our past growth rates may not be indicative of our future growth. Our revenue growth in recent years was partly attributable to the business that we acquired. We plan to further expand our network in response to increasing customer/consumer needs, but we may not succeed in doing so. Even if we are able to expand our network as planned, we may not be able to continue to integrate and optimize a larger network. In addition, as customer/consumer needs at both national and regional levels are continuously changing, we may not be able to successfully anticipate and respond to such changes. For example, we may experience shortages in our delivery capacity if our expansion fails to accurately and timely match the increases in customer/consumer needs. Furthermore, our anticipated future growth will likely place significant demand on our management and operations. Our success in managing our growth will depend, to a significant degree, on the ability of our executive officers and other members of senior management to carry out our strategies effectively, our ability to balance the interests between us and our network partners as well as among our network partners, and our ability to adapt, improve and develop our financial and management information systems, controls and procedures. In addition, we will likely have to successfully recruit, train and manage more employees and improve and expand our sales and marketing capabilities. If we are not able to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively due to any of the foregoing reasons, our expansion may not be successful and our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

         Our long-term growth and competitiveness are highly dependent on our ability to control costs.

        In order to maintain competitive pricing and enhance our profit margins, we must continually control our costs. Effective cost-control measures have a direct impact on our financial condition and results of operations. We have adopted various such measures, and will continue to add new ones as necessary and appropriate. For example, transportation costs can be reduced through the choice of vehicles, and labor

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costs can be reduced through automation. However, the measures we have adopted or will adopt in the future may not be as effective as expected in improving our financial condition and results of operations. In order to sustain our long-term growth and competitiveness, we do not intend to adopt aggressive pricing policies to compete with our competitors. There have historically been declines in the delivery services fees charged by our network partners to parcel senders partially due to market competition. If we are not able to effectively control our cost and adjust the level of network transit fees based on operating costs and market conditions, our profitability and cash flow may be adversely affected.

         We outsource part of our line-haul transportation capacity to our related party and use their services.

        We outsource part of our line-haul transportation needs to Tonglu Tongze Logistics Ltd., or Tonglu Tongze, which is a transportation operator that works exclusively for us. Tonglu Tongze has a fleet of over 1,200 trucks as of June 30, 2016. In 2014, 2015 and the six months ended June 30, 2016, we incurred RMB643.6 million, RMB703.1 million (US$105.8 million) and RMB418.0 million (US$62.9 million), respectively, of transportation service fees to Tonglu Tongze and its subsidiaries and had RMB55.8 million, RMB84.6 million (US$12.7 million) and RMB27.9 million (US$4.2 million) of accounts payable due as of December 31, 2014, 2015 and June 30, 2016, respectively. Certain of our employees and certain employees of Tonglu Tongze beneficially owned 76.6% and 5.0% equity interest in Tonglu Tongze as of June 30, 2016, respectively. Therefore, we treat Tonglu Tongze as our related party and we expect to continue to rely on its services. In light of the materiality of Tonglu Tongze's continued service to us, we may face a number of risks and uncertainties associated with our transactions with them. There is no assurance that (i) their service will continue to be available to us on an exclusive basis or at all, (ii) their service quality will not materially deteriorate, (iii) they will not unilaterally increase their service pricing, (iv) the quality of their service will be sustained, (v) there will not be any wrongdoing or misconduct by their employees or by it which would materially adversely affect their service, or (vi) we can continue to maintain good relations with Tonglu Tongze with respect to future transportation services. Any deterioration to their services or relations with us may adversely affect our overall business and results of operations.

         We face challenges in diversifying our service offerings and expanding our customer base.

        We intend to further diversify our service offerings and expand our customer base to add to our revenue sources in the future. New services or new types of customers may involve risks and challenges we do not currently face. Such new initiatives may require us to devote significant financial and managerial resources and may not perform as well as expected. We may not be able to successfully address customer demand and preferences and our existing network and facilities may not be adaptable to the new services or customers. For example, different service offerings will likely impose different equipment specifications and service standards. We may also be inexperienced with the operating models and cost structures associated with a new type of customer. In addition, we may not be able to assure adequate service quality and receive complaints or incur costly liability claims, which would harm our overall reputation and financial performance. We may also selectively invest in emerging business opportunities in adjacent logistics market, such as less-than-truckload shipping, or leverage our existing network and infrastructure to directly engage in these businesses. We may not be able to achieve profitability or recoup our investments with respect to any new services or new types of customers in time or at all.